Strongylodon Macrobotrys, or Jade Vine, native of the Phillipines.

Do you want to get a gander at one of the most bizarre blooms ever? Of course you do! Then head on over to Allan Gardens this week. The eye-popping Jade Vine is blooming, and you won’t want to miss its display of pendulous waxy blooms hanging down from the ceiling looking like something from a SciFi film. The blue-green flower is simply one of the rarest and unexpected flower hues in the flower kingdom. I love the Latin name too: Strongylodon macrobotrys, one of those ones that’s simply fun to say. Sounds a bit like a Harry Potter spell, say it three times!

In the real world, these flowers are pollinated by bats, but I’m sure the gardeners at Allan Gardens stand in for any nocturnal flyers. The Allan Gardens Jade vine is quite massive, so is producing quite a few buds that should bloom over the next little while.
Any trip to Allan Gardens in late winter is a joy, even without a spectacular bloomer like the Jade vine. Each week, new spring plants are added, making a visit there one of my most cherished sanity-saving winter activities.