The hot summer days are starting to stress hydrangeas that get near full sun but they are still a wonderful eye full. If you desire fewer, but larger, blooms the secret is to remove all but one or two buds from each stem in the springtime. The available energy for blooms will be concentrated on these fewer outgrowths.
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Extinction Reversed. The Judean Date PalmExtinction Reversed. The Judean Date Palm
View this short clip to hear about the work of 2 women to bring back this once famous fruit tree.
Extinct tree from the time of Jesus rises from the dead – BBC Reel
Popcorn CassiaPopcorn Cassia
Senna didymobotyra, or popcorn Cassia is a fun addition to any garden because the crushed flowers and buds have a strong scent of buttered popcorn. It is a robust plant that enjoys sun and heat. Note the large bumble bee closing in for a pollen snack. It is also a favorite of caterpillars of the large yellow sulphur butterflies so watch for eaten leaves in late summer. B. Bennett garden
Chaparral Monkey FlowerChaparral Monkey Flower
I bet there are many so called “monkey flowers” around the world and despite the absence of monkeys in southern California this is our bush monkey flower, Diplacus aurantiacus. It is perhaps our most common and distinctive flowering plant in the coastal chaparral. Photo courtesy of S. Castellana.