PUSHING THE BORDERS

I started paying attention to brachychitons last year...I got so carried away, I planted an acerifolia out the front (and it cost a lot more than I like to pay for trees). In early summer last year - around November - I paid a bit of attention to what was in flower, and decided I like these trees more than I had in the past - not to mention the fact that they are very drought tolerant once up and running...

These pix are all from an inner-city park I have posted pictures from before...I think there's at least five species/cultivars there, once I had a good poke about. This first one might be 'Griffith Pink', but I'm not to be trusted...the photos aren't great because it was late in the day and was hot and windy and nothing would stand still...




This one I don't know the name of, and couldn't get a decent photo of it either...


This next one is B. acerifolius x populneus 'Belladonna'. None of these photos are great because the sun was exactly in the wrong place, but it's beautiful tree in flower regardless - and they have quite a few of them here...


















An acerifloia stuffed in a gap between other trees...


A big old acerifolia at the zoo....




A younger acerifolia at the zoo that wasn't in full flower (as some of them often do)....


Interlude: another creature for Martin...


Another zoo specimen....




Another acerifolia without a single flower...


A very tall older tree....


Not a brachychiton, but an interesting and quite uncommon random - Indian mast tree (Monoon longifolium 'pendula')...




Some more creatures, because they're pretty...Australia's only stork, the javiru...


Goodfellow's tree kangaroo...


The zoo recently redid their function center, including all new landscaping outside...they've planted a couple of what look like brachychitons to me, but I cannot identify them. The foliage is exquisitely lacy and fine, but they had the area roped off so I couldn't get close enough for a good photo...any ideas? Whatever it is, I want one!

I cant find any info on Monoon growing in California. I suspect it's a Florida zone 10 plant not for here in our zone 10s. Nice pics!

Fabulous to see, thank you for posting these pics!

Yes that Monoon is a superb looking tree.

My Brachychiton acerifolius was lovely (posted on GOTE) but grew too tall for the greenhouse. It survived a couple of winters under the verandah but really suffered the winter before last. I cut it hard back to the main trunk and it re-sprouted and is now back in the greenhouse but something likes eating its leaves and stripped them. Checked today and there is still green there so I hope with warmer weather it will gather pace and recover. Even without flower, it's a lovely leaf.

I love seeing the photos of the creatures so thank you Michael. They add an extra dimension to the gardens. Are you suffering the same loss of insects and birds in Australia that we are here? My old garden was a haven for so many birds and butterflies but in the last few years the decline has been so dramatic. I don't think I saw a single butterfly on any buddleja last year. They used to swarm over the flowers. So depressing.

Lovely Brachychiton photos! The only ones most commonly planted here in the San Francisco Bay Area are B. populneus and B. rupestris, and neither have particularly showy blooms, but are quite easy to cultivate here.