creative jewish mom

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!

Yucca Blooms In Northern Israel

Did you know that the Yucca plant actually has flowers? Honestly I only discovered this a few years ago, despite owning some Yucca plants myself! The first Yucca I ever saw in bloom was in a large container, so it isn't necessary for the Yucca to be planted in the ground as those here, but it does need the right conditions. What are those conditions you might ask? Well first of all, neglect, yes indeed, though together with full sun, sandy soil and good drainage. Also, plants need to be at least three years old. Other than that I'd say you'll need a bit of luck, but in any case Yuccas are wonderful plants as is, though do steer away from those with super sharp points as they are a bit dangerous!

Ah yes, and this flowering Yucca is actually in my neighbor's garden, in a built in planter that I designed with her 15 years ago. Who knew these plants would become so giant, not me! And that strelitzia next to it that is like, wow 3 stories tall, I had no idea it could get that big when I helped my neighbor pick plants, some friend I am? Other than the fact that built in planter wall is cracking from all the huge plants I must say it looks great, so regrets? Maybe not, the only regret is that last time they pruned the Yucca I didn't realize that you can easily root the top of a Yucca plant and make more plants, infact I just did that! But that is a story for another time, now enjoy the photos!

Thunbergia Laurifolia Blooms In My Container Garden

To me one of the things I love about summer is flowers! And in the month of July, just before things get really hot, there are usually many blooms to enjoy. One of the things that I adore are flowering vines, which are much easier to grow in the ground, but can be grown in pots, with just a bit of luck and lower expectations. That said, I'm happy to report that I do have a flowering vine to enjoy on the little plant balcony outside my kitchen window, so yippee! I actually bought this plant by mistake, and it isn't necessarily hardy in our area, but I took it indoors when temps dropped, and out of two tiny plants, one survived, and started to re-grow in the spring. Introducing, drum roll please.......Thunbergia Laurifolia with lovely lavender/purple blooms, and certainly a vine to look into for your garden or container garden!

Canna Blooms In My Northern Israel Container Garden!

One of the favorite plants that continues to thrive in my Northern Israel container garden, year after year, is Canna, a plant loved across the globe for its large leaves, dramatic height and stunning blooms, in red, orange or yellow. While our winters are somewhat hardy, and temps can get to freezing, this plant dies back though survives, in order to grow back once again in the spring! I do generally cut back the browing leaves when that time comes, but other than that the plant basically takes care of itself other than needing water! Canna also divides nicely (since it is a rhizome) so it is quite simple to make new pots of this plant by taking babies or sections of the rhizome, and planting them in a new pot. I currently have one pot of red canna and two pots of yellow canna, but maybe I should take my own advice and start another pot of red canna, because the display of blooms can't be beat! This pot of red canna also happens to be located in a spot with a view of Mount Meron, so the combination of view plus large red leaves and stunning blooms is well, breath taking! Okay, lets take a look at some more photos!

My Israeli Sub-Tropical Container Garden Blooms, In Late June!

My container garden in Northern Israel is now full of color and I just had to share a few photos with you! Looking back at the archives, I see that late June early July has been the time, every year, that the garden comes alive with color. The roses bloom in all their glory earlier but many of the others wait until mid-summer, namely now! And friends, all the blooms you'll see here are from perennials that require very little care, so if you live in a similar zone to mine, give some of these plants a try! Ready for a little tour? Lets go into the (container) garden.......

Stunning Coral Vine With Tiny Pink Blooms In Harduf, Israel

This past summer we has the great pleasure of a three night stay on Kibbutz Harduf, (more about that soon) in the Southwestern corner of the Galil, and I saw a lovely vine with tiny flowers that I did not recognize. Fast forward, today I finally had to chance to do a bit of research to find out just what this charming plant is, and yes, it is called Coral Vine! It is not native to Israel, but rather Mexico, and it clearly loves the climate in Harduf.

Coral vines have beautiful heart shaped leaves and delicate flowers, and they are often used grown along a trellis, arbor or stone wall as their growth habit easily covers them with vines. And when in bloom they attract pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees! It is a tropical plant, so don't know if I can give it a try, (we have winters that get down to freezing) but I just might have to if I find it at the nursery.

Before you fall in love with this plant, it is important to note that the vine spreads very easily by wind, water, and through dispersal of animal fecal matter. Coral vine patches are known to pop up far and wide, and their growth pattern can smother other plant species. This explains why they are considered in category 2 as an invasive exotic species by Florida's Pest Plant Council. So keep this in mind and lets learn more!

How to Plan a Large Vegetable Garden

Now that the shemittah year has passed, during which we did not work the land in Israel, we can start to think about vegetable gardens again! I don't have any land, but might be able to install some raised beds on a paved area, which could also work. I dream of having a cutting garden to fill vases with home grown flowers, though vegetables would be wonderful too! Setting up a vegetable garden can be very fulfilling, and the reward is enjoying the healthy food you grow yourself, and witnessing the miracle of it all! While you might not save money on food, you will certainly have fresher produce than if you were to purchase it in a store. And of course you can choose to go organic, and then you will quite likely save money. There are some important things to consider when setting up your vegetable garden, so keep on reading, and consider adding "gardener" to your growing list of talents!

Stunning Variegated Bougainvillea Bushes Grow In The Galil, Israel

Wow, when I saw this bougainvillea bush with variegated leaves during our recent stay on Kibbutz Harduf, I just could not believe my eyes. I thought I new just about everything about bougainvillea, but apparently not! It is widely available online, but I have not yet been able to find any info about it, and we are now heading out for more adventures! I can say that just as soon as the shemittah year is over (at rosh HaShana) and I can once again garden this is a plant on my list to purchase as it is truly stunning! The leaves remind me of my bower vine and the blooms are classic bougainvillea, just lovely! Keep on reading for some more photos!