Beaumontiea grandiflora
- Subject: Beaumontiea grandiflora
- From: d* f*
- Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 23:22:57 -0700 (PDT)
While helping out at the Cal Hort Plant Sale today at
the Oakland, California Lake Merritt Garden Center, I
wandered through the display gardens, and noticed that
the Easter Lily Vine/Beaumontia grandiflora was in
full fabulous bloom, simply covered with large 6 inch
across easter lily like flowers. I've planted this
out on several jobs here in the East Bay, and have yet
to get one to bloom, so it was a treat to see this one
looking so stunning. Another one of those subtropical
vines rather well adapted for warmer locations here in
the SF Bay Area, yet seldom seen. Other subtropical
vines too seldom planted here include Petrea volubis,
which is just going out of bloom in my own garden, and
has deep purple flowers that hide the foliage at the
height of bloom. Stygmaphyllum ciliatum-Orchid Vine
is another very tropical appearing vine which also is
very free blooming here, and will keep blooming 8~10
months, with lemon yellow orchid or Bauhinia like
flowers, with dainty foliage on a vigorous growing
vine. Keeping up the improbable list of vines, the
Delachampia dioscoraeifolia vine is another one to
consider, with its two bracts of crepe papery like
deep purple flowers, and a bloom season that stretches
from April to December for me in Berkeley. The
bougainvilleas are all looking great this year as
well, and seem well ahead of schedule compared to most
years. The local Jacaranda trees are all just
beginning to show color as well, and never fail to
announce the beginning of summer.
The late spring weather has been full of unexpected
records here, with several days of 100F temps in San
Francisco, two weeks in a row, very rare! Here in
Berkeley it isn't so bad, as it always cools back down
to 65F at night, but rather brutal on the more inland
gardens.(Very tough on people getting gardens ready
for spring tours, the flowers can be fried right off
the plants!) I did come home from work to find that
things like Heliconia and Tecomanthe had scorched
leaves, and this occurred on plants which only got
morning sun!!
Hope everyone's beginning of summer/or end of fall for
you in the southern hemisphere is going well. It has
seemed rather quiet here at the medit-plants site...
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