By Sherrill Leist and Lisa Marun.
At each monthly meeting, members bring in plants, cuttings, or flowers and put them in blue bottles on our display tables. What a great way to see which plants grow well in our area! EVERYONE is invited to participate. All plants are welcome. Write descriptions similar to those below and place them with your plant(s).
We choose one of these plants to feature in our newsletter every month. Join the fun and bring something to the next meeting! We thank those people who have brought in plants to show to other members.
PLANT OF THE MONTH: Kalanchoe 'Elk Antlers' (Crassulaceae), Madagascar and tropical Africa
The Plant of the Month was not a great beauty, but it did attract a lot of attention from our experienced gardeners who tried to guess its name and connections. Cell phones were consulted. Master gardeners muttered, “Kalanchoe." A cheer went up as the hybrid succulent was identified as Elk Antlers by the unusual shape of its leaves. This small Kalanchoe, six to eight inches wide and up to ten inches tall including its aerial shoots, shows off green antler-shaped leaves with maroon margins when grown in the sun. It is happy indoors and asks for a little water and some light or thrives outdoors in a climate akin to its native Madagascar. Its presenter, Sue Fouquette, says her plant was budding for the first time. (Sue Fouquette, El Cajon) – S.L.
In addition to the plant described above, we thank members who brought the following:
Jim Bishop: Hakea laurina, PINCUSHION HAKEA (Proteaceae) Southwest Australia; Heteromeles arbutifolia, TOYON, CALIFORNIA HOLLY, CHRISTMAS BERRY (Rosaceae) California; Protea 'Pink Ice' (P. compacta x P. susannae), PINK ICE (Proteaceae) South Africa
Susi Torre-Bueno: Justicia fulvicoma, MEXICAN PLUME (Acanthaceae) Mexico to Honduras; Odontonema strictum, FIRESPIKE (Acanthaceae), Central America
Sue Fouquette: Narcissus spp. (Amaryllidaceae) Southern Europe and North Africa