Christmas in New Zealand is summer and everywhere around the coast you will see Metrosideros excelsa, the pohutakawa, in bloom. It’s relative, M. polymorpha, is native to Hawaii and can also be seen planted around Mission Bay in San Diego.
Pohutakawa, the New Zealand Christmas Tree
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HydrangeaHydrangea
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.
When the Name FitsWhen the Name Fits
This is a Flowerpot Parasol mushroom, a member of Leucocoprinus genus. It appeared 2 days after the rare summer rain we got from tropical storm Hilary.
Plants that sustained the British EmpirePlants that sustained the British Empire
There are many plants that fit this description, e.g. tea, anyone? or cinchona the source of the anti-malarial medicine quinine, but here is one I did not know. Gutta percha. By the late 1800’s the British Empire was the largest to have existed, spanning the globe from England to India, Malaya, Australia and Canada. Communication by boat took weeks or months. The invention of the telegraph and the unique properties of Gutta percha enabled the empire to remain manageable well into the 1900’s.
Enjoy this short video from the BBC