Now that the sycamores have dropped their leaves, it’s easy to see the parasitic plants. I wondered how mistletoe seeds can get a hold on the underside of their hosts’ branches. Turns out the seeds are sticky!
Phoradendron
Tag: plants
Adenanthos sericeus
The woolly bush is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. We planted three here in 2017; one eventually died but the other two are doing well. This fine-textured, upright shrub or small tree typically reaches a height of 6 to 10 feet. The wispy stems are adorned with soft, gray, needle-like foliage that feels velvety to the touch and displays pink hues in its new growth. Small red flowers emerge intermittently throughout the year at the base of the leaves. They are so obscure that I wasn’t even aware the bushes were currently flowering until I noticed the hummingbirds having a feast.
knit those bones
Herbs for a friend whose bones need healing.
Crassula ovata
Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent with small pink or white flowers, native to South Africa and Mozambique. It grows as an upright, rounded, thick-stemmed, strongly branched shrub and reaches a height of up to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft).
Here in Southern California, it propagates easily and grows happily with minimal water. Our neighbour has covered her steep downslope with jade by merely tossing cuttings down the hill. It produces small white or pink, star-like shaped flowers in winter, which we’re enjoying now.
grevillea
After a visit to the markets, a walk around the wetlands, and lunch by the lake, we went to the nursery to select a native plant for my sister’s yard. I love this tradition; checking on “my” trees and shrubs each visit is part of the joy of arrival.
Fare thee well, family and gardens! Till next time!
at greenleigh
I’m at my sister’s place for the rest of my Australia stay. It’s so good to be here again.
Streptocarpus caulescens
life cycle
I noticed a milkweed plant that was experiencing all its seasons at once. Nice!
one plant, many colours
Swatches rubbed from the plant material itself. Love all those tones!
Pyrola picta
On my last morning at the retreat, I sat beside another unfamiliar plant to nature journal. We had no cell reception there, so no checking iNaturalist, but I’ve since ID’d it as white-veined wintergreen or whitevein shinleaf, Pyrola picta. This perennial herb in the heath family is native to western North America from southwestern Canada to the southwestern United States.
It is not a source of wintergreen oil; that comes from plants in the Gaultheria genus.
hashiworks 