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Meet a few poinsettia cousins
Perhaps, like me, the poinsettiaful Christmas Show at Allan Gardens is still on your to-see list this year. Or perhaps you’re one of the poinsettia haters I’ve tried to convert before. Either way, if you love botany you might be impressed by the sheer diversity – and yet sameness – of the poinsettia’s big family, Euphorbia. Sameness […]
Pachypodium, the monster on my windowsill
My reputation as Helen the Houseplant Killer might be at risk. I keep discovering plants that resist my planticidal tendencies. Like the one above, which arrived as a gift from our son three years ago. It still lives! Not only that, if it lives longer, it might qualify as a killer itself, or at least as a […]
12 things to like about 2016
By many measures, 2016 was one of the most deplorable of annus horribilis-es. The Grim Reaper was unusually busy, and some things did not turn out as hoped. But let’s try to bright-side it. A look back: January One thing to like, every year, is Toronto’s skirt hem along the great freshwater sea that is Lake Ontario. A […]
Zigzag cactus – cool plant even before the flowers
Easy to see why Epiphyllum anguliger is also called the zigzag, ric rac or fishbone cactus I’ve had a crush on this plant in the Allan Gardens cactus house for ages. A big crush. Look at those cool leaves! Well, not leaves, actually – as these are in the cactus family, they’re flat, zigzaggy stems, […]
Unearthly Blooms of the Jade Vine
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 […]
In which I make a fragrant-ish wreath
My completed fragrant-ish wreath (and a great reflection of the new kindergarten wing across the street) A couple of weeks ago, Twitter started it all with a link to this post by Shannan at Flower Patch Farmgirl. In it, she tells how she dried orange slices to make an orange garland. Cute! It reminded me […]
Exposure therapy for the poinsettia phobic
The poinsettia’s real name is Euphorbia pulcherrima, meaning “beautiful euphorbia” It seems that the Ecke family introduced poinsettias to the commercial market back in 1900 (Although I rarely point you to Wikipedia on the blog, you can read their story here). Today, the ubiquity of the poinsettia at Christmastime has made people say ecke! in […]
A touch of grey for Grey Cup day
Red-edge sansevieria (Sansevieria subspicata) and silverbush (Convolvulus cneorum) A charming combo from the Cactus House at Allan Gardens. I’ve never seen red-edge sansevieria before, and was surprised that its silver-leafed companion is a shrubby member of the morning glory family. I’ll have to come back to catch it in flower – a silver shrub covered […]
Conservatories can be our refuge
California dreaming at San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers At times like these, escape is tempting. I speak of the weather, of course. What else would a Toronto person want to escape from in November 2013? Luckily, Toronto has wonderful escape hatches in the form of conservatories – indoor Wonderlands and protected respite for lovers of […]
Plant profile: Freeman maple
Photographed yesterday, a row of Freeman maples (Acer x freemanii) along Carlton north of Allan Gardens At this time of year, you can especially note how often Freeman or Freeman’s maple (Acer x freemanii) appears along our streets. That telltale “x” says this tree is a hybrid – a cross between red maple (Acer rubrum) […]
The pure pow of green-on-green
All-green fall planters at Allan Gardens A little almost-wordless wow for another grey Wednesday in November. Don’t you love the textures here? And these babies will take a little nippy weather, especially here where they’re a little sheltered. It was hard to choose between them but this one might be my favourite after all.
Branching Out With a Staghorn Fern
Staghorn Fern at Allan Gardens, Toronto. You know how certain plants call to you, and others don’t? I’d always been a little wary of Staghorn Fern Platycerium Bifurcatum. There was something a little creepy and non-plantlike about them that left me a little cold, but I never forgot how much they appealed to my father, […]