While shopping for interesting foliage to add to my holiday planters and wreaths, I was stopped in my tracks by this interesting beauty: Euonymous europaeus.
There are some really fascinating winter blooming plants that I have seen, like witch hazel ‘Diane‘ and white forsythia, but I wasn’t familiar with this one. Turns out these aren’t the blooms at all but the fruit that has set seed. Regardless, the show was splendid and completely stood out in a sea of holiday green and red.
Here is some more info on it from Wikipedia:
“Euonymus europaeus grows to 3 to 6 m tall, rarely up to 10 m, with a stem up to 20 cm diameter. The leaves are opposite, and are lanceolate to elliptical, 3 to 8 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, with a finely serrated edge. In autumn they often show a beautiful bright red colour.
The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in late spring and are insect-pollinated; they are rather inconspicuous, small, yellowish green and grow in cymes of 3-8 together. The capsular fruit ripens in autumn, and is red to purple or pink in colour and approximately 1 to 1.5 cm wide. When ripe, the four lobes split open to reveal the orange seeds.
The fruit is poisonous, containing amongst other substances, the alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, as well as an extremely bitter terpene. Poisonings are more common in young children, who are enticed by the brightly-coloured fruits. Ingestion can result in liver and kidney damage and even death.”
December 02 2011 | Flowers and Gardening and Photography | No Comments »
While most of the crocosmia I have planted in my garden is nearly finished blooming, the smaller Emily Mckenzie crocosmia is in full bloom. I’m happy that she has a prominent spot in the front garden, and that she occasionally turns a bloom upwards letting is all see her decorative colours.
The rest of the crocosmia is ready to be divided. It’s easy this time of year, just grab a clump and pull to thin them out, or dig up the whole bunch and put back a quarter of them. I like to leave some adorning the garden as the seed knobs take on interesting shapes. In a few weeks the bulbs will turn orange and it’ll be like a second blooming.
August 27 2010 | Flowers | 6 Comments »
At the rental house before I bought my current home there was an alien-like passion flower vine that serpentined around the iron fence up front steps. It was obviously old and established because it set of a profusion of flowers each year and produced many egg-shaped little orange fruits. I never tasted one for fear of the unknown but I did enjoy my one season with the vine tremendously (I’ve since learned that the fruits are edible indeed).
When I moved into my new house the following year, I went straight out and bought a passion flower along with an Italian Prune Plum tree which I also adored during my time at the rental. To my dismay, it died that winter. I bought another the following year and it died over winter too. I certainly wasn’t about to try a third time (at $18 a pop) so I grieved and moved on. Until one day a interesting plant collector traded me a Hardy Blue Passion Flower that was already more than 10 feet long! I planted and trellised it last year and just as the plant collector assured me, it WAS hardy enough to survive!
I now have an amazing twining vine above the apple espalier arbour and ducking under the variegated butterfly bush. I’m so happy to once again enjoy the most unique and stunning blooms. All hail the Hardy Blue Passion Flower – I hope to someday try your fruit.
August 06 2010 | Flowers and Photography | 14 Comments »
I like to post flora on Fridays that are blooming in my area so a few weeks ago when I was touring the Olympic fun I noticed that skunky smell which could only mean the Euphorbia is in bloom.
Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii, or Wood Spurge, is the most common of the Euphorbia found in Vancouver although there are so many other varietals available, a few of which you’ll find in most any Eastside garden. Though considered a perennial, Euphorbia characias acts more like a shrub growing 4′-6′ tall and 3′-5′ wide. In late winter, neon green bracts (flowers) bloom atop spiky blue-green evergreen foliage creating quite a show. The alien-like eyes and the stink should be warning enough not to go messing with this plant unprotected, but if you a dead-set on taking pruners to these monsters, be forewarned the milky sap is toxic and can burn your skin if not handled properly. Best to observe from afar unless of course you want to get some cool close up shots.
Interestingly, I took these photos at Granville Island where I ran into some real aliens on parade. Big Nazo liked this photo my hubby took of their Carnival Band and used it on their blog. I’m glad they liked the photo as I really liked seeing tall one-eyed aliens, mechanical-looking machine men, and spirited green faces with no torsos.
March 12 2010 | Flowers and Photography | 10 Comments »
I think Bergenia is a great border or edging plant on the West Coast because this fast growing perennial’s elephant ear-shaped leaves often turn a dark burgundy colour over winter and send out these lovely pink blooms in the late winter / early spring. Bergenia is quick to fill in a forgotten corner of the garden or adds low maintenance beauty under trees. I use it as edging for my flower beds, under my dogwood, and to reduce soil erosion on a stepped bank near the neighbours.
February 19 2010 | Gardening and Photography | 2 Comments »
Just a fragrant as the yellow Forsythia, but a much more manageable shrub – beautiful!
February 05 2010 | Flowers | 9 Comments »
What a beauty the Callicarpa Bodinieri is. This shrub always catches my eye in winter as these purple berries pop in the grey winter sky. A great pick for a Decemeber Flora Friday.
Callicarpa bodinieri var: giraldii 'Profusion' Beautyberry
December 18 2009 | Flowers and Photography | 9 Comments »
