The other day I picked up my plants from the first UC Davis Arboretum plant sale of the year (online ordering, curbside pickup), and since I was at the Teaching Nursery already, I decided to take some photos of the streetside plantings. If anybody needs proof that spring has arrived, here it is.
My favorite vignette was this:
There's a row of these trees in the planting strip next to the Teaching Nursery. I have no idea what they are, other than some type of ornamental cherry or plum (or other member of the genus Prunus).
Some of the flowers are single and a lighter pink, others double and a more reddish pink.
If anybody knows what they are, please leave a comment.
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| Kniphofia 'Christmas Cheer' |
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| That's the Teaching Nursery across the street |
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| Kniphofia 'Christmas Cheer', Aeonium sp., and rosemary |
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| Rosemary and Agave colorata |
Kniphofias, aka "nighfohfias" or red-hot pokers, are a fairly common sight around town. Not so these yellow beauties. I overheard a couple walking by speculating on what they might be. The eager beaver in me wanted to pipe up, "I know! I know!," but I contained myself. They're Bulbinella nutans, a bulb native to South Africa's Cape Province. I'm thrilled to see it planted more widely on the UC Davis campus. I need to get a hold of some for our garden.
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| Bulbinella nutans |
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| Bulbinella nutans paired with Agave americana 'Mediopicta alba', the unofficial agave of the UC Davis campus (based on how many there are) |
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| Kniphofia 'Christmas Cheer', Euphorbia rigida, and Nolina nelsonii |
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| Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina' |
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| Agave americana 'Mediopicta alba' and Sedum palmeri |
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| Sedum palmeri |
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| Sedum dendroideum |
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| Agave ovatifolia |
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| Aloe × spinosissima and Agave americana 'Mediopicta alba' |
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| Back to the ornamental plum, cherry, etc. next to the Teaching Nursery |
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| I've photographed this sign many times. I like how it's flanked by a pair of... |
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| ...Agave americana 'Mediopicta alba' |
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| Longing look through the fence at the plants inside the Teaching Nursery. This is where the UC Davis Arboretum plant sales are held. |
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| Except during this pandemic where they're online |
In case you're interested and live within a reasonable driving distance from Davis, the
next sale is March 18-22. It's only for UC Davis Arboretum members. The final three spring sales (April 8-12, April 29-May 3, and May 20-24) are for everybody. An updated plant list is
posted a week before each sale.
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Spring is here too. Isn't it wonderful?! I so miss my local botanic garden's plant sales, another of the many things lost to the pandemic despite the fact that the garden itself has remained open throughout. I wish they'd do something like UCD's curbside pick-up deal. The Huntington has its "botanical bundles" program but driving through downtown LA traffic to get there is a serious impediment in my view.
ReplyDeleteThe Fullerton Arboretum is going to have a great sale soon, veggies and 200+ different ornamentals. Similar deal with curbside pickup. But that's not around the corner from you either.
DeleteOMG the Knifofias were fantastic. I had a really tight schedule so I didn't even bring my camera along-now I wish I had . It would have been great to spend an hour or two in the arboretum. How were your plants ? I got a Leaucodendron that looked really bad, and it had fert pellets in the pot-the same pellets in all the others. All my other plants were great . Must have phosphorus. I dumped the pellets out and cut it back -hope for the best ! My fingers are crossed for a normal plant sale in fall !
ReplyDeleteSorry about the Leucadendron. I think you should let them know. That's not a good thing. Leucadendrons, like all proteas, don't like their roots messed with, so don't try to remove too much of the old soil.
DeleteLooks like a great place to go to college. Once you have A. americana 'Medio-Picta Alba' you'll never be without it. I found some up on the slope last week--the original pulled two or three years ago.
ReplyDeleteA similar agave story here - except with Agave parryi var. truncata! I found a small pup squished up against the foundation of the house. It had gone as far as it could. I'd removed the mom last year.
DeleteWhether Plum or Cherry, there is nothing like pink bloom profusion to put a pep in one's step. I'm taken with the Bulbinella nutans: quite a cheery display (and a fun name too).
ReplyDeleteLooking through the fence is heart wrenching but the in-person events are soon to come. What's your haul?
I think they're looking into the feasibility of having in-person sales with very small groups of people. If not this spring, then in the fall.
DeleteI only got a few things. I'll "reveal" them in my next post.
The double frill pink flower looks very much like my peach, also in full bloom (Sacramento). I also attended curbside pickup and acquired some arabian aloes, mangaves, grevillea, and leucospermums. Spent some time at the BOG, quite impressive and different bulb varietals are coming up all the time right now. After this upcoming rain event, will be a great time for a revisit.
ReplyDeletePeach, that's one potential candidate I forgot. Somebody on Facebook also mentioned apricot. So these trees are most likely plum, cherry, peach, or apricot.
DeleteArabian aloes! That means you got an Aloe rubroviolacae! I got one last fall. Excellent choice :-).
The BOG garden is getting better and better. It'll be truly impressive in a few more years when the bulbs have naturalized.
All those pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, such a treat for winter weary eyes! And of course those gorgeous spiky blues that are pretty all year round there. Yay for spring!
ReplyDeleteIt was gratifying to see how much is in bloom, considering it's been such a dry fall and winter. Only 7.6 inches since October 1, 2020 (the beginning of the current water year). Unless we have a March and/or April miracle, we'll end the water year at less than half our normal rainfall total--possibly a LOT less.
DeleteBulbinella nutans always pulls me in when in bloom, and then I check up on it and find it needs to be kept summer dry. I need to get a system going for the summer dry stuff -- I don't like to see the dying leaves among succulents, so they usually end up in pots that don't get watered enough to bloom again...another half acre and I'd have this all sorted out! Spring is looking good in your 'hood, Gerhard!
ReplyDeleteI have a bunch of summer-dry bulbs planted in my succulent beds (like Lachenalia). They disappear in late spring and half of the time I don't even know where they are. The beds are drip-irrigated in the summer and that doesn't seem to be a problem.
DeleteFlowering crabapple?
ReplyDeleteDo they flower pink, too? Shows you how much I know about crabapple! I can barely spell it :-).
DeleteGorgeous! I am all ready mourning another spring without Hortlandia...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I was really hoping for a 2021 Hortlandia....
DeleteIt kills me that a "teaching" institution can't label all their plants properly. Understanding that keeping labels in order is no easy or cheap task considering vandalism and pilferage. Still, "teaching" the public the identity of plants in the collection would seem to be among the most important things? What's up with their priorities?
ReplyDelete