Bird-of-Paradise and Plumeria Flowering

Absolutely Beautiful, You Have Some Very Nice Plants .

Thanks! I gave my friend these plants a few years back. They're not mine anymore. I do have lots of Plumerias and a huge Bird-of-Paradise in the front yard, though. :>)

They look good together.........

Yes, they do. Although, my friend is going to dig the plumeria up and give it away, next spring. It's gotten too big for this spot in just a year in a half, in the ground.

What a winning combination! Do Plumerias really grow so fast? Your plants make me wish I could have lived in a climate like yours! But then again I suppose there are plants we can grow in our climate that you couldn't grow in yours!

Balcony:

Yes, Plumerias can grow fast. If they're given a lot of heat and fertlizer, when they're watered (only in the ground). In pots, they grow much, much slower and stay small for a very long time.

Yes, in San Diego's dry subtropical climate it's very difficult to grow any plant which requires a lot of chilling, like apples, cherries, pears. (only low-chill varieties of peaches do well here). I've read some low-chill apples can do somewhat well here, also. Only low-chill (requiring very little hours of cool weather) trees can grow very well here. However, we have tons of tropical/subtropical trees which bloom in winter and early spring. The Hong Kong Orchid (Bauhinia x blakeana) street trees, Tabebuia species, Calliandra, Erythrina (most species) are some examples of winter-flowering trees.

What a delight for the eye to have so many winter flowering trees!

Over here 99% of trees don't flower during winter though there are a few exceptions like a winter flowering Cherry tree (decorative) Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis'. I have seen it on the odd occasion & it is really lovely! Here is a link to a page where you can read about it:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3345615/Winter-beauty-Prunus-x-subhirtella-Autumnalis.html

We do have more winter flowering shrubs that are quite common but few trees. Viburnum is found in many gardens here.

That's a gorgeous flowering cherry!

Yes, we're lucky to have hundreds of winter-flowering plants/shrubs/trees! Of course, Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Lantana, Plumbago and Daylilies are the die-hards which bloom all year.