Ann's Air Gardens

My First Bougainvillea Plant

This was an impulse purchase!   I was looking for a geranium and did find a very nice one at an affordable price, but the Bougainvillea was right next to it, and I had just never seen such a pretty one before and had to have it.   A neighbor at my vacation home has a huge red one which I just love to see when I look out my window, but it is SO messy and bushels of the bracts blow across the street and become trapped in my carport.  One time another neighbor came by as I was sweeping them out and asked "Don't you hate that?"  I replied that I love the plant so much that I didn't mind.  The bracts are a bit difficult to sweep up, however, as they sort of stick to the concrete.  

So I am thinking I will try to keep this one indoors.  I should think it would make a stunning bonsai.

 

The yellow flowers are from my Edible Chrysanthemum aka Crown Daisy.

 

 

What is Not to Like about Succulents

For a desert rat, my former disdain for succulents (apart from purslane) was hard to fathom.  I say former disdain because all of a sudden, I adore succulents and am collecting lots of them, mostly in the form of cuttings given to me by people who appreciate that there is nothing like a convert.

 

This all came about as a result of my cousin's generous gift of )yard trimmings.  She has a veritable forest of elephant bush trees, most of which she grew from cuttings.   I plan to do the same.  

So far I have three varieties of Elephant Bush and each one has its own personality.  I like the Mammoth variety best for tea.  I have been boiling a few leaves in water for 3 minutes and then letting them steep.  I have seen Elephant Bush tea offered for sale online under the name Spekboom tea.  I had bought a pot of the Mammoth Elephant Bush at Lowe's Hardware and subsequently learned that its botanical name is Portulacaria Afra Macrophylla.  

After reading that the little green leaves of Portulacaria Afra (Green) shown at the bottom of this collage are good in salad I tasted one and it was actually pretty awful!  But I cooked a few and found them quite good.  Having seen a recipe for SpekBoom Muffins, I tried putting a few of the cooked leaves in my cornbread and was happy with the result.  It is said that this plant has a nicer flavor if the leaves are picked in the late afternoon.  I have found that to be true of edible chrysanthemum leaves, but 

Imagine my surprise, however, when I gingerly tasted a leaf from the Rainbow variety (Portulacaria Afra Variegata) and found it to be delicious. 

I first blogged about Elephant Bush HERE.