Tag Archives: Cussonia gamtoosensis

leaning cussonias

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Denise

Right up there with rampant vines, another example of one of my current garden anxieties is the sharp northward lean on my Cussonia gamtoosensis. Will it ultimately do a face plant or won’t it? And if it does, will it … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged Alexander von Humboldt, Cook pines, Cussonia gamtoosensis, Eryngium pandanifolium, Gamtoos River, South African plants, The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf | 8 Comments

Occasional Daily Weather Report; winter solstice

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Denise

Happy Winter Solstice! Apparently, the place to be this shortest day of the year is Stonehenge. Here’s the personal, always emotional weather report: After a drizzly Saturday, a soft rain started falling again yesterday afternoon. All of which is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits | Tagged Cussonia gamtoosensis, winter solstice | 8 Comments

bug report & EOMV

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Denise

“None of the ants previously seen by man were more than an inch in length – most considerably under that size. But even the most minute of them have an instinct and talent for industry, social organization, and savagery that … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, creatures, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Adenanthos sericeus, Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass', Aloe 'Rooikappie', Aloe capitata var. quartzicola., Aloe elgonica, Argentine ants, Artemisia pycnocephala 'David's Choice, Cotinis mutabilis, Crassula alba var. parvisepala, Cussonia gamtoosensis, end of month view, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Euphorbia 'Lime Wall', Grevillea 'Moonlight', Linepithema humile, Senecio medley-woodii | 20 Comments

cussonia crazy

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Denise

image found here Cussonias are a small genus from Africa and the Mascarene Islands There are maybe 25 species in the small genus known as the Cabbage Trees, and without trying too hard I’ve already brought home five of them. … Continue reading →

Posted in plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Annie's Annuals & Perennials Nursery, Araliaceae, Cabbage Trees, Cussonia gamtoosensis, Cussonia natalensis, Cussonia paniculata, Cussonia spicata, Cussonia transvaalensis, pachycaul, South Africa, XOTX-Tropico Nursery | 6 Comments

back on the home front

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Denise

It’s finally happening. Miraculously, after a couple close calls resulting in an almost fatal wilt, Musschia wollastonii has survived and begun to hoist up that much-anticipated chartreuse candelabra of blooms. The Madeira Giant Bellflower must be an unforgettable sight in … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden travel, journal, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aeonium 'Zwartkop', Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave 'Tradewinds', Agave attenuata 'Boutin's Blue', Aristolochia fimbriata, Australian Native Plants, Calamintha nepeta 'Gottlieb Friedkund., Carex trifida 'Rekohu Sunrise, Cistus Nursery, Corokia virgata 'Sunsplash', Crambe maritima, Crassula pruinosa, Cupressus macrocarpa 'Citriodora', Cussonia gamtoosensis, Dan Hinkley, Digging Dog Nursery, Emilia javanica 'Irish Poet', Eryngium padanifolium, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Euphorbia ammak, Far Reaches Farm, Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons', Garden Bloggers Fling 2014 Portland, Hayefield Seeds, Hibiscus trionum, Jo O'Connell, Leucadendron 'Ebony', Lotus jacobaeus, Mirabilis jalapa 'Limelight', Musschia wollastonii, Nan Onda, Olearia virgata v. lineata 'Dartonii, Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket', Prostranthera ovalifolia 'Variegata, Pseudobombax ellipticum, San Marcos Growers, Tagetes 'Cinnabar', Variegated Tataki Grass, Windcliff | 14 Comments

Cussonia spicata and the value of plants

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Denise

I have these weird unwritten rules when buying plants. For example, $30 is usually deemed way too much to spend on one plant. It’s not a conscious rule, it’s just after checking the price, unless it’s spectacularly, once-in-a-lifetime rare, I … Continue reading →

Posted in plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged Chinese fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus, Cussonia gamtoosensis, Cussonia spicata | 14 Comments

garden notes 12/30/13

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Denise

Over the holidays, daytime temps have been hovering around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering my sister-in-law’s flight into Los Angeles from Cody, Wyoming, was delayed by storms for four days, it seems churlish to complain about the warm weather. I’ll just … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, journal, Occasional Daily Weather Report | Tagged Agave desmettiana 'Variegata', Agave guadalajarana 'Leon', Cussonia gamtoosensis, Cussonia paniculata, Cyrus Pringle, Dymondia margaretae, Echeveria agavoides, RHS Award of Garden Merit, South African mountain cabbage trees | 3 Comments

elephant season

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Denise

A few tropicals in pots can be a fine sendoff to summer. Here about a mile from the ocean, the big-leaved tropicals like colocasia, the “elephant ears,” bide their time until the temperatures start to really feel uncomfortable. By the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, journal, pots and containers, shop talk, succulents | Tagged Agave celsii var. albicans 'UCB', Colocasia 'Blue Hawaii', Colocasia 'Diamond Head', Colocasia 'Mojito', Cussonia gamtoosensis, elephant ears, garden plans, Kalanchoe beharensis, Nepeta 'Walker's Low', Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. atropurpureum 'Rubrum', tropical plants | 6 Comments

scenes from the garden 6/3/13

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Denise

Some of the cast of characters this summer. First spikes of Teucrium hircanicum. Shaggy grass is newly identified Chloris virgata (thank you, Maggie!) The peachy ‘Terracotta’ yarrow lining the path are beginning bloom too. The white umbels belong to Cenolophium … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, creatures, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Achillea 'Terracotta', Anthemis 'Susanna Mitchell', Aster 'Monch', Bacillus thuringiensis, Baltic parsley Cenolophium denudatum, budworms, Chloris virgata, Coreopsis tinctoria 'Mahogany', Cussonia gamtoosensis, Derry Watkins Special Plants, Kalanchoe luciae 'Fantastic', lilies, lilium, Teucrium hircanicum, Verbena bonariensis | 8 Comments

Foliage Followup 10/16/12

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Denise

Hosted by Pam Penick at Digging Two of the great memes in garden bloggery, Bloom Day on the 15th and the Foliage Followup on the 16th. Pam’s photo above of an anole in her Austin, Texas garden suggests a third … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave americana var. striata, Agave attenuata 'Kara's Stripes', Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate', Arundo donax 'Golden Chain, Canna 'Intrigue', Cussonia gamtoosensis, Macleaya cordata, Musa 'Siam Ruby', Sonchus canariensis | 12 Comments