When Plants Get Stressed

 Different plants respond differently to stress (much like people). Many plants, like this brilliant 'Santa Barbara' bougainvillea, think it's best to send out as many flowers as possible to help spread seeds before it may expire. Although it is considered a tropical plant, and I think of tropical plants as ones coming from lush, rain forest-y places, many are extremely drought tolerant. This is probably why the most beautiful and prolific bougainvilleas are usually found in the most desolate places like abandoned buildings or deserted parking lots and yet we can't get them to bloom in our own backyards.

 Every year I have the queen palm trees at our SJC home trimmed in the fall when they put out their flowers and annoying seeds. They cover the ground with scrappy little flower petals then cherry-sized seeds that make a big mess when you have 100 of them. This year I have already had to bring my tree trimmers out once in the summer because they were uncharacteristically blooming and seeding all over the place in July, I'm assuming due to the lack of water. We removed the seed pods, flowers and any dying branches. As you can see here it is almost time to do it again.

 Although it is impossible to remove established acanthus, they do not like the drought at all. I have lost a whole bed of them in Laguna and the ones I have placed here and there in the shade in SJC are not fairing well. As you can see, this one has lost all it's leaves but is desperately trying to establish its legacy by expending every last bit of energy in putting out this lone flower stalk. I'm sure it will survive and I hate to say it, but I have never seen them sprout from seed in my gardens yet.

 The good news is that a bit of stress can force a stubborn non-bloomer to finally bloom like this little banana tree! I have grown bananas in Laguna for many years and planted a couple trees as soon as we moved into SJC, but they never bloomed. This week I was delighted to see the first flower on my little 'Ice Cream' plant. Hopefully by the time the holidays come I can show the grandkids how bananas grow.

Not all plants respond to stress with prolific blooms. My roses have been almost non-existent this year. They seem to pull in and reserve all their strength to withstand the cut back in water and when they do bloom they are small, sad flowers. I have fertilized same as usual, but they prefer to wait it out until more water is available. I have noticed that the vacant lot down the street where a gentleman grows dozens and dozens of rose bushes for his hobby of showing roses in contests is as prolific as usual. He does use synthetic fertilizers which stimulate the blooms no matter what is going on with Mother Nature. Of course along with that he has to use lots of sprays and lots of water, but he does have glorious flowers!

Drought Tolerant Tropicals

I write blog posts for the UCCE Master Gardeners which keeps me on my toes searching for new subjects and interesting things to write about that are topical to our region. It also gets me out of my focus on my immediate gardens and looking at gardening in general. I must admit that the tropical plant look is not one that I embrace entirely for an all over look in my gardens, but I do have a lot of tropical plants mixed in throughout simply because they get along so well in our climate and are so easy to grow in many cases. Oddly enough, many of them are drought tolerant and can get along with very little water once established. This is the time of year we should be planting them so I must admit I have some bare spots that I am going to consider some tropicals for simply because they add color and can get along without water. Of course California is often associated with bougainvillea and although I do kind of love it, I have very little of it grow in my gardens. It goes very well with our Mediterranean style house and adds the color I am always looking for almost year round. It doesn't have the constant issue with pests that roses have most of the time so I don't know why I don't use it more often. It can be hard to get established due to sensitive roots, but once you get it going it is carefree.

Some neighbors have a lovely peach colored flower canna with bright apple green leaves that I have fallen in love with, even though I thought I would never plant another canna after I put some in years ago, changed my mind and could never get rid of them. It is had to believe they are so drought tolerant because you would think they come from a tropical rain forest, but they are!

 I have a few hibiscus for some odd reason. They seem much too tropical for me and are not exactly considered a drought tolerant plant. But they do survive on the same amount of water as everything else and although they are not covered in blooms as you see them where they get ample amounts of water and lots of sunshine, did I mention mine are in the shade, mine do have a few pretty flowers and are pest free (as in no white flies).

Acanthus or bear's breeches are tropical plants that grow in the shade and are used primarily for their large, dramatic leaves. They use very little water once established and they do have those dramatic tall blooms (covered in spikes) if you like those kinds of things, this time of year. Years ago I sent away for a variegated one that was about eight inches across when it came. Five years later it is still about eight inches across, But I found a larger one at the nursery a couple weeks ago that I planted in a bit sunnier spot and we'll see how that one does. I do grow them because they tolerate the dry shade so well so planting in a sunny spot kind of defeats the purpose!

After following and learning from garden bloggers in Texas that have been dealing with their drought for so many years, my heart goes out to them with all the rain they are getting, resulting in floods. I hope their gardens that they have worked so hard to adapt to the dry conditions survive this onslaught of wet weather.

Moody Jacarandas

In Southern California around this time of year many of the streets are lined in blue tropical trees called jacarandas. They are considered by some as one of the most beautiful trees in the world due to their unusual color. They bloom for at least four or five weeks every May into June after shedding all their pretty fern-like foliage. They prefer hot weather and this spring has been ideal for them to produce very heavy blooms and the ones in our San Juan Capistrano neighborhood are putting on quite a show. They are like clouds of blue (and of course puddles of blue underneath them, perhaps the unspoken downside) as you drive down the street near us. These trees that are putting on the spectacular show are growing in the sidewalks along the main street in town, with barely any care, thriving on neglect I suspect. Then you look at our jacaranda that has been growing for about five years in the back yard and all you see are about a handful of blooms at the tips of the branches, barely noticeable! Either the sub-climate is too moderate for it to drop its foliage and produce a big bloom or else it is just too darn happy!

Searching for Abutilon

Although I've been busy visiting nurseries trying to pick up some shrubs and perennials for spaces in need of reviving in SJC, I am not finding any abutilon.  They really are one of my favorite shrubs that, although considered a tropical plant, seem to bloom all fall and winter long and most of the spring. They are disease resistant and rarely are bothered by insects. Simple, easy and charming, no wonder the nurseries are sold out!

Unhappy Tropicals

 This was what my banana trees looked like a couple weeks ago when I wrote about the drop in temperatures that would surely have an impact on these pretty tropical plants.

After a couple weeks of colder-than-normal weather this is what they look like. It has warmed up since and they will start growing in another month or so. They will bounce back by summer and fill in with lovely new leaves. Maybe we'll even get some blooms and fruit this year! But in the meantime, it is not easy to see them suffer!

Palm Tree Blooms

This is the time of year that most of the hundred plus palm trees we have bloom. This is also the time of year I call my tree trimmers. I am not an overly tidy person, at least not in the garden, but there are a few palms that are situated where the falling flower debris makes a constant mess for weeks. There are some paths, chairs and patios that are covered daily in yellow "stuff" from the blooms that are way too high for my gardener to safely reach. It is still a bit too early to trim some of the other trees that have sap running. I've learned the hard way not to trim the Monterey Pine over the wood steps in Laguna except when it is truly dormant during the cold months. Sap dripped all over the stairs gets tracked into the house and it is a mess! It would be nice to get all the trees trimmed at once, but they just seem to need it at staggered times of year. Luckily I have a nice tree trimmer and I don't mind having him around more than once a year!

This is Winter

For some reason the hibiscus, which are tropical plants , always seem to be blooming in December regardless of the chilly temperatures. Like a bright beam of sunlight on an overcast day.

Bananas!

There are some plants I grow just because they are fun and bananas are one of them. I was given some banana shoots by a friend many years ago in Laguna and I planted them, moved them around and always enjoyed them. They are easy to grow with no real problems in our climate. It is amusing watching the hanging bananas grow out of the large flower (okay, maybe I'm easily amused). Orioles love to build hanging nests in the leaves. I did add some to the SJC garden too so we could enjoy them there. Side note: the leaves make great decorations for a tropical themed meal or party!

Easy Summer Color

There aren't many plants easier once established or more colorful than bougainvillea. Not everybody is crazy about this tropical plant which is very drought tolerant, but I love the classic Mediterranean ambiance that it lends to any California garden. Just don't try to dance with it, there are huge, sharp thorns among the beauty!

Pops of Color

This shady path is home to lots of green plants that enhance the cool, calm ambiance. Queen palms, tree ferns, sword ferns and Australian violets make up the majority of greenery, but there are also some deep red azaleas and peachy primroses to add pops of color that drawn the eye along the path at this time of year.

Late Fall Surprises

I must admit that most of my garden observations this time of year are quick glimpses I catch while getting the mail or carrying things in from the car. It is so cold that it is too tempting to stay in bed in the morning and it gets dark so early in the evening that my prime garden times are limited. I did however catch sight of these pretty pink hibiscus blooming along the side fence during what seems like an unlikely time of year for theses tropical beauties to make an appearance. Maybe the cold has forced them into a last ditch effort to reproduce before the frost does them in! Although they look more like summer and a bit out of place at this time of year, they are always welcome!

Soooo Cold!

The weather here has been unusually cold this week with nighttime temperatures dipping down into the 30's. There is a threat of frost which will play havoc with the tropical plants like this banana tree that finally has started growing this year. Although it will recover and put out new growth from the base, if the temperatures do get down to freezing it will most likely lose these lush green leaves that have been flourishing with all the rain we have been having. We'll just have to wait and see how cold it gets!

A Crested Palm

I am not expert on palm trees although I am responsible for quite a few of them in at our SJC home, but I do know an anomaly when I see one! I don't know what type of palm this is, but it is definitely sporting a mutation known as a crest or fasciation. Basically what this means is the plant cells that normally grow up at the growing tip of the plant, start to grow sideways instead, creating a crest at the top of the plant. It is most often seen in succulents and cactus, but can happen in almost any plant that grows from the top. Scientists are not sure why this occurs, but suspect it may be the result of a virus or insect infestation. It doesn't really hurt the plant and this palm one seems very healthy. Just different!

What's Loving The Rain?

These banana trees in our SJC backyard are quite happy with the unusually wet weather we've been having lately. Although they will tolerate drier conditions, being tropical, they thrive in the wet, mild weather. The deep soaking they are getting from a week of rain will leach out the salt accumulation from the soil which will be good for them. They stop growing if the temperatures go over 80 degrees or under 55 degrees, so they are suited quite well to our climate that has temperatures in that range most of the time. Our trees in the Laguna garden gave us bunches of fruit every year and I'm looking forward to these little ones eventually producing too.

Waiting for the Colors

I try to plant a lot of plants that turn colors in the fall in my gardens. I like the signal from nature that it is time to slow down and get ready for the winter months. Our warm temperatures that are typical for this time of year have yet to produce too many turning leaves, but bougainvillea is putting on a colorful display throughout Southern California this month. This can be a too common plant in some people's opinion because it is so content that it grows to an enormous size and is almost impossible to get rid if you try . It also has some nasty thorns! Oddly enough it can be difficult to get started due to it's overly sensitive root system that is quite delicate and falls apart when transplanting. It is not uncommon to have a young bougainvillea sulk for a couple years before taking off and becoming a beautiful specimen, which is one of the few extremely colorful, yet very drought tolerant plants available. I want more!

Tree Ferns

Some of the easiest, most reliable plants in the garden we have a tendency to take for granted. That is true of the Australian Tree Fern (sphaeropteris cooperi) for me. It is the go-to plant I always use for shady circumstances where I want a large, easy plant to fill in space. It will tolerate wet or dry shade and makes a nice understory plant to my tall palms that can lack eye level interest.
I love the lacy foliage and the airy feel that it adds to our 'Palm Alley' in SJC where it tolerates less than ideal conditions planted among the tree roots. They can grow quite large with ideal conditions, but I have a couple in Laguna that have been there 20 years and are still only about six feet tall. They will survive almost near death (as I have witnessed while planted in some neglected pots) and come right back to their former glory in no time. They are a nice solution for difficult spots that are shady and somewhat dry, although they will flourish with regular water.

Black Stems

I don't use too many tropical plants in the garden, but every once in a while I lose focus while at the nursery and end up bringing home something that is way out of the plan. That is what happened with this taro (colocasia esculenta) plant. But I must say I am intrigued with these beautiful black stems and the contrast they add to the garden.
Taro is used in many regions of the world as a food, the root being the edible portion. I have grown it around my pond in Laguna and it loves the water and actually moved right into the waterfall causing all kinds of problems. It is also called elephant ears for obvious reasons. I know it is out of place in this bed with the scabiosa and roses, but it has my attention for now.

Banana Trees

I grow banana trees because they are fun! After at least fifteen years of growing banana trees I think I have only eaten one or two actual bananas from my own trees, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating them. They are easy and simple to grow in our climate. They are dramatic to look at, the orioles love to build their nests in them, and the fruit stalks are just cool to have in the garden. I have some large trees in Laguna but I put these small ones in SJC to get some growing here. They haven't done much yet, but I expect them to take off next year!

It's All About Location

I am big on "the right pant in the right place". In my opinion it makes all the difference between a pleasant, successful gardening experience and a frustrating one. Here is a good example a happily located plant. This brugmansia, or Angel Trumpet, is in the Gravel Garden, in a spot that gets dappled sunlight and the runoff water from a planter behind it. It gets maybe one good dose of organic fertilizer once or twice a year and as you can see is growing and blooming quite happily. I have another one that is near the back door (so we can theoretically get whiffs of that lovely fragrance in the evenings) that should be happy, but is not. It is a scraggly mess that rarely blooms and will be relocated soon. Maybe right next to this one!

Fourth of July Red

I do things that would make any respectable garden designer cringe. Like the year I planted these reddest-of-red cannas. I did it because I never had red flowers to make red, white and blue flower arrangements on the Fourth of July to take to parties. I had lots of blue, lots of white, but no red, thus the cannas came to grow in my Laguna garden. It wasn't long before I realized that they just didn't belong in my garden. I love cannas but they are definitely a tropical plant and my garden is far from tropical. I have tried many times to remove them, but they are stubborn buggers and insist on staying. At least I'll have a red, white and blue flower arrangement on the Fourth this year.