For decades I've kept a lot of plants in pots around the house and yard. In San Francisco, where the low temperature seldom went below 40ºF (+5ºC) — and where the high temperature was seldom above 70ºF (20ºC) — most of my plants could stay outside year-round.
Here in Saint-Aignan it's more complicated, because I have to bring a lot of plants inside in November and keep them in until April or May. Including the one on the right, Portulacaria afra, variously known as Elephant Bush, Pork Bush, or Small-Leaf Jade.
Or, to CHM and me, le jade du désert, because it grew from cuttings that CHM brought here from Southern California. There's another photo of it just below, along with a cactus plant that CHM brought here from Virginia as cuttings at least ten years ago.
Or, to CHM and me, le jade du désert, because it grew from cuttings that CHM brought here from Southern California. There's another photo of it just below, along with a cactus plant that CHM brought here from Virginia as cuttings at least ten years ago.
I've managed to keep these plants going for a decade now. The cactus doesn't actually have to be brought inside in wintertime unless we are going to have a very hard freeze. I have some of it planted in a bed on the south side of the house, where it is protected from the coldest weather. The potted ones can spend the winter outside under a cold frame.
Above is a yellow jasmine plant that grew from cuttings that CHM took from a plant in his back garden in Paris. He's lucky to have a garden in Paris — I'm sure there aren't that many left any more. The yellow jasmine or jasmin d'hiver flowers in wintertime. This one is only a year old, and it already produced a few flowers last January. I'm hoping for a more robust flowering next winter.
Finally, CHM also gave me some cuttings from a very old Aucuba japonica plant that grows in his Paris garden. I've heard it called Gold Dust Plant, or Spotted Laurel. It hasn't been easy to get it growing here in our yard near Saint-Aignan — I don't know why. This past winter, mild and damp, seems to have been kind to it. Some is growing in the ground and one plant is still in a pot.
I have a lot of other potted plants, but these are some of the ones that I am enjoying the most this spring.
Glad to see my children doing so well. You are a good parent. As they say, you have a green thumb
ReplyDeleteI took a close look at the white jasmine plant yesterday and saw that it actually has a lot of new growth going on. So it is fine too. Pictures later.
DeleteSome names don't differ around the world, jade is the same, yellow jasmine the same and aucuba (I never knew how to spell it), also at times called gold dust plant.
ReplyDeleteJade comes from South Africa, apparently, so from the southern hemisphere. Aucuba came from Japan or China...
Deletewe had several of the gold dust plants in richmond & they became almost invasive...had to hack them back every yr so yours should do well once they're established
ReplyDeleteI expected the gold dust plant to grow that way here, but so far they haven't. Maybe they'll have a growth spurt this summer.
DeleteWe have something called Confederate jasmine around here- I think the blooms are yellow. I have never heard of a Yankee variety. My aucuba is huge, it is easily rooted and sometimes I use it for greenery in the house at wintertime. You have the perfect spot for wintering plants.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why the aucuba has been so difficult to get started here. There's another one in our hamlet, just down the road from us, growing on the edge of a ditch. And our American friends (whom you know) who live 5 miles east of here had a huge mass of aucubas on their property when they bought it. At least mine seems to have started growing now.
DeleteTim's mum gave us a Portulacaria afra and it languished for some time in the cellar, receiving neither water nor affection, and very little daylight. Eventually we took pity on it and brought it here. It makes a great houseplant for the forgetful or the second-homer because it thrives on irregular watering - presumably to survive a semi-desert habitat. Other names include Good-Luck plant. The leaves are coin-shaped and you can multiply them easily - place them on some compost and they will grow into new plants. And then you can give them away and spread the good luck. Pauline
ReplyDeleteMy jade has a long history. CHM had one growing outdoors when he lived in the SoCal desert. He gave me cuttings, and I grew a big potted plant from them that I kept for years in San Francisco. When Walt and I left California to come to live in France, I took the potted jade plant back to CHM in SoCal. Later, he brought me cuttings from that plant to Saint-Aignan, and now you see what it looks like. I've grown many jade plants, like this one and the larger-leaf variity, from leaf cuttings as you describe.
Deletegreat collection ofg pants
ReplyDeleteI think the cactus, if I'm not mistaken, is a Ficus Indica, or Indian fig.
ReplyDeleteI've always like acuba...attractive leaves.
Yes, you are right. Its scientific name is Opuntia humifusa. Its vernacular name is Eastern pricklypear. Among other states and Canada, it is native to Virginia, where this one comes from. I tried to acclimate it to SC, but it didn't do very well even though it bloomed one or two months earlier than in Arlington.
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