Subtropical Garden in Carmel Valley

Alstromeria hybrids Alstromeria is a common cut flower with a long vase life.  The flowers can last for 3 weeks with adequate care in vase.  It is also a very good garden plant.  Alstromeria comes with so many colors, flower patterns and heights.  The colors include yellow, orange, salmon, pink, red, mauve, lavender, purple, cream, white, bi-colors and tri-colors.   The flowers have six petals and typically the 3 center petal have speckles, short stripes and blotches of other color.  There are also varieties without the speckles and blotches. The height ranges from ground hugging to 3 feet tall.  With so many varieties, you are sure to find at least one variety you like.  A pale yellow seedless variety about 3-feet tall  A red seedless variety about 3-feet tall  A seedless pinkish-red variety about 3-feet tall  A ground-hugging yellow variety  A short (1 foot) purple variety that produces numerous s...

Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) As the weather gets warmer, the purple fragrant flowers start to appear on the vine.  The unusual flowers with purple-white delicate filaments are very pretty and distinct.  In a few days the flowers drop to the ground and egg-shaped small green fruits get bigger every day.  Pretty soon, the fruit will turn purple and ready for consumption.  I wait until the fruit drop to the ground before collect the fruits. The passion fruit flower Young passion fruit Ripe passion fruit I usually cut the fruit in 2 halves and scoop out the fragrant, acidic-sweet orange pulp and eat it directly, spitting out the black seeds.  Some people may prefer to add a pinch of sugar to lessen the acidity.  Another option is to combine the content of 30 to 40 fruit, pour the combined pulp into a blender and blend it at low speed to separate the edible pulp from the seeds, filter the mixture with a wire mesh and collect the pass...

Plumeria A smell of plumeria's warm fragrance and I am back to Hawaii.  The beautiful plumeria lei and the trees full of yellow, pink and white flowers with fragrance hanging in the warm, moist air forever linked the plumeria with tropical Hawaii.  I liked the plumeria so much that I bought a small branch of plumeria in a plastic bag in the Honolulu airport.  The branch rooted in a pot and happily sent a few leaves and next year yellowish-white flowers appeared.  The plant was transplanted into my yard and it is 8-feet tall.  It blooms profusely every year and the sweet smell fills the garden.  I also bought a "Rainbow" variety with hues of pink, yellow and white on the same flower in a San Diego Plumeria Society exhibition at the Balboa Park.  It grows side by side with the yellow-white plumeria.  The"Rainbow" flowers are also fragrant, but not as strong as the other tree. The thick-petaled flowers  arrange themselves in a pinwheel fashion...

Wax jambu revisited I have written on Wax jambu in 2006 (see previous blog) .  However, ten years have passed and I feel there is a need for an update as I have learned a lot more about the tree. First at all, flowering of the Wax Jambu is totally unpredictable.  It flower sas early  in May in some years and as late in September in some years.  Last year, it actually bloomed twice (once in early May and again in late August) and produced two flushes of fruit.  I though the second crop must have less fruit or small size of the fruit.  It turned out that  the second crop is just as good as the first crop for both the number  and size of the fruit (see graph 1).  The only problem for the second crop is that some of fruit matured during a cold snap and the fruit tended to crack which attracted ants and fungus. Graph 1.Wax Jambu trees with lots of fruit. Secondly, Wax jambu is one of the most productive fruit trees.  It does no...

Clivia miniate Clivia originates from South Africa and like many Soutth African plants adapts quite happily in Southern California.  They are evergreen plants with strap-like leaves.  They like shade and are quite drought tolerant.  The plants in my garden have grown for more more than 10 years.  They form plantlets around the base which can be divided in a year or two and will bloom in 1 or 2 years.  Left on its own, a large clump will appear.  In these years, I have not observed any pests or disease.  They are not frost tolerant, but can be easily grown indoors and will flower with bright light. Clivia flowers in late March or early April with multiple clusters of orange, red or yellow flowers which are very attractive in the shade.  There are not many plants flowering as brightly in the shade.  After the flowers, green berries are produced and in about a year turn red (from orange-flower plants) and yellow (from yellow-flower plan...

March 11, 2017 Fruit from Loquat trees ( Eriobotrya japonica) are  starting to change color from green to yellow and orange now indicating the immediate ripening of the fruit..  I picked a few that look ripe (based deep orange color).  Most are still acidic and not sweet yet.  I guess I am too anxious and should wait a few more days.  But loquat is one of my favorite fruit and it is hard to wait for the chance to savor the delicious flavor.  Every year, I anxiously wait for the loquat season and gorge on the precious fruit. Loquats are evergreen tree that generally flower in December here in San Diego and the  fruit ripens in March/April.  They are quite productive with hundreds fruit in clusters of 4-20 fruit.  The fruit is very sweet when ripe with a little bit acidic taste and a distinctive loquat flavor.  I usually cut the fruit in 2 halves, peel the skin off, get rid of the large hard seeds (1 to 3 in the center) and enjoy the s...

July 10. 2012 morning fog followed by sunlight Michelia alba, Yulan Michelia alba is one of most fragrant flowers.  The flower is ivory in color.  My M. alba tree is finally growing this year after in the ground for 5 years.  It has put forth lots of new branches and leaves. It has started flowering in early June and we are picking around 10 flowers each day in July.  I bunched 4-6 flowers in a small cup with a few drops of water and they perfume the whole room, especially in late afternoon when it is warm.  The flowers usually last 2 to 3 days in the cup. According to Wikipedia, M alba is a hybrid not found in the wild and cultivated for ornamental use. It is a hybrid of Magnolia champaca and Magnolia montana .  It is a subtropical plant and does not like cold weather at all.  It is really popular in Southeastern China and Taiwan when they grow well.  It was a common sight to see girls selling M. alba flowers as a pendant of 3 to 5...

Ornamental Gingers August and September are the months that ornamental gingers bloom in my garden. What a magnificent sight to see a clump of Hedychium coccineum flower. The orange torch-like 1-feet long ginger flower cone has 30-40 buds and they almost bloom at the same time creating a tropical exuberance. They fire up shade area for 1-2 weeks and the flowers are gone, fleeting yet magnificent. Hedychium coronarium , so called butterfly ginger blooms soon afterwards. The large white butter-like flowers are beautiful, but the fragrance is heavenly sweet and spicy, reminiscent of Hawaii . The flower cone is not a long as Hedychium coccineum and flowers bloom in sequence prolonging the flowering length. Heduchium “ Elizabeth ” flowers about one week after butterfly ginger. The hybrid has only a slight fragrance, but the flower has a beautiful salmon pink color and is very attractive. Heduchium gingers needs lot of water and bright shade. They grow ...

I grow my papaya plants from seeds. They are mostly the small Solo papaya you get from grocery stores. After I opened the fruit and scooped the seeds out. I plants the plentiful seeds in the garden. Lot of seeds sprouted during the warmer months and grow rapidly reaching 1-2 feet by year end. Most of them succumb to the cold winter chills and died. But a few survived and bloomed. That’s when I found out papaya can have only male flowers, female flowers or both on the same plant. Unfortunately, the biggest papaya plant I have was female. So, although it started to flower in the second year, there was no fruit. Next year the male plant also flowered, but only when the weather really warmed up in July. Then I artificially pollinate the female flowers. The fruit started to grow until it turns cold. The fruit did not grow at all until nest May. Now the papaya plant is really tall (~10 feet tall) and it is a chore to pollinate and pick the fruit. I am considering top the femal...

I bought this bamboo at a plant sale at Quail Botanic Garden 4 years ago in a 10-gallon pot. It has beautiful canes, yellow with green groove on alternating sides up the length of the culm. The cane is especially beautiful in spring when it is suffused with red (really purple-red) color. The red color seems to be more intense when the bamboos receiving plenty of sun. The leaves were also variegated early in the spring. The leaves were green with white stripes. So, both the cane and leaf are very ornamental. Unfortunately, the red color faded when the cane matured to pure yellow color with only one patch of green groove per segment. The white stripes on the leaves were also less clear when the leaves mature. It is an evergreen bamboo and the canes seemed to last 2 or 3 years leaves turning yellow. The cane was about 1 inch in diameter and height is about 12 feet. It is a very aggressive runner. Although it is planted in a flower bed surrounded by cement wall, ...

It is the time for the annual cymbidium flowers. They spent most of the year in pots under a trellis facing east with morning sun. In October, the flower shoot stated to grow. Oh they grew ever so slowly. I staked them one by one as they grew taller. Finally they started to bloom. What a beautiful sight. The flowers may be white, pink, yellow, green, mauve or deep red with different combination of deep-colored lips. I kept all the cymbidium in the east-facing corner under a trellis. I watered them once a week except winter time. I used fine fir bark/perlite (1/1) as the growth medium. They seemed to like to the medium, although I probably could fertilize more since not every plant bloomed every year. However, I have enough of them, there are 8-10 plants flowering each year. The cymbidium flowers lasted a long time on the plant. The flower spkes almost are very good cut flower lasting 2-3 weeks in water. Overall, they are wanderful, beautiful and easy to care. I only wish...

This is the time the ornamental kale at its peak. I have a few ornamental kale started from a six-pack in the spring of 2005. Now they are about 4 feet tall. The colorful leaves are a kaleidoscope of purple, pink, and green or green yellow and white. They look like huge rose blossoms, but last a lot longer. They are also easy to propagate. Just cut a branch off from the plant and stick it to the ground when it is warm and it will root and grow right away. They also last a long time as cut flowers since they are actually colored leaves. Sometimes, the stem will even sprout roots in the vase. The rooted stem can then be planted in the ground. Ornamental kale is a perennial here in San Diego . It will flower in the early spring. The flowers are actually quite attractive. They are typical Brassia flowers, however, the color is a bright yellow and flower shoot is quite long with numerous 4-petal flowers. I have seen gardens beds with flower ornamental kales that w...

I just picked about 25 Satsuma mandarin orange ( Citrus reticulata ) from a dwarf plant today. The plant is only about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide and is laden with fruits on every branch. What a beautiful sight. The golden orange fruits are brightly contrasted with the dark evergreen leaves. The fruits are loose-skinned and easy to peel. It is also seedless. So, it is really convenient to eat out of hand. It is also very flavorful and is not sour at all. In the spring the white blossoms are very fragrant and can be smelled from quite a distance. The satsuma mandarin originated in Japan more than 400 years ago. There are some 100 varieties of satsumas in Japan, about a dozen of which have been released in the United States. You don't often see the Satsuma mandarin in the supermarket, may be due to its limited storage period. It cannot be kept in the refrigerator for months like orange. That is a shame because it is very delicious and so easy to peel and separate the ...

November 14, 2006, drizzle The tropical guava fruits are beginning to ripen now. I have 4 plants, a Mexican guava (lower photo), a Vietnamese guava (upper photo), a pink tropical guava bought at Home Deport and a seedling from a friend. They all have fruits hanging now. I can usually pick one or two ripe fruits each day. The peak time for guava harvesting will probably come in 2 or 3 weeks. There are several clues to tell if a guava is ready for harvest. The color of a fruit changes from green to pale yellow, the fruit becomes soft to touch and the fruit emits a very pleasant guava fragrance. The Vietnamese guava is an exception. It does not become soft or fragrant and is valued for its crunchiness. I usually pick the guava, let it soften further for a few days enjoying its fragrance. The fragrance is very pungent and strong. A couple of ripe guava can fill a room with their fragrance. I eat guava out of hand and devour the whole fruit, skin and seeds includ...

What a beautiful, sweet plant! A friend had a few red sugar canes in his backyard. They were about 7-8 feet tall with reddish purple stem and a bunch of green leaves on top. They were really beautiful. I knew sugarcane was commercially grown to make sugar, but I did not realize that it was quite ornamental. I also did not know it would grow in San Diego. To me, sugarcane was also associated with tropical plantations in Hawaii, and Caribbean countries. My friend graciously gave me a few short stems with 2-3 nodes to me in May. I planted the stems horizontally, barely covered with soil. They all sprouted and have grown vigorously. One of the stem is now a clump of 7-8 feet canes. The stem was covered with leave sheath. I peeled the lower leaves to expose the beautiful purple stem. I cut a stem from the ground in October to see if it is ready for epicureans’ enjoyment. Well, it turned out it is a lot of work to get to the sweet pith. First, I had to peel off the tough purple s...

Today (or early this morning) we have the first rain of this season. The rain was quite heavy, but short in duration. It stopped when I got up at 6:20 AM. The sun was out. The air was humid and refreshing. The leaves of the garden plants were still wet and looked very green and clean. Well, they clearly need the rain to clean the dust and debris accumulated during the 6 months of dry season. This must be a great treat for the plants, as they looked so verdant and happy. The iris (Rosalie Figge from Van Bourgondien) decided to take the advantage of rain and opened the dark blue-purple petals. This is the second time the iris bloomed this year confirming that it is indeed a re-blooming iris. I have another white re-blooming iris (Immortality). The white flowers are fragrant and seem to bloom at irregular times of the years, sometimes in the mid-winter. I have divided the single plant to 4 plants and each plant bloomed at different times. So I enjoy the flowers year round. I will k...

The pomegranates are ripe now and will split open showing off the ruby-like seeds (see picture 1) if not harvested soon. The tree I have is call "Wonder". The fruits are huge (see picture 2 with a quarter for size comparison) with very red skin and dark purple-red seeds. The seeds are delicious although it is a pain to get the seeds out from the white membrane they attach to. I like to put the seeds in a tray and just savor the flavor one by one while watching TV. The seeds have a tangy sweet flavor and they look like a plate of precious jewels. The pomegranate is symbol of fertility and is often used in Chinese wedding as a blessing for the bride and bridegroom to have hundreds of sons and thousands of grandsons. Nowadays, nobody really wants to have a lot of children. So, maybe pome is considered old-fashioned. Not to worry, the pome juice is supposed to have one of the highest amounts of anti-oxidants and have all kinds of health benefits including reducing plaque of...

It is the flower time of Mexican bush sage ( Salvia leucantha ). The velvet purple and white flowers are held high above the slender branches and silvery grey leaves. They sway graceful in the gentle breeze creating a sea of purple flags. The flowers are the favorite nectar source of humming birds. Every morning and evening, the humming birds flitted around flowers drink the nectar or chasing each others. There are always a number of them darting around. When sun light hit the throat, the ruby feathers are iridescent. What a sight! Of course the honey bees are humming around the flowers, too. The plants are easy to grow. They don't seem to mind the clay, alkaline soil here. They are also easy to propagate. Just a few stems with roots and stick the new stems in the soil and in a few weeks, they will have leaves and start growing. If it is done early in the spring, they will even flower. I usually cut the down to a few inches from the soil after flowers are over. The new silvery l...

The Manila mango plant I bought from Home Depot in a 1-gallon pot 2 years ago has several almost-ripe fruits on them. The label from Home Depot indicated it is " Manila " variety. However, They don't look like the yellow Manila mango you get from the supermarket (especially the oriental supermarkets) since they have lot of spots and appear to be more greenish-yellow. I am not sure about the if I should trust the Home Depot label since the plants are often mis - labeled . I am just thrilled that the plant has done well enough to fruit. It was like 2 and 1/2 feet tall when I planted it. Now it is about 6 feet tall. The tree is quite ornamental too. The new leaves are red and contrast very prettily against the mature green leaves. It has a tendency to have too many buds from the joint, so I have to cut a few new growth off to avoid over-crowding. I have not seen any insects or disease problems so far even though aphid, mealy bugs and giant white flies have b...