Joshua Siskin writes about gardening in Southern California each week.
For the last two months, I have been admiring the flower show provided by my yellow pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima flava).
The Latin name of this plant commemorates Andrea Caesalpino, a 16th-century Italian physician and botanist. Before the age of synthetically produced pharmaceuticals, medications came directly from plants. Thus, physicians were often botanists too since the sources for the medications they prescribed grew in the garden. Pulcherrima — the species name of this plant — means “beautiful” and is reserved for plants of universally recognized beauty since, as everyone knows, there is a plethora of plants that are beautiful.
With yellow pride of Barbados, the large plumes of golden flowers are perched on feathery, fern-like shoots of bipinnate leaves. An aside: the poinsettia is also unusually beautiful (albeit due to brilliant red, leaf-life bracts that are not flowers), and its Latin name of Euphorbia pulcherrima reminds us of its unique appeal.
Flava is the subspecies name of yellow pride of Barbados since “flava” means yellow in Latin. The reason for the subspecies name is to distinguish it from the more familiar and widely planted cousin of this plant, red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), whose brilliant red stamens emerging from red or orange flowers make it a garden standout that is second to none.
In our climate, both of these plants, native to Mexico and the Caribbean, will grow into 10-foot tall shrubs that make an excellent screen or security barrier due their thorns. To keep them compact, prune drastically in the spring, even down to the ground, and they will quickly grow back up again. Yellow bird of paradise (Caesalpinia/Poinciana gilliesii) grows into a vase-shaped shrub of somewhat lesser stature.
Before leaving this group of plants, we must pause for a moment to regale their arboreal relative, the yellow poinciana tree (Peltophorum pterocarpum). I first saw this tree growing in Israel, whose climate mimics our own, but have yet to see it here. It is sometimes referred to as the yellow jacaranda due to having a similar form, similar foliage, and a similarly magnificent floral display. Note: while Caesalpinias and Poincianas are in the legume family (Fabaceae) and have the characteristic fern-like, feathery foliage shared by many leguminous ornamentals, the feathery-leafed jacaranda is in a different botanical family (Bignoniaciae), sharing kinship with that large assortment of trumpet vines that you see blooming this time of year in purple, red, pink, orange, and yellow.
In any case, the yellow jacaranda is more manageable, with a mature height of 40 feet, whereas the common lavender-blue jacaranda may grow up to twice that size. The yellow jacaranda is also more cold-tolerant than the lavender-blue and so it is a mystery as to why it is not seen in the nursery trade.
There is another tree referred to as yellow jacaranda, presently flowering in an explosion of orange-yellow. This is the tipu tree (Tipuana tipu), a South American legume that is a shade tree in the truest sense, and also tops out at 40 feet. Let’s say you have a backyard that bakes in the sun and are considering planting a tree that will create the kind of shade that will induce you to spend more time outdoors when the summer heat comes. This just might be the tree for you. And, oh yes, lest I forget, leguminous shrubs and trees, once established, are universally drought tolerant with a need for irrigation that is minimal, requiring a deep soaking every once in a while to no water at all.
Because of tree trimming maintenance costs, there is a disinclination these days when it comes to planting classic shade trees that rise to 40 feet or more. Yet the attraction of a shady garden retreat under a large tree is powerful. It gives you the opportunity to place a hammock underneath. As far as the kids are concerned, a large tree offers unparalleled delights in the form of an apparatus for climbing, branches from which a swing can be hung, and – most importantly – the foundation for a tree house.
A Plant-O-Rama plant sale, a tradition that goes back more than 50 years, is returning to Sherman Library and Gardens. Plants will be offered by the California Native Plant Society, Los Angeles International Fern Society, Newport Harbor Orchid Society, Orange County Begonia Society, Saddleback Valley Bromeliad Society, and Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts. All your questions about caring for the featured plants will be answered by experts on-site. The sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 20 & 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Admission to the gardens and plant sale is $5 but free to those holding a Sherman Gardens membership. The gardens are located at 2647 E. Coast Hwy. in Corona del Mar. For more information, visit thesherman.org or call 949.673.2261.
California native of the week: Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) get their name from their flowers that resemble pagodas. They also bear a resemblance to the flowers of snapdragons and Angelonia to which they are related. Flowers may be lavender and white to magenta and white or pure white. Plants grow in clumps that are two feet tall and one foot wide. Grow them in light shade or under your oak tree for a flower show from spring to early summer, which can be extended by removing faded flowers before they go to seed. You can procure a packet of 1,340 Chinese houses seeds from the Theodore Payne Foundation (theodorepayne.org) for six dollars. However, you will want to wait until fall to plant them.
If there are any special shrubs or trees most people might not know about but whose presence you enjoy in your garden, please recount your experience to joshua@perfectplants.com. Your questions, comments, gardening successes or predicaments are always welcome.
