Bringing the heat

We have unseasonable high temperatures here in San Diego this week. Our normal 67 degree weather has been replaced with hot dry 90 degree days. Despite the heat, the rain we had a week ago has spared the landscape from disaster. 

We don't have an irrigation system, so if I don't have the time to stand and water for an hour or two, the plants go without water for a week or more. Its a bit of balancing act making sure we get out there and water before damage is done.

 I love the Centaurea gymnocarpa "Velvet Centurea" I picked up from Annie's Annuals last year.

Annie's Annuals

I now use it as my water indicator plant. When it gets really hot and or dry it starts to droop its leaves just a bit and reminds me to water. It never drys out completely though and as soon as I water it pops right back up and looks fabulous again. Love this plant and can't wait to see it bloom!

The protea seem to be enjoying the weather we have been having. One week its cold and rainy and the next its hot and dry. All the plants I got from Resendiz Brothers Protea more than a year ago are now bursting with new buds.

All the one year old protea seedlings are starting to look good. None are showing signs of blooms yet but all have fresh growth which is promising. Right now they are in the shade house because I lost so many when they dried out and burnt in the full sun spot I had put them. I wasn't able to water as often back then so I will soon transition them back into more sun so they can grow better. 

The rest of the garden is also looking splendid. Aeoniums which have been overlooked and ignored all year are getting their time in the spotlight as they all burst into bloom.

My newest addition is a Psoralea pinnata “Kool-Aid Bush”. 

The local college propagates these, but they sell faster than they grow. They are usually sold out long before I get there.  This time they had five so I was able to pick out the best looking one. Since moving up to a five gallon size I swear its grown a third of its size in a week and the BLOOMS!!! The flowers have an aroma very much like grape soda or Kool-Aid. Its another wonder from South Africa, no wonder I like this plant.

It doesn't look like much yet but soon this will be a towering beauty

They grow up to 12 feet tall and it just so happens that Annie's Annuals also carries them here. 

And for your viewing pleasure: 

More of whats blooming in the garden today....

Dendrobium speciosum

Asclepias curassavica

Salvia grown from cuttings- only six months old

Why you shouldn't grow leucadendrons near shade.

This branch started growing towards the porch then reversed course and started heading back towards the sun creating a corkscrew branch. This was my first intro into the world of protea and I planted it before I knew they needed sun. The plant has established itself and seems to grows fine so rather than risk loosing it by transplanting I have opted to let it stay. Because of the shade it stays a brilliant light green color that pops in the landscape.

Pictures of the Day

Visit to Resendiz Brothers Protea

This past week I was lucky enough to be invited to come out and visit one of the largest protea growers in California.  During the summer they are in their slow season since most of the flowers they grow bloom in the spring, but there was still plenty to see. 

To see what product they have available during the year check them out at

http://www.resendizbrothers.com/

They currently have 350 acres of which more than 200 is planted with South African and Australian plants such as Protea, Leucospermum, Leucadendron, Banksia, Anigozanthos, Grevillea, Serruria, Waratah, Berzelia, Leptospermum, Waxflowers, Boronia, and much more.

Here are a few pictures from my trip...

I was so impressed by this acasia. I have never seen it before and I am surprised I don’t see them since this could be a beautiful landscape plant. This is Acacia Mystery Mountain or Acacia podalyriaefolia. Its a definite addition to my plant wish list. 

For this tour I didn't go up into the larger growing fields but Mel gave me a tour of all the propagation areas.  Hopefully I will get to visit again in the spring so I can show everyone their fields. 

I loved all the color in these greenhouses. So many are attracted by protea flowers but I love seeing the huge variety of foliage textures and color. All the plants had just been watered in here so everything was covered in droplets of water that made all the plants sparkle. 

This is the processing area. In the mornings this place is a buzz of activity getting the flowers loaded on trucks to go out. 

Buckets of Protea Pink Ice. These usually flower August - January

Above: Eximia Foliage

Above: Australian Pine Adenanthos

Serruria Blushing Bride

Mel was kind enough to give me a small bucket of flowers he had cut off some stems he was grafting so I decided to play with all the fun little vases I had here at home. 

Leucospermum Spider

Protea Red Robyn

A great use for old candle holders that never get used

Red Robyn is a cute little flower around 2 inches tall with a rich color of red and soft to the touch. After taking the picture I gave a flower to my niece and she immediately put it up to her face like you would a soft rabbit. These also dry very lovely. So far the rest of the flowers have been out of water for more than two weeks and they still have the intense color and the petals have dried and curled very nicely. 

I thought the Serruria Blushing Bride looked great with this vintage vase. 

These would be great wedding colors.

AND... these were the new fun plants Mel gave me to take home! 

I think the front yard will be getting re-landscaped in the near future.

And finally proof that even dried protea are gorgeous...This is one of the flowers from my protea bouquet more than a month and a half ago. I love these amazing plants!