Colvillea racemosa - Colville's Glory Tree

Are you kidding!!!! I can see a greenhouse!!!
Oh yeah, nice tree - I like plants with glaucous leaves. Another new word.
Can't get over you having a greenhouse though!

Meanie:

I have an unheated "pop up greenhouse" I start all my seeds in there. I absolutely love it! Unfortunately, it's starting to rip in many places (the sun's ultra-violets are attacking it). : > (

Damn that sun!!
If you emigrated to the UK it would last longer!!!

Meanie:

I know: Damn that sun! lol! : > )

If I lived in the UK..I would have a big heated greenhouse. : > )

I've only had this little greenhouse for about 3 years. I have a feeling it will only last one more summer though.

I had one of those in the sub-arctic, D1. I bought a kit and covered it with 6ml plastic. They work very well... my tabby cat used to love to lounge in among the seedlings..so I had to leave space for him or he'd lay on my plants! He used to sleep in the pot of my Norfolk Island Pine...can't imagine what he thought he was doing...camping out maybe?

Cats can be very weird about where they nestle can't they!

Lori:

Did you have to heat your greenhouse?

I bet if we had stray cats around here they would love my greenhouse too. Unfortunately, the coyotes eat all the stray cats here.

Good grief! poor cats.
No it was completely solar. Summers are very short north of the 50th parallel...but with the little greenhouse I managed to extend the season by a few weeks. We usually had snow by this time in October..and our kids Hallowe'en costumes had to be made large to fit over snow suits!

Lori:

Yes, the stray cats have no chance here...even pets have to be well protected! My little dog stays in the house...and when he goes out at night I must have my eyes on him the whole time.

You're with snow suits on Halloween and last year it was 80 degrees/ 27 degrees C. at night...many people were out in costumes until very late. What a contrast! :>)

LOL...you're not kidding!! It's not like that where we are presently living thank goodness. It's hard to believe that that was more than 15 years ago!!

Lori:

Well, luckily it's not that cold there this year. As, for San Diego, it's anybody's guess this year...we've had the strangest weather I've ever experienced since living here. I haven't seen the sun in 3 days. It's typically very warm to hot this time of year and extremely dry. Today it was actually raining (which is very good for our drought). Maybe it may snow here for Halloween?! (of course, it would be the first time ever) LOL! :>)

Now that would be one TRICK that would definitely not be a TREAT!! : - / !!!!!

Lori:

Yes. Although, I think it would be a one in a billion chance of ever happening. :>)

http://www.palmsociety.org/members/english/chamaerops/016/016-19.shtml
Ooops wrong picture...in our discussion of 'staycations' I mentioned the Echium and the Azores (and CanaryIsland) vegetation... thought you might like a look at this site, D1.

Lori:

Echium species are very widely grown here. I've posted several pics of them blooming in the past. They should start blooming in the next month.

Now how did I miss that? sorry D1! will go back and take a look. The first time I saw an Echium it was quite an experience! they are the most interesting creatures.

Lori:

Yes, pretty much all species of Echium grow or have naturalized here.

I'm sure you must have seen Sandra's pics of the echiums at her nursery in Wales?

Lori:

Yes, that species (I believe: Echium pininana) grows wild up in along the coast in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's a biennial. They grow like big towering flowers up to 15 feet/ 4.6 meters tall. Here a website with info: http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2889