My bloom cup runneth over…
California bush anemone (Carpenteria californica)
Red orchid cactus
Dianthus hybrid ‘Devon Cottage Rosie Cheeks’… very prolific bloomer
Chinese ground orchids and lamium
Purple Million Bells
‘Chicago Peace’ rose
Linaria triornithophora… a.k.a. "Three Birds Flying"
Linaria triornithophora
“Three Birds Flying”
This was one of my impulse purchases at the Annie’s Annuals booth at the 2007 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. I stuck it in a pot and it’s just beginning to bloom. Isn’t it amazing? At this stage, it looks more like Two Birds Sleeping and Two Birds About to Fly, but I’ll keep looking for the three flying birds. Maybe it’s like one of those optical illusion drawings that you have to stare at for a long time without blinking, when all-of-a-sudden dolphins appear. Now that I think about it, who cares about three birds flying. I’m going for the hidden dolphins!
Osteospermum ‘Sunny Sheila’
(Photo from Proven Winners website)
I indulged in a single one-gallon specimen this afternoon. Yes, it’s just an African daisy… but what a daisy. Coppery… irridescent… pinky… hints of yellow. It’s catch-your-breath gorgeous, especially when lit by late afternoon sun.
Light Brown Apple Moth discovered in Bay Area
(Photos from the California Department of Food & Agriculture website)
Here’s a snippet from the CDFA profile:
Background
This moth is originally from Australia, and has become established in New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii and the British Isles. Its discovery in California is a new North American record.
Hosts
LBAM has been recorded from over 200 plants in 120 plant genera in 50 families. Some notable trees are apple, pear, peach, apricot, nectarine, citrus, persimmon, cherry, almond, avocado, oak, willow, walnut, poplar, cottonwood, coast redwood, pine, and eucalyptus. Some common shrub and herbaceous hosts are grape, kiwifruit, strawberry, berries (blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry), corn, pepper, tomato, pumpkin, beans, cabbage, carrot, alfalfa, rose, camellia, jasmine, chrysanthemum, clover, and plantain.
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/lbam_main.htm
If you see this moth, contact your local County Agriculture Commissioner’s Office.
Chinese Ground orchids (Bletilla striata) in bloom
For “Snappy” (David) to show to his potted Bletilla babies.
