Stow Lake, A Slow Stroll in a Lovely Park

When I come back to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, I always rediscover treasures that I haven’t been to in quite awhile.





Late in the season visiting the park, I decided to take a stroll around Stow lake since it was a sunny and crisp morning, perfect for a walk around this beautiful lake. A large shrub/tree filled with the gold yellow flowers of the Hypericum greeted me on my walk – they were just stunning to see and lit up like little ornaments.





I can just sit here for a long time and watch the grasses blow ever so softly with the wind…the views of the stone bridge behind fits in perfectly with the tall pines in the background don’t you agree? I am a little puzzled by the strange emerald green colors of the lake – I always imagine that someone in the park is dyeing the water this strange color late at night just for fun.







Beautiful nasturtiums flowers are backlit like little orange jewels and the stone bridge behind is a distant back drop, its really a great day to enjoy the park and just enjoy this view.







I love to bump into artists here since I also do art and its easy for me to approach fellow
artists and start a conversation – it usually leads into interesting topics and shared interests.








I’m guessing this is a species of the California lilac or Ceanothus in which certain shrubs can bloom consistently for a good part of the year. This macro shot doesn’t show the large scale of this shrub which is more like a small tree filled with these blue flowers.









This is Golden Gate Park’s version of fall in the city, just a little color and hint of the change of season – although it felt like a perfect 75 degrees that morning.


Well, I enjoyed my walk around the lake this morning, thanks for joining me on this fun tour of the park, wasn’t it a great day to be out here?

Dahlia Dell…the Last Blooms.

                            Masses of Dahlias draw me into this dell.

                                            Their vivid colors, stripes

                                                     and patterns
                   



      are full of whimsy
                   and
                       interesting designs




                                 Aren’t they just dazzling to behold?






I want to touch
              every flower, but please don’t tell anyone.
                     Its my private joy to be in the presence
                              of all this beauty…


   
                          This one reminds me of fireworks.




                         
                    while this reminds me of taffy
                                    and
                             summertime





You see, I can’t help but to

          touch you and see compare how

               large your
                                flower is to

                                       my hand

                      its just amazing!





                      True bliss……





Dear care takers – thank you for giving us
        so much joy today!

This is my contribution to garden bloom day to see other blooms go visit http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/

Blossoms Everywhere

 

 

 

 

Here in Hilo town, entire boulevards are line with these gorgeous rainbow shower trees or Cassia fistula x javanica and they are all putting out quite a show. The shower trees are adorned with colorful displays of these long clusters of pale yellow then crescendo to hot pink and orange hues.

 

 

 

 

They are all in bloom now and showcasing the beauty of Hilo’s bay front area with a profusion of cascading flowers. What an ideal way to highlight the beauty of these tropical trees than to line the streets with these prolific hybrids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another variety that is used in many of the greenbelt areas and parks are the golden yellow shower trees called Senna Fistula X Cassia fistula. This cassia is also a summer bloomer with long strands of pale to deeper yellow florets. The trees grow effortlessly here, are drought tolerant and adapt to many soil environments including sandy and ocean sprayed areas which is perfect to the open bay front of Hilo.

 

 

 

 

 

Cassia is a huge genus with over 500 species and are some of the most colorful trees and shrubs in East Hawaii. I think they picked the perfect species to highlight the beauty of this area and town, don’t you think?

 

To see other flowers for today go and visit http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

To see other fertilizer posts for this week, come and visit http://www.tootsietime.com

More Than Half Off, I Want it All

There are those amazing gardening moments when you just have to pinch yourself for being at the right time and the right place to find amazing plant deals, and boy do I mean deals!

A gardening acquaintance of mine grows these amazing Proteas and Leucadendrons in the South Part of Hawaii Island to sell their amazing and exotic flowers. Recently, his whole district has been receiving alot of damaging vog (volcanic emissions) which affects the leaves and renders the flowers unable to sell, so he has been starting to liquidate his smaller potted plant stock.
Everything you see here are gallon size containers and he was selling these only for a buck apiece. Usually in the mainland, these easy go for $20 apiece.




I just had to grab his last leptospermum and it was just starting its bloom cycle which should easily last a few weeks.




There were no labels on this plant, I’m guessing that it could be a Leucadendron Safari Sunset. What do you think this is?





Now this I know is the King Protea Cynaroides, I’m looking forward to seeing these
with their gigantic blooms, but I’m sure that is a quite few years down the road.




Here’s another unmarked plant which I think is a Grevillea…anyone know which variety this could be?




Here’s a Leucadendron with reddish leaves, also no clue about the variety.



I’m still pinching myself and looking forward to putting these in the ground, although
I haven’t decided where these will go since they all take up a lot of space.  Its always
a good day when I can find a good garden bargain like these!

To view other fertilizer fridays go visit http://www.tootsietime.com/
To view other saturday photo hunts go visit http://tnchick.com/

Words That Inspire – My Interpretation

A flower touches everyone's heart.

Georgia O'Keefe 

I’ve always been attracted to Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings of her landscapes and flowers. Intense colors and shapes that lead viewers to many interpretations, seductive and vivid.

The sensuous lines and curves appeal to feminine desires or imaginary whims.







White is so pure and yet so seductive.







The broad brush strokes evoke desire and the fine lines give intimate details, makes me tingle…






The shocking colors, textures and dramatic shapes do suggest.





A flower does touch everyone’s heart and maybe even more intensely. Georgia was not a prude with her passions!

To view other garden bloggers posts with this theme please go visit 
http://aplantfanatic.blogspot.com/2010/03/words-that-inspire.html and check out the comment section for their links to their posts.


To view other fertilizer Friday's go visit http://www.tootsietime.com/2010/03/

Can You Say Frangipani Ten Times Fast?

Aloha friends,
I have a special guest post from my friend Kimberly from Garden in Paradise. We are doing an exchange post this week and Kimberly will expand on the origins and unique uses for Frangipani, one of my favorite tropical flowers. Aren’t the blooming photos spectacular, these photos are also courtesy of Kimberly.




Frangipani…what a fun, unusual word! Pronounced “fran-juh-pan-ee”, the word rolls off the tongue! So, what is a frangipani? The dictionary defines it as, “a deciduous tree with strongly perfumed, white, yellow, or pink flowers. Native to: tropical America.  Genus Plumeria.” Hmmmmm….genus Plumeria. So where did Frangipani come from? Apparently, according to Encarta.msn.com, the Plumeria was given the common name of “Frangipani” after Muzio Frangipani, a 16^th century Italian creator of a perfume for gloves. I don’t know that he was successful, but I’m certain that Plumeria, or “Frangipani” makes an intoxicatingly sweet perfume! It also bears one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve come across!



The gorgeous blooms are typically about 2” wide with 5 petals. They range in color from white with yellow centers, to dusty apricot, coral pink and dark red. As I’m told, the darker the red stain, the more desirable the flower! The shrub/tree itself grows to an average of 15-18 feet tall, although it’s been known to grower taller. Related to Oleander, Periwinkle and Allamanda, the Frangipani contains a poisonous, milky sap.



As previously stated, the Plumeria shrub is deciduous, meaning that it loses its leaves in the winter, or cooler months. This was perplexing to me when I first settled in SE Florida several years ago, as I noticed stark, ugly branches readily accepted in beautiful, lush, tropical landscapes. Why in the world would anyone purposely grow a deciduous tree in a tropical climate where year-round foliage and brilliant blossoms are so easy to achieve?!?! Coming for a harsh, northern climate where winter temperatures dip down below zero degrees Fahrenheit on a regular basis, I couldn’t understand! I couldn’t understand until I saw the chipper little fresh foliage popping out in the spring, followed by the strikingly beautiful blooms and insanely wonderful, sweet perfume! I would love to wear a flower in my hair everyday!




Of course, I’m not the first to consider wearing the lovely blooms. The Frangipani is grown commercially in Hawaii for their famous lei production. According to Wikipedia, “lei” is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, “a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn.” The concept of giving a lei as a form of affection became a tourist tradition between the Hawaiian Islands and the continental United States in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

 


Of course, I had to have some Frangipani for my own garden. Luckily, I discovered the plant is easily propagated by taking a cutting of the leafless stem tips in spring. Allow the cutting to dry out at the base before inserting it into well drained soil. Wait a while and voila…you’ll have a wonderful blooming Plumeria!



Please remember that most varieties of Frangipani are deciduous, so it may not be wise to grow it in the center of your yard as a focal point, unless you like leafless, lifeless sticks protruding from the ground part of the year. I think Frangipanis mix well with flowering tropical’s such as Cana lilies, bromeliad, and palms that accentuate their design qualities. There’s also a new dwarf variety that looks a bit like a bonsai in a container.
Want more Plumeria? Hawaiian residents or visitors can check out the Dean Conklin Plumeria Grove, part of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens! If you’re not traveling to Hawaii any time soon, you can view the fantastic florals by clicking on this link: http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/bridges/plumeria/plumeria.htm .
Please visit Kimberly’s blog at Garden in Paradise and you can check out my post about on a garden tour in Orlando. Mahalo, Kimberly for sharing your wonderful post on the Plumeria today!
Also for more Blooming Friday Posts, please visit Katarina at http://rosorochris.blogspot.com/