My vacation was in two halves of two weeks each, with two weeks in between. It seemed to be six weeks collectively. Quite a bit happens within the landscapes during that much time at this time of year. The first of my Six is from Arizona, and happens to be the State Flower of Arizona. The others are some of what I returned to, including the State Flower of Colorado, and a relative of the State Flower of Hawaii. One is German from Monterey. One is Algerian from the Canary Islands. One is European from Washington. Oh, this is all such confusing nonsense and false trivia. California poppy, which is the State Flower of California, is blooming, but I got no pictures of it for this week.

1. Carnegiea gigantea, saguaro was a species that I should have gotten more pictures of before leaving Arizona. This is one of only two pictures. It is the State Flower of Arizona.

2. Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ snakeroot came from Tangly Cottage Gardening not too long ago, but is already blooming splendidly among watercress on the edge of the pond.

3. Hedera canariensis, Algerian ivy clings to the exteriors of several buildings at work if not pruned back frequently. This vine is getting even more aggressive by coming inside!

4. Aquilegia X hybrida, columbine refuses to grow where planted, but tosses seed before it dies. Its feral seed then grows in random situations. It is the State Flower of Colorado.

5. Iris X germanica, bearded iris bloom is finishing about now. I earlier mentioned that this cultivar seemed weirdly pale. It might be feral. However, it seems bright white now.

6. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, tropical hibiscus is blooming as vibrantly here as it was in Los Angeles and Phoenix. It is related to Hibiscus brackenridgei, the State Flower of Hawaii.

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/

11 thoughts on “Six on Saturday: While You Were Out”

  2. Love hibiscus. In San Diego my childhood home had a white one with pink accents. It was a large tree. Here people grew them as annuals or in pots indoors but there are some hardy hibiscus now. Love the blue Aquilegia as well. I wish I could see the Saguaro when it has its fluffy white flower hat on! I see it has buds. They look cute when they are blooming.

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    1. I thought that saguaros look humiliated while in bloom, as if they are studly trees wearing frilly tiaras for a picture at an office party that they would rather not have attended.

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      4. Goodness! Those are garish! The few that I saw were more like tiaras or old fashioned swimming caps. Most bloom was confined to haloes around the tops, although some bloomed lower also.

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  3. Very interesting choices, this week. We knew an Iris breeder, when I was a kid, who bred beautifully colored Iris that also had strong fragrance. He gave my folks several grocery bags of his divisions one year, and they planted them. We were all amazed at the vibrant (mostly solid) colors and wonderful fragrance from these flowers the following spring. We tried to did some of each clump to move as my folks moved from home to home over the years. I wonder if the reduction in fragrance in more modern plants comes because so few of us ‘stop to smell the flowers’ these days. We aren’t lingering in our twilight gardens on long summer evenings anymore. We’re more likely inside the air conditioned house watching a movie. The market tends to give what people want, in many cases, and I agree with you it is a true loss to have flowers without much fragrance. Lovely columbine, and of course the cactus and beautiful gum tree. Thank you for sharing sights discovered along your travels, Tony.

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    1. Those who can remember more prominent floral fragrance remember and miss it. Even if younger people appreciated it, I doubt that it would make much of a difference to breeders who prefer to promote bigger and flashier bloom. Some of what sells nowadays is downright awful! At a time when some want to grow flowers for pollinators, many popular flowers are too complicated for pollinators to figure out.

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      1. You are right! For the insects, the simpler the better. But people buy plants for so many different reasons- and often times just on a whim, or to try something different. I miss the fragrance and am always delighted when flowers- and foliage, have a really delightful scent.

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