Plants
Marnier’s Kalanchoe in Bloom
Rescued a piece of a Marnier's Kalanchoe from a trash bin in 2019. Today it's flourishing in the succulent garden and blooming like there's no tomorrow
Banana Surprise
Banana Surprise! is something you can legitimately shout when you discover a 15' banana tree loaded with bananas hidden in your garden. (Maybe other times too.)
Monarda fistulosa aka Wild Bergamot or Bee Balm
While Monarda (wild bergamot / bee balm) isn't native to California, it'll make itself at home even in the dry, desert like climate of my San Diego foothills
The Feijoa Blooms again
Feijoa (pineapple guava) only blooms on second year wood. After a hard pruning and no flowers last year, it's back and blooming big this year. Spectacular!
Pride of Madiera
A volunteer Pride of Madiera (Echium candicans) covered in big spiky blooms anchors the dry shade garden in front of Sage's Acre in San Diego County in May
Thunbergia Ate the Duck Enclosure
Bought this thunbergia as a scrawny stick for $1. Twenty years later, it's so huge and covered with bright orange flowers it shows up on satellite images.
Chinese Lantern in Bloom
Warm weather (77F / 25C), crisp blue skies and varigated Chinese Lanterns (Abutilon) blooming above the courtyard bench equal a spectacular Monday.
Lemongrass Then and Now
From the "If you water it, it will grow" file comes this lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) rescued from the dry herb garden. In March I planted a small, mostly dead clump. In June it began to show life. By October it ruled its section of the tropical garden
Gasteria Ellaphiae
Gasteria Ellaphiae is an interesting succulent that does quite well in light-to-medium shade as long as the soil is kept warm and dry. This plant was a thumb-sized pair of leaves and no roots last spring, but, as you can see from the photo, it now has half a dozen new leaf clusters that can be separated into new plants.
Towering Tithonia
Tithonia diversifolia in autumn The Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) grew 20 feet tall over the summer, but now that autumn is here, all but the uppermost leaves have died back. Standing below, the effect is kind of Dr Seussian, a forest of towering sticks with a few green feathers sticking out the top.