Aristolochia californica

Butterfly in the Sky

April 8, 2012 by Megan | 4 Comments

Pipevine Swallowtail babies

Three years ago I tracked down an Aristolochia californica from Bay Natives at the SF Garden Show. I had dreams of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars chomping on it, but so far they haven’t found it. I’ve heard it can take years… unless you get an awesome flickr message offering up babies in exchange for some food cuttings. On Friday we became proud parents of a hungry little group of caterpillars thanks to butterfly guru Timtastic (the link will take you to his sweet pics on flickr).

Anise swallowtail

Since we won’t be able to see our babies turn in to butterflies, Tim brought over a pair of Anise swallowtails to release out back. I got to hold them while they warmed up and took flight.

Anise swallowtail & Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium

For the rest of the day they hung out on our ginormous (we’re talking nearly five feet wide) San Francisco Wallflower, (Erysimum franciscanum var. crassifolium). As we rip apart the garden it’s a sunny site in the middle of the yard, that I know isn’t going anywhere. We’re leaving all the California natives except for the Dudleyas and Lewisias.

Collecting Aristolochia californica

Our Aristolochia californica is huge and happy! This is one of my favorite plants we have, so being able to raise caterpillars that will use it is like a dream come true. That’s why I planted it. By the time we move, they’ll be big enough to release on the vine.

Caterpillar hotel

This is where the babies are living right now. They eat together in a big mass. So far they’ve gone through almost two leaves. I look at them at least once every three hours. They’re a great distraction to the stresses of packing and getting ready to move cross country in three weeks. I even made a butterfly garden pinterest board for Wisconsin. I admit it, I’m a pinterest addict. Where else would a find a recipe to make very realistic jello worms, or collect all my raised bed planter ideas in a pretty fashion? I’m starting all kinds of lists for plants I want to grow when we’re back in WI, too.

One last pretty pic

The Anise swallowtail hung out of the Phylica pubescens for a little bit. Thanks again to Tim for hooking us up! We’ll be posting lots of pics of all the plants and stuff we’ll have for the big plant sale soon.

Merry March Bloom Day

March 14, 2012 by Megan | 15 Comments

Eschscholzia californica

Happy March Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! I have to admit I’ve been kind of bloom picture taking slacker lately (some of these pics are from a week or two ago). The California poppies are in action out back and they’re cabbage looper free so far. Last year all our poppies were covered in holes and little green caterpillars. I’m not bitter.

Grill full o'plants

So the crazy orange flowered Lotus maculatus (parrot’s beak) has been blooming its little heart out for months and months. It doesn’t stop. I shake the spent blooms off now and then and trim parts of it that start strangle the other plants in the grill.

Gilia capitata

The California native section is starting to take off and after all the rain stops in the next few days stops it’s going to be insane. I’m a big fan of all the Gilias.

Awesome Aeonium

The Aeoniums have been a bit sad with so little rain this winter. We’re not seeing very many blooms. It looks like birds have been hitting the leaves of this guy (a free score from a neighborhood garage sale a couple years back).

Aristolochia californica

The pitcher party is almost over and the leaf (crazy freak out take over the world) party is taking over. This pic was taken at the start of the month.

Helleborus foetidus 'Gold Bullion'

Our one and only hellebore is doing its thing. I was hoping it would be a little more gold, but still love it. If you crush the leaves it’s supposed to stink hence it’s common name “Stinking hellebore”. We’ll have to give it a try to experience the stench.

Crested Euphorbia 'Tiny Tim'

As soon as the rain started all of the freakazoid crested blooms weighed down this poor plant, so they’re no longer standing up.

Crested Euphorbia 'Tiny Tim'

How can you not love the monster like blooms?

Kalanchoe prolifera

I can’t believe how long this thing has been going for. We lost a stalk in a wind storm a month or two ago, but this one’s still standing tall.

Kalanchoe prolifera & friends

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the flower share-a-thon!

February Flowers

February 14, 2012 by Megan | 20 Comments

Ferraria crispa

Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! We’ve got all kinds of sweet stuff blooming right now, but this Ferraria crispa is the freakiest. It’s our first fancy South African bulb. The foliage on this guy is what sold me. So often SA bulbs have lame grassy leaves, but this guy is almost succulent. Blooms are super fragrant, smelling like a combo of vanilla and butt. They’re fly pollinated, so the stank works for them. Check out all our pics of it here. Now for some of the California natives that have started to bloom.

Coreopsis gigantea & friends

During our first big rainstorm in what seemed like forever ago one of the branches took a dive, but it didn’t break off. We think it might help counterbalance the giant poofy top. It’s growing a with a bit of a tilt, but we’re going to get another big bunch of blooms soon. The Aeonium nobile above the bowling pin is going nuts! A shout out to Jenn at Dirty Girl Gardening for giving it to us last summer.

Phacelia viscida

Aristolochia californica

Three years ago I went on a mission to find this plant. I had seen cool pipe covered pictures of it via google and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Matti and I went to our first SF Garden show in 2009, where I tracked one down from Bay Natives. It was a little slow to establish and I thought it was dead the first year it went deciduous… right now it’s about to do the amazing thing I saw online. It put on a decent show last year, but this year is going to be nuts. If it wasn’t deciduous I don’t know if I could deal. Hopefully this is the year the Pipevine Swallowtails will sniff it out. They’re welcome to eat as much of it as they want.

Eccremocarpus scaber 'Cherry Red'

It’s the vine that won’t quit. Last year our Eccremocarpus died back quite a bit, but this year our masses of them (them reseed like crazy, annoying cut off the pods crazy) are keeping the hummingbirds happy.

Fuchsia fulgens with Aeonium 'Cyclops' friend

Fuchsia boliviana

Brugmansia sanguinea

Senecio cristobalensis

Euphorbia wulfenii

Crested Euphorbia 'Tiny Tim'

Pretty much all the flowers on ‘Tiny Tim’ are cresting with bizarre monster like flowers. My crackpot theory is that aphids had something to do with it. They were all over this guy and I didn’t really do anything but blast it with the hose once. We have another big honking Euphorbia that’s currently under attack. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will have a bunch of freaky blooms in a few weeks, too.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting Bloom Day!

Happy August Bloom Day!

August 15, 2011 by Megan | 17 Comments

Echeveria shaviana hybrid

Happy August Bloom Day from the Outer Sunset! A big shout out to May Dreams Gardens for hosting the worldwide bloom-a-thon blog fest! We’ve got some cool stuff happening in the flower department right now, including this Echeveria that Matti and I spent twenty minutes trying to identify online with no definitive answers. It’s ridiculously bloomy right now.

Madia elegans

About a month or two ago I thought the gophers had gotten to this California native, but a chunk of it had just broken off. We haven’t seen any gophers for a couple months!

Pretty Pelargonium

Aristolochia californica surprise

What’s up with the late summer pipe vine pipe? One section of the now massive vine is sprouting out flowers. I feel like it’s trying to take over the world right now. So far no Pipevine Swallowtail action. I heard they’re not typically found in these parts, which means if you grow it, they may not come.

Container of stuff

Hurray for surprise Lobelia seedlings from last year in places I don’t mind. My hack job on the Fuchsia ‘Fanfare’ is getting less awkward every week. I love my pot o’ violas. I would always plant them in Wisconsin forgetting every spring, that as soon as it started to get hot they’d shrivel up die in full sun. There’s some Satureja douglasii, “Yerba Buena” spilling out and spreading doing its groundcovery thing. I’m going to shut up and post some bloomy pics now:

Eccremocarpus scaber 'Cherry Red'

Fuchsia denticulata

Fuchsia 'Venezuela'

Echeveria nodulosa

Sempervivum

Athanasia pinnata

Eriogonum 'The Hub'

Viola 'Etain'

Dahlia ‘Dark Side of the Sun’

Happy Bloom Day!

March 14, 2011
by Megan
18 Comments

March Bloomiferous Madness

Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! Thanks to May Dreams Gardens for hosting blooms around the world on the 15th of every month. First up is our Guzmania (not really sure which one it is). This is one of our very … Continue reading →