Non-Stop Gardening Tips & Inspiration
This may be just the vine you’re looking for.
It’s rare, not the easiest to get your hands on, but worth a try.
Canary Bellflower vine (Canarina canariensis) is from the cloud forest of the Canary Islands.
Mild climates serve this vine and let me show you (below) what lovely flowers are served up in winter, when few vines are blooming (yes, Hardenbergia vines are blooming).
If you’re looking for some trailing plant choices to add greenery – maybe even a splash of flower color to your wall -here are 7 excellent options! These evergreen options will give all season coverage, providing interest, character and clothing even on the bleakest winter days.
Of course, there are plenty more trailing options than these…
But a lot of times we need and appreciate a little fencing in… a little privacy from neighbors and a busy world. Outdoors, we can put up fencing, walls, arbors, pergolas; just about any architectural structure to create privacy and dimension, or, just the wall and ceiling planes to our gardens and outdoor rooms. So when you need the perfect marriage of evergreen climbers for architectural structures, (or vice-versa) here are some choices:
I love Osteospermums (aka: Cape daisy or African daisy); these plants will bring you plenty of bang for your buck in coastal Mediterranean climates like the SF Bay area, largely in locations where summers are cool.
If you’re looking for a thornless climber and you love roses here’s one to check out: Yellow Lady Bank’s Climbing Rose (Rosa banksiae’Lutea’). This early blooming rose won’t disappoint and having no thorns won’t shred you or your family and friends if it grows a little rambunctious in the summer.
If you’re looking for some flowering filler ground covers that can take part shade to maybe even well I won’t say SHADE but hmm, yep, sometimes we want to push the envelope… and if you do, try the likes of Campanula poscharskyana (photo below) which is virtually pest and disease free.
Lantana is a popular plant in the SF Bay area. Its staying power owes to its constant bloom, showy flowers, and the fact that this plant in all its forms is enjoyed by hummingbirds and butterflies for habitat gardens, and is a drought tolerant, happy plant, well suited to our Mediterranean climate gardens.
Did you catch the Oscars last weekend? I did too…and it got me thinking about the Blockbuster Oscar worthy plants for the February garden. With Valentine’s day almost here, mid-February is an important time to consider what Oscar worthy specimen plants you might enjoy having in your garden or in a container.
Architectural plants with interesting texture for your garden? “Restios?” Hmmm. What’s a restio? If you’v never heard of them, you’re not alone! But like recent posts, if you’re looking for new plants to know for garden/planting design, then these 3 restios are worth knowing!
New plants are being introduced all the time. If you’re getting ready to do some planting, check out these 12 amazing plants that come from DOWN Under. These awesome Australian natives are low maintenance if you plant the right plant in the right spot.
