I woke Thursday morning to news of Southern California's first significant wildfire of 2022. It had broken out overnight in Laguna Beach, fifty-plus miles to the south of us, after a stretch of unseasonably warm, dry and windy weather that's affected a large part of the region. This isn't something we'd generally expect in the middle of our so-called rainy season. Rather than fuss about in my own garden, I decided to visit my local botanic garden to see how it was faring.
My last visit was in early December, when the Aloes were just beginning to bloom. I hoped to see more before their winter bloom season was over.
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| The succulent beds at the entrance were well-manicured |
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| Osteospermums offered lots of color in the Palm Circle area just inside the garden |
I arrived later than I'd planned and it was already getting uncomfortably warm so I immediately headed in the direction of the Desert Garden.
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| While many of the photos I took look sun-bleached to me, the stark light seems to fit the Desert Garden's profile |
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| The sea squills (Drimia maritima) appear to appreciate the shade in this area |
The most spectacular Aloe I saw in bloom on this visit was this one:
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| This is Aloe castanea, aka the cat's tail aloe |
Many of the Aloes in the extension of the Desert Garden planted with a focus on that genus were already past their peak. There were some exceptions.
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| Labels were in short supply and I'm no expert at identifying these plants. Those in the top row, left are Aloe vanbalenii and hybrids of that species. The one in the second row, left is 'Spiney'. I can't put names to the rest. I love the one shown in the second row, right, but although it was planted in spots throughout the area, I never found a label to identify it. |
Leaving the Desert Garden without the color fix I'd sought, I wandered on, taking note of the flowering shrubs and trees.
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| NoID Acacia outside what used to be the tropical greenhouse, now closed |
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| Acacia longifolia, aka golden wattle |
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| Small cherry tree (Prunus), planted next to one of the garden's huge Mexican sunflower trees (Tithonia diversifolia) |
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| Other flowering cherry trees are planted in the garden's Sakura Meadow but there weren't many in full flower. I had to wonder about the impact of our untimely heatwave. |
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| It's somewhat hard to spot the flowers on the massive Loropetalum from a distance but they're there |
Because it was so warm, I sought shade in the Banyan Grove.
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| Even the shade of the Moreton bay fig trees (Ficus macrophylla) wasn't as cool and damp as I'd expected |
On my way back toward the exit, I noticed what may currently be the most spectacular flowering tree in the garden.
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| I believe this is a hybrid Handroanthus chrysotrichus x impetiginosus (aka trumpet tree, formerly classified as Tabebuia). The flowers start out yellow and gradually turn pink as shown in a March 2021 post. |
Before I got back in my car to head home, I stopped to photograph one of the pink trumpet trees blooming in the parking lot.
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| Handroanthis impetiginosus |
Our temperature peaked in the low-80sF (27C) yesterday. We're expecting the warm temperatures to stick around through the weekend before returning to more normal levels early next week. There's still no rain in the forecast. I hope your weather this weekend is more to your liking than mine is!
All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
