Caesalpinia platyloba
Caesalpinia platyloba recently planted (that's an orange pansy near its base).
Annual morning glory, 'Heaveny Blue'.
Simple, easy, but still beautiful: orange pansies and pink ivy-leaf "geranium" (Pelargonium) in a rustic Mexican terracotta pot. These will bloom from October through May or so.
A nice orange (my favorite color) pansy, hybrid 'Padparadja'.
Popcorn cassia with its lovely tropical-looking foliage and bright yellow blooms (Cassia didymobotrya). Somewhat frost tender so give it a nice hot location, or just grow as a summer annual and save the seeds for next spring. Generally perennial here in Scottsdale.
St. Francis statue with popcorn cassia, ice plant, and variegated Agave angustifolia in the background.
A bad pic of a great plant, Synadenium grantii. Nice dark foliage and leafy appearance yet very low water use. Can become a nice small tree/large shrub in the Phoenix metro. Cut back water when it drops its leaves in winter. Very poisonous, by the way.
Syndadenium grantii recently planted. Nice leafy look with great color but relatively low water. Cut back water when it briefly drops its leaves for winter.
Crown of thorns (Euphorbia millii) beginning its loooooong bloom season, early November.
Ipomoea carnea, white form, in bloom in November. This plant blooms from May until mid-winter in the Phoenix area. Get some! :)
Perennial morning glory, Ipomoea indica 'Ocean blue'.
Purple heart (Setcreasa) in bloom. Easy, low water and pretty.
Good old hybrid Tecoma 'Orange Jubilee'. Easy to grow as a shrub or multi-stemmed small tree. Leafy, colorful and low water, what's not to love? Can get some frost damage during "cold" winters here, but bounces back quickly.
Aloe hybrid 'Dorian Black' in bloom
Aloe hybrid 'Dorian Black' foliage up close and personal.
Australian sword fern (Nephrolepis obliterata).
Begonia ricinifolia 'Marion' stems--close view. They're covered with soft, burgundy hairs.
Begonia ricinifolia 'Marion' with a tennis ball to show size. My late friend Pat Olsen sent me a leaf cutting from her original plant that she got as a cutting 70-something years earlier.
Begonia ricinifolia 'Marion' showing just how large an individual leaf is.
Moraea polystachya in bloom in my garden.
Moraea polystachya in bloom, side view.
Old fashioned crown of thorns (Euphorbia smallii).
Big-leaf, big-bract Thai hybrid crown of thorns Euphorbia.
Hens and chicks (Sempervivum) and sedums, from Roger's Garden in CA, just planted in an old container I've had laying around for awhile. Thick-leaf echeverias like these do very well in the Phoenix metro if given some shade in summer.
Climbing aloe (A. ciliaris) at left, "Thai" crown of thorns center (newly purchased), and mother of thousands Bryophyllum (formely Kalanchoe) started from a single leaf from Hawaii (purchased, heh heh).
Just a third of my shameful collection of tacky birds-and-stumps or birds-and-nests ceramic planters filled with haworthia plants.
Jatropha gossypifolium foliage up close and personal. The species name means cotton-like (Gossypium) foliage and if you've seen cotton foliage you can see how appropriate the name is. Nice burgundy foliage early spring through very late autumn. Hardy in Phoenix metro--I've had this plant in the ground for a few years.
Leucadendron salignum, very experimental in the Phoenix area. A close relative of protea.
The nice, native Mt. Lemmon marigold.
"Geranium" (Pelagornium) 'Mrs. Pollack' foliage mid-November. "Geraniums" have a nice, long 9 month season here, but do need to be protected from the three hottest months or they will self-destruct.
Pelargonium ("Geranium") 'Mrs. Pollack' foliage up close and personal. Love it!
Firecracker penstemon (P. eatonii) starting its first bloom of the season. Excellent, leafy, low-water plants for dry hot-summer mild-winter areas.
Petunias starting to really take off in November. They are idiot-proof here November through June or so. They will self-sow if you let them, sprouting from seed when the summer weather cools.
Petunias planted around large 3 foot pot containing an olive tree. Tennis ball for size.
Popcorn cassia in bloom (Cassia didymobotrya). Mostly-hardy in Phoenix metro, but during cold (for here) winters they can get cut back or even killed, so grow in a spot that stays warm in winter and keep some seeds handy for replacements.
I know, not super lovely, but it's cool! It's a small variegated vinca plant (Catharanthus) that I started from a cutting of a plant I found (which was later destroyed). Great summer plants here--I need to keep it happy through winter so I can get more cuttings or try seed this coming spring. Wish me luck!
Aloe krapholiana in bloom, late November.
Aloe krapholiana in bloom. Aloe striata and Agave angustifolia (variegated) foliage in foreground, left and right respectively.
Annual morning glory 'Heavenly Blue' with a late season flower among some datura foliage.
Dark-leaf zonal geranium (Pelargonium, botanically speaking).
Dark lef "geranium" at left and variegated 'Mrs. Pollack' geranium at right. Easy in Phoenix area October through June or so, then protect from sun and heat (indoors is best).
Good old "autumn sage" Salvia greggii in bloom. Great shrubby plants for areas with hot summers. Perennial for several years in Phoenix, but eventually declines. Usually leaves behind some seedlings.
Aloe krapholiana closer view of blooms.
White flowered crown of thorns--starting its long Autumn through late spring bloom season.
Leucadendron salignum in bloom, November 2009. Experimental in this area--wish it luck!
Snail vine up close and personal.
Paperwhite narcissus re-emerging after their summer dormancy. Look closely and you can see the flower buds--should open right around Christmas or New Year. Easy in warm-winter areas.
Morning glory creeping along in front of prickly pear cactus. Nothing fancy but I thought it was an interesting contrast between the soft delicate bloom and the thick, juicy, spiny cactus.
Aloe krapholiana in bloom, close view, Nov 29, 2009.
Aloe krapholiana with tennis ball to show size. November 29. 2009.
Epiphyllum ("orchid cactus") 'Curly' fruit, November 2009.
Variegated, crested form of Euphorbia grafted onto normal green stem (understock).
Closer view of variegated, crested form of Euphorbia grafted onto normal green stem (understock).
Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) in bloom, late November.
Older Thanksgiving cactus (variety 'Dark Marle') getting ready to bloom.
