Out Of The Ordinary Trees and Shrubs At The San Diego Botanic Garden

Tecoma stans 'Gold Star' is a shrub that blooms constantly in a warm climate.  From Texas. 

Here's the Tecoma with a robust 6'x6' 
Agave americana and a quartet of variegated Yuccas:


Schotia brachypetala, a flowering tree from Zimbabwe south to the East Cape district of South Africa.  It varies in height from 15' to 70' (5-22 meters);  the San Diego example was about fifteen feet tall .   

The Schotia with Alluadia procera:

Nice design here:  a large urn under a limbed up, variegated Oleander, with black Alocasia in the foreground.

The Artichoke is decorative as well as edible.

My old buddy Cistanthe (Calandrinia) grandiflora:

A path lushly lined with foliage.  A shady spot to rest.

Sesamothamnus lugardii, a caudiciform shrub native to sub Saharan Africa.   
 
Aloe microstigma colors up vividly when stressed. 

A large and thriving hybrid Agave, 'Blue Flame'

There were some sculptures scattered around the garden.  I liked the copper tiles on this one.  

A gate done with this technique would be very cool, don't you think?

Asparagus fern popping out of a dead stump.  A weed in our area, but decorative.  

Various Restios caught my attention.





This rabbit was fearless, for a rabbit.  It seemed accustomed to garden visitors.

The garden has a lot of lesser known trees, and some are very beautiful.  This Podocarpus latifolius is less common than the one normally seen in our region, P. gracilior, but is no less beautiful.  It might even be a little more beautiful.

Another beautiful tree, now in bloom, is the Cape Chestnut, 
Calodendrum capense.  There's a much larger specimen at the Huntington, but this one, though smaller, looked happy and healthy.

A Cycad I don't see often,  Ceratozamia latifolia.  It was somewhat burnt by our recent heat wave.

The new--flowers?  leaves?--emerging from the soil were unusual:

Another choice little tree, Acacia pendula:

The wonderful Cork Oak, Quercus suber, and its delightful texture.  There are a group of about eight or ten of them near the garden entrance. 



Dracena draco, always a favorite:

A palm in bloom.

And Thevetia thevetiodes.  A small tree from Puebla and Oaxaca states of Mexico.  Big yellow flowers. 


A tree for the garden is a big commitment in time and space, and sometimes in maintenance, and sometimes also a big commitment in purchase price.  Seeing many wonderful and out-of-the-ordinary trees growing happily can remind us that we can be a little more adventurous in our tree choices while still finding success.