Subtropical Style for the Mediterannean Fall/Winter Garden
- Subject: Subtropical Style for the Mediterannean Fall/Winter Garden
- From: d* f*
- Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 02:49:05 -0700 (PDT)
Descriptions of gardens winding down for the fall in
other parts of the USA make me realize again how
special our mild mediterannean climate is, and the
extended flowering season possible here. Many of the
things that I grow in my own garden are not
mediterannean species, but come from cooler parts of
the tropics and adapt well here.
Our local weather is cooling off now, night time
temperatures are poised to dip into the 40'sF and we
didn't seem to get more than a weekend's worth of hot
Indian Summer weather, but we have many plants just
starting to bloom, to keep the show going. In my own
garden the Nerine bowdenii and N. sarniensis hybrids
and Schizostylis coccinea are spectacular for color
now, as are Tricyrtus hirta, Anemone japonica,
Camellia sasanqua, Duranta stenostachya, Brugmansia
'Charles Grumaldi, Iochroma cyanea hybrids and I.
grandiflora, Dalechampia dioscoraefolia, Luculia
gratissima, Tibouchina granulosa and T. heteromalla,
Centradenia grandiflora, Polygala x dalmasiana,
Hedychium flavescens, Crinum moorei, Juanulloa
mexicana, various Abutilon hybrids, Ruellia macrantha,
Hypoestes aristata, Dianella ensifolia, Justicia
carnea and J. brandegiana, Fuchsia paniculata, F.
arborescens and F. boliviana, Pavonia multiflora,
Streptocarpus hybrids, Ageratum corymbosa and
Bartlettina sordida and Calandrinia grandiflora,
Plectranthus zuluensis and P. ecklonii and P.
neochilus are all in full bloom at the moment.
Many bromeliads are also coming into bloom now as
well, with several Billbergias, Aechmeas, Neoregelias,
Vreiseas, Puyas, Dyckias, Acanthostachys, and
Tillandsias blooming now. The Lagerstroemia x fauriei
hybrids are just finishing blooming, and Parkinsonia
aculeata is still putting on a good show. In warmer
sunnier locations than my garden, things like Chorisia
speciosa are also blooming, visions of pink with no
foliage and bare green thorny trunks. Large semiwoody
shrubs like the Giant Tree Dahlia/Dahlia imperialis,
and Montonoa grandiflora-Giant Tree Daisy and the
evergreen vine Senecio tamoides, all at least 20 feet
tall, are getting ready to bloom, usually starting
between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The clue that does give away the true season here in
the SF Bay Area is the lower sun angle, shorter days,
cooler temperatures and brisk nights, and the hint of
rains to come and the fall leaf color of the deciduous
trees. Trees such as Acer palmatum, Gingko, Pistache,
Liquidambar, Cercis, Cotinus are already starting to
color up. We get spoiled here with the ease of
keeping large subtropical things going late into the
year, and usually the onset of heavier winter rains
are the final blow for many of the late bloomers, and
not the cold.
It is also possible to have lots of tropical foliage
plants like Asparagus retrofractus, Sparmannia
africana, Strelitzia nicholii, Bamboos such as Otatea
acuminata aztectorum and Drepanostachyum falcatum,
Cussonia spicata and C. paniculata, Trevesia palmata,
Melianthus major, Tetrapanax papyriferus continue to
look good all winter. The early blooming trees such
as Magnolia soulangeana and M. stellata cultivars and
Acacia baileyana and A. podalyrifolia(already blooming
in my own garden), are also good for December and
January bloom here.
I'm not sure if the fall will stay mild enough to get
the several heliconias, (H. latispatha, H. spissa, H.
scheidiana, H. matthiasiae, H. bourgeana to bloom yet
this year, but they are all still sending up lush new
foliage with fresh green spring like color. The
Tupicanthus calyptratus also have open expanded buds,
but seem to want that extra heat which we don't ever
get to open the buds and release the stamens. The
sparser look of winter doesn't usually set in in my
own garden until about January, when the sun is at its
lowest, and much of the garden is in shadow all day
long, and the annual herbaceous fillers like Impatiens
balfourii are long gone. To sum up, late fall is still
a great season for subtropical gardens here in
northern California, with many things just coming into
bloom, if plant selection emphasizes fall into winter
bloom, as my garden does. I hate to see the summer
end, and like to give the illusion that it hasn't.
Even if the weather isn't conducive to wanting to be
outside, I can still enjoy the show from inside where
it is warm and cozy. (I suspect that anyone else
wouldn't complain of the winter cold if it was still
in the 50'sF during the day, as it usually is here).
Hope that all are equally enjoying there own gardens
this time of year, whether it be fall or spring, or an
attempt at year round summer!
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