These came into bloom awhile in my neighborhood, and would love to know what they are to potentially plant in the backyard. There are four planted in a row on the boulevard, one of them has both white and pinkish red blooms. Does anyone know?
Looks like Hibiscus sp. The leaf shape looks like Hibiscus syriacus. http://images.google.com/images?hl=...m=1&q=hibiscus+syriacus&sa=N&start=36&ndsp=18 There are several named cultivars eg. Hibiscus syriacus Diana is a pure white flowered form. http://images.google.com/images?q=h...1I7SUNA_en-GB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi
Thanks very much, for some reason I was thinking it was a crape myrtle, but the pictures you posted look more like Rose of Sharon, which I adore. Thanks!
No crepe myrtle looks different. I agree hibiscus. Certainly a lovely idea for street trees. I saw beautiful Oleander balls (pruned as ornaments) around lake Como several years ago that also took my fancy. Have tortured my one and only and am quiet proud of it. Liz
I was doing some reading on hibiscus/rose of sharon, and people comment that it looks old fashioned, which was interesting, I had not thought so much about that kind of thing in relation to shrubs/trees. Is 'old fashioned' a code word for something your great aunt would have loved?
I was listening to our Sunday morning radio program and there are groups working with the horticlture society rescuing these older types of plants for the futer. They act as the guardians. Many plants go out of fashion or are altered from the original. I have a few things from old gardens that I have not seen else where for a long time. The Canary Island palm was a big favourite here in the 40's and 50's. These days they are being recycled to parks and boulevards because they have out grown the suburbian gardens. When i was in Tasmania years ago there was a chap collecting plums of every description. May be you have a local group that does this. Might be interesting to see what they do. Liz
That is fascinating, I know there is a local woman who is archiving seeds, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were others collecting plants, Portland is that kind of place.
I hear that Portland is a garden city bit like Melbourne Aust. We had a fellow that was here on exchange years ago from there and I seem to rember him speaking about it. liz
The gardens here are amazing. I just moved here a couple of years ago and now have the fever, every day going out to check the garden, dreaming about new plants all the time....I swear it is like a drug they put in the water. Thank goodness I have the forums to do research, I don't have enough social contacts here to get information.....
Yes this and other forums are very useful and open up so many nooks and crannies (sp) to explore in gardening. I am actuly retaining some of the Latin names to my suprise. Had a quick look re Portland seems to be fairly similar weather wise in that there is a nice mild period. You probably score more rain. Liz
I have fond memories of "old-fashioned" shrubs and plants in the yards of my childhood home and those of my various grandparents, great-aunts, etc. in Illinois. Spirea bushes; lilac, iris of all colors; rose-of-Sharon, both as shrubs and trimmed into hedges; forsythia (ditto); columbine, delphinium, hollyhock; sweet pea; rambler roses; peonies; dahlias; sunflowers.--- When I am out driving (as a passenger, my preferred position---I get to look at the plants and trees) and see an old house with a herbaceous border, I get a sad/happy feeling. Yes, I have a special love for these old-style plants. May they ever flourish!
