Los Angeles was fun, even if merely for five days. So was the indirect trip there and back. While there, I collected a few bits and pieces of vegetation to bring back here. Much of it, including these Six, needed to be removed from Brent’s garden anyway. I want to collect more Plumeria cuttings later, during the correct season. I only took what I got from this procedure because two of the dozen or so specimens needed minor pruning. Conversely, I collected many more giant bird of Paradise seedlings than I can accommodate because they needed to be removed from where they were. A neighbor here should hopefully take most of them. Most of these acquisitions were expected, although the quantities of some were unexpectedly excessive. Nonetheless, I am very pleased with them.

1. Heliconia of an unidentified species was phased out as other vegetation matured over the past several years. Remnants came up with only bits of rhizome, so may not survive.

2. Strelitzia nicolai, giant bird of Paradise grew from seed from a very mature specimen that was the first plant that Brent installed after he moved here almost twenty years ago.

3. Plumeria of an unidentified cultivar or even species needed to be pruned off the roof. It grows easily from cuttings, such as these, but needs protection from minor frost here.

4. Washingtonia robusta, Mexican fan palm, like giant bird of Paradise, grew from seed from a recycled specimen that Brent installed. Its parent is his brother’s Memorial Tree.

5. Clivia miniata, Natal lily formerly bloomed profusely in the front garden, but became overwhelmed by other vegetation. They were installed directly into a landscape at work.

6. Chamaedorea costaricana, pacaya, which Brent and I know as bamboo palm, is much more vigorous and larger than the more common bamboo palm, Chamaedorea seifrizii.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

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20 thoughts on “Six on Saturday: L. A. II”

    1. Plumeria cuttings were left out for several days. They were cut on Saturday evening. I drove back on Sunday, so did not even take them out of the car until Monday. They were only canned yesterday, which was Friday. However, a few larger bits were cut into smaller cuttings only a few days ago. Technically, they should be left out to dry for a while. I have plugged many directly after cutting though.

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    1. Thank you. I plug all bits and pieces though, so I expect that several bits will not survive. I will be pleased with a few of each. Realistically, there will be too many even if only a quarter survive!

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    1. Yes, but we tend to be excessive. The medians of San Vicente Boulevard are inhabited by trees that Brent planted since about 1986. Most of the trees that were installed prior to about 2000 were moved from here by such trips.

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    1. There is no greenhouse here. I do not grow many species that require protection from frost here. However, the plumeria will be a problem. While they are new cuttings, they are easy to move under big eaves and up against the walls of the shop buildings, but as they grow, they will not be so easy to move. They will not live in the landscapes here. I gave many away to neighbors who do not mind keeping them potted and protecting them during winter. I will grow a few in my own garden, but that is about all. The giant bird of Paradise should be fine here, but the foliage will sometimes succumb to frost. Heliconia may likewise succumb to frost. I do not know yet.

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      2. That is too much work. I could do something like it, or just move pots inside, within my own garden, but not at work. There is no point in putting so much effort into something that is no more colorful or no more fragrant than other plants that do not necessitate so much work. Few of those who see our landscapes would appreciate them or know what they are anyway.

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      4. Most of the cuttings that I brought back are from the most common sort that grows as a small tree over Brent’s dining room patio. I typically get the most cuttings from it because it grows so large, and over the roof. It is probably the most traditional of Plumeria, and the sort that is commonly made into leis. It is also likely the easiest to grow, and the most tolerant of very mild frost. However, it is not as richly colorful as modern cultivars. There is another that is more white, with only a small and barely perceptible yellow center, but I still prefer the big and more traditional cultivar. To me, it is what Plumeria should look like.

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      6. Wow! That looks just like it! Well, the flower looks just like it. ‘Bridal Bouquet’ develops a better branch structure, so blooms more abundantly. The specimen at Bren’ts garden grew with a single trunk for such a long time that I chopped it to get it to branch. It bypassed with a single trunk that continued without branching for a few more years. It is finally branching now, but is so high up that the bloom is barely visible from below. If I can grow it in a pot in my garden, I will try to keep it low, but do not expect cooperation.

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      10. Brent’s is about six feet wide, but with only a few branches, and is about twice as tall. It took many years to grow that large. It would look weird without the surrounding vegetation to obscure its lanky form.

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