creative jewish mom

The Haworth's Aeonium Succulent Blooms In Northern Israel

One of my prized succulents is in bloom and it is so wonderful! Ten years or so ago a dear friend passed away unexpectedly, and alone, leaving the community to go through her things. I decided to make sure that her plants didn't end up in the dumpster, so I took both plants and cuttings from her succulents, and gave plants to neighbors. I'll admit, one of the philodendron houseplants was just not worth caring for anymore, which is sometimes the case with houseplants, but the succulents that I've cared for over the years are thriving. One such case is this pot of aeonium haworthii that is now gorgeous and densely packed, despite being quite unattractive and woody when I first brought it home. And to boot, I've now moved my succulents to an interior porch rather than on the exterior of our home, so I have much more opportunity to actually enjoy them, and these blooms, wow! So friends, if you live somewhere where succulents can survive year round, or you don't mind taking them indoors or into a green house come winter, they are truly amazing, and when they flower it is such a delight!

Great Looking Copper Colored Succulent Called Sedum Adolphi

While I just love this succulent pot of mine, I'll admit until just now I did not know what it was called! And friends, simply upload a photo of a plant to google images, which then finds similar images enabling you to identify the plant, so simple and such a time saver! Okay, now that i know that this beauty of a succulent is called Sedum Adolphi, I can sing its praises! What do I love about it? First of all the unique color and second of all because its growth, at least in my case is very compact and stays looking amazing with virtually no care!

Try A Potted Cyclamen Rather Than Cut Flowers!

Yes indeed my friends, here in Israel is it officially cyclamen season! And truthfully we especially love this stunning winter flowering plant because it is also a beloved native plant to Israel, and a part of childhood songs that teach about the seasons. I have to admit it was quite a surprise the first time I saw them growing in the wild, though the native cyclamen are generally white and light pinkish, not bright magenta as far as I know. Check out my wild cyclamen in the Golan Heights post, to see the real deal!

While I am enjoying this cyclamen that my kids bought for me, indoors at the moment, as soon as the flowering period is over, the plant will live in the shade somewhere outdoors, and I'll try to coax it into blooming again next year. If you decide to purchase a cyclamen, go for the larger plants that are grown from bulbs, as those will last, as opposed to the smaller plants grown sometimes from seeds, which are more problematic, I've found. In any case, purchasing a cyclamen or several to add some cheerful color in the winter is a great idea, regardless of what you decide to do with the plants afterwards, and much more budget friendly than cut flowers! Keep on reading for some valuable tips.......

Kangaroo Paws, Anigozanthus, Blooms In August In Oakland, CA

Whenever I go back to Northern California, my childhood stomping grounds, I'm always so very inspired by the gardens almost always with a focus on drought resistant species. Our stay in the historic neighborhood of Hadden Hill in Oakland was especially inspiring, and I had a chance to get to know some plants that I hadn't previously seen. One in particular is Kangaroo Paws, anigozanthus, which is so truly wonderful and different from anything else! I am pressed for time so if you are interested you'll have to look the plant up, but I think my photos will certainly be something to enjoy if you are a garden enthusiast!

Agapanthus Blooms In August In Oakland, CA

Growing up in Berkeley, California, we had a few clusters of Agapanthus on the side of the house that just bloomed year after year with seemingly very little care. Today, as a garden and flower lover I appreciate agapanthus even more, and was so thrilled to see it in bloom at the beginning of August in Oakland, California, and specifically the Cleveland Heights/Haddon Hill area. Like many of my favorite plants, Agapanthus is a native of South Africa,  and thus sometimes called lily of the Nile, or African lily in the UK. However, they are not lilies and all of the species are native to Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique), though some have become naturalized in scattered places around the world such as Australia, Great Britain, Mexico, Ethiopia, and Jamaica

The Stunning Glory Bush, Pleroma Heteromallum, Blooms In Northern California

Glory Bush also called silver leaved princess flower with the botanical name of Pleroma Heteromallum (though it has a few botanical names as well, strangely enough!) is a stunning purple flower with velvety leaves that is quite unique and happends to grow very well in Northern California, specifically, the historic Haddon HIll neighborhood in Oakland, CA.

I am rushing to cook for shabbat, so will write more soon, in the mean time, enjoy the photos!

Stunning Amaryllis Belladonna Blooms In Oakland, California

One of the many treats of visiting my mother for a few weeks, this August, in Oakland California, as all the amazing gardens I enjoyed in the neighborhood where we stayed, historic Haddon Hill, just above Lake Merrit. Northern Californians love drought resistant and dramatic front yards these days, that front lawn is long gone, replaced by a wonderful variety of plants that require much water, as water is scarce and residents do their best not to waste it! What I have noticed in Northern California in general, is that if there are certain plants that do well in any given neighborhood, many jump on the same bandwagon and plant the same thing, which actually is quite lovely and gives a nice consistency. One such plant, that happened to be in full bloom during our visit is called Amaryllis Belladonna, and wow is it ever spectacular! The flower blooms on long stalks with no leaves and the fact that it is a bulb that blooms in August is altogether quite interesting! I was also intrigued to learn that this flower is an amaryllis, as I'm only familiar with the big red ones that bloom in the spring, or even better are forced for enjoyment in December!

I was very happy to see that bulbs for amaryllis belladonna are for sale locally here in Israel, so I may just have to give it a try, though I highly doubt it would bloom here in August, the hottest month of the year, hmmmm, so when then? Okay, I'm going to look into that, keep on reading for more lovely photos and info!

Huge Agave Plants Thrive In Historic Haddon Hill, Oakland

I have yet to share the many many photos from our summer vacation in California, but thought I'd start by sharing with you these amazing giant Agave plants that were everywhere in the Haddon Hill neighborhood of Oakland, CA. I love agave, but they are very expensive in Israel, and the small one I once had somehow didn't make it. Of course now I have a renewed interest, as look at this! So friends, look into agave, I've even seen it grown in water, in a huge vase, which is truly wonderful!