Choice Morsels

Garden Pics today include a nice shot of my Blue Cape Plumbago shrub blossom and a pretty look at my backyard garden at sunset: Blue Plumbago : I collect blue flowers, so a Cape Plumbago was a must! They are common here as landscape plants. It took me a number of years to find the "right spot" one would thrive in. They don't like being overly wet. So I planted this one in the woodsy area in the backyard in vicinity of maple tree that is higher ground. It's doing pretty well now. Fairly bushy. I think I should fertilize it better in spring & summer for a better bloom. The area is partial shade during spring & summer as western sun hits it late in day. During late fall & winter, when the maple is bare, it's in full sun.   Here's a nice shot of my backyard around 6pm, as the sun is getting low: Oh, and the Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar I so carefully took care of made it to being a butterfly this morning! I forgot to check the crystallis, so I mis...

Yesterday I brought my house plants. They hang in various sunny rooms: 2 in the kitchen, 1 in each bath and the Snake Plant sits on the floor near the sliding glass door.  They spend all summer outdoors getting nice and big and fluffy, so they'll have the strength to survive my lack of watering them very well for 4 months of winter! Still need to bring in the Aloe, which needs repotting first, and snip runners of the Wandering Jew to spend winter rooting in a vase of water. (I should photograph it while it's still full in pretty in it's pot in my front bed!) Today's Garden Pic is Cape Plumbago! It's can also be called, "Sky Flower."  Probably because of it's pretty clusters of true baby blue flowers!  Cape Plumbago grows into a moderately large, draping shrub.  It enjoys full sun to semi-shade and likes being well watered, but doesn't like it's roots in a place that stays wet or boggy all the time. I made that mistake with a coup...