creative jewish mom

A Mediterranean Style Garden With Arches Of Bougainvillea

Ever drooled over those photos from Greece and Morocco showing bright magenta bougainvillea growing up a white wall next to a blue door? Yes, me too, and the good news is that bougainvillea, and even more specifically the magenta bougainvillea grows really well in our mountain town here in Northern Israel. There are at least four colors of bougainvillea: magenta, deep coral, light orange and white, but apparently the magenta strain in the hardiest, especially important if you live in a location like mine that does get snow occassionally, and of course also important if you are planning to grow bougainvillea in a container, in which case it is less protected from dipping temperatures.

Okay, now back to those visions of climbing magenta bouganvillea. Six or so years ago I was called upon to design a garden in my neighborhood and I came up with a good solution for an awkward overhang— make it into a Spanish style arcade by building arches which give the overhang a reason for existing design wise. It turned out that my visions of stone arches did not fit the budget, so I decided to simply add columns and give the impression of arches by growing bougainvillea up the columns and across the openings. Then I realized that I could add iron arches to help the bougainvillea grow in an arch, and thus this arcade of bougainvillea was born. When I went to the nursery in the Fall of that year to buy bougainvillea plants, they promised me that that vines were all magenta blooms, and come spring it was quite a surprise to find this garden full or white, orange, coral and magenta, as though I had planned it. Truthfully the combination of colors is also lovely, and I'll just have to do those arches of magenta elsewhere, hmmm that gives me an idea for my own garden.....Before you go and put up iron arches for your bougainvillea, there are a few really important things to consider, so lets take a closer look.

Jacaranda Trees In Bloom In Northern Israel!

With this year's long winter and lots of rain, the Jacaranda trees are I believe blooming a bit later that usual, but this is okay, as the trees all over our town in Northern Israel were in full bloom for the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, which was just perfect! When I designed a large semi-public garden just down the street Jacaranda trees were on my list of must includes, and now that the trees have matured a bit, they look amazing peeking over the stone garden wall, especially when full of purple blooms. The trees were planted in a oblong patch of dirt that was left untouched when we poured the concrete for the patio floor, and thus we had to plant trees that were on the small side. Folks at first thought the trees were a bit too small, and it is true, they were, but now 6 years or so later they are looking great and will still get bigger. You do save quite a bit of money purchasing trees when you opt for younger and smaller, so do keep that in mind, as well as the fact that the little tree you've planted will some day be a big tree!

Blooming trees are such a joy, so if you have the space, do add some to your life! And if you are planning a Mediterranean garden, Jarcaranda is a must on your list!  Keep on reading to learn more about the Jacaranda and see a few more lovely photos!

Four Easy Care Flowering Plants For Your Sub-Tropical or Zone 5/6/7 Container Garden!

After a long winter in Northern Israel, and a bit of a slow start in the Spring due to more rainfall than usual, my somewhat neglected (or shall we say low-maintenance?) container garden is now coming alive with gorgeous blooms! Somewhat of a miracle though likely thanks to husband's recent interest in watering our botanical friends, thankfully. Here are four tried and true plants that bloom year after year here in my sub-tropical/zone 6 climate of Northern Israel, which includes frost and some freezes now and again. Container gardening is such a pleasure and a lovely way to
bring greenery into your life even if, like me, you don't have any earth. Trees can be grown in large containers, and while many plants don't thrive in containers, many do and with some patience you can turn any patio or outdoor space into a lovely garden. So, lets take a look at four plants how in bloom in my garden, and maybe you'll consider some of them for your own space.

Essential Tips For Creating A Family-Friendly Garden

Pride Of Madeira with its huge cones of purple flowers grows effortlessly in Northern Israel. 

Israel has a large variety of plants: the country's cities and suburbs are amass with flowers which attract all kinds of wildlife with no less than 2600 varieties and over 135 types of butterflies! In order to do our own part in preserving our amazing wealth of flora and fauna, spending time and effort in our own gardens will ensure that we embrace wildlife while also creating a beautiful environment for the family to enjoy. Whether you’d love to grow geraniums in your garden, prefer to grow your own food or would like to create a fun play area for the kids, designing a family friendly garden can benefit everyone, young and old. Here’s some ideas to help you get started, and enjoy the gardening journey for many years to come.

Lantana In Bloom Is Stunning And Drought Tolerant

I have a soft spot for Lantana, the plant which is characterized by balls of colorful flowers that are made up of clusters of the sweetest little flowers you've ever seen. And so earlier this week when I was out and about with my camera one morning, I just had to capture a few shots of these beauties........ to share with you and to remind myself to plant a bunch in a garden that I've designed and landscaped, as well as in my own container garden. The wonderful thing about lantana is that it comes in intense reds and oranges, as well as in a color combo of light pinks and peaches altogether on one bush, which is quite sweet, and that it can be a small trailing plant, a low bush, or even something that grows more like a vine, supporting itself on other plants and reaching as high as 7 feet or so! Take a look at my photos, and get inspired to make lantana a part of your life!

Pride Of Madeira, Dramatic and Draught Resistant In No CAL and Northern Israel!

The Pride Of Madeira plants that I planted in a little neighborhood garden that I designed four or so years ago are in bloom, and it is truly a gorgeous site! I thought I'd share a few photos with you for those of you who might like to try a plant that has a great Meditteranean garden flair, grows really quickly and is very dramatic looking. Sorry folks on the East Coast this one isn't for you, but those in California and Texas, and other areas without freezing winters, run out and get one! In fact that reminds me that I'd like to try growing one in a container in my own garden! The plant you see here was just a little baby, the size of a small houseplant when I planted it, and wow, how it grew, even within two or so years into a huge woody tree/bush.

Hedenbergia Vine In Bloom, On The Late Side.....

If you follow my blog, you may already know that I just love sharing with you signs of the changing seasons. Migrating birds, blooming trees, ripening pomegranates and grapes are just a few of the things that make us excited around here, and I now share with you my yearly photos of my hedenbergia vine in bloom.....something that usually happens during the winter as opposed to early Spring, but so be it! Right about now, when some of you may be thinking about your garden, whether in containers or in actually earth, I'd like to recommend this lovely vine to you.......it blooms in the winter when all else in the garden is sleeping (at least in my zone) and in the summer is it a lovely and lush vine, that grows quite quicklym and happily attaches itself to whatever it can.

A Beautiful Garden Grows In Central Israel......

Can anybody out there identify this lovely tree with lilac-like blooms? No luck with Dr. Google......

Last week my husband and I happened to drive by a wedding hall with a fabulous garden, and we just had to take a peek. Here in Israel weddings tend to be very large and so there are many many wedding halls of all kinds to accomodate all budgets and styles. In the city, wedding hall usually have very little outdoor space, but here on the highway between Hadera and Emek Hefer there was plenty of room for this wedding hall to spread way way out, and so they did, with a gorgeous green garden. Take a look for yourself!

Slice of Life - Berkeley In Bloom, Gorgeous Flowering Shrubs

As you may have figured out by now, I have actually been away from my home in Israel for the past few weeks visiting with my mother in California and now with family in New York. I feel so very fortunate to have made the visit this year in the Spring, as the show of flowering shrubs and plants everywhere is just spectacular. For starters I thought I'd share with you some of the gorgeous flowers we saw on our walks around Berkeley, where I was so very inspired by so many gorgeous gardens. Above, flowering roses at the Rose Garden on Euclid Avenue in North Berkeley, and a flowering Camellia bush. 

Rhododendrons in a purple and pink and red and white are on show everywhere. Wow. And our beloved California poppy is making a great show too!

Nastertiums in bloom at the Berkeley Marina, as well as this interesting plant with cone shaped stalks of tiny purple flowers, which I would love to know more about and saw in many places, so I'm assuming it's drought resistant. Anybody know what this is?

Vivid magenta flowers of the ice plant succulent, and budeliah blooms on the shore of the San Francisco Bay, at the Berkeley Marina.

And calla lillies are in bloom in so many gardens, a very popular bulb so I see!

A public path is lined with some purple wild flowers, and another glimpe of the gorgeous rhododendron bush, seen in many gardens, especially those of older homes.  I'm quite sure there are gorgeous flowers in bloom all around the northern hemisphere, so don't forget to enjoy them yourself, and do share your love of flowers with others!