And this is why it is sometimes called "Firecracker Plant"! Russelia equisetiformis is a mass of scarlet bloom at present, and I thought I would try featuring it more or less on its own today. It seems a good emblem for the brilliant weather we are having. Last week temperatures rose to 100 F (37.8 C) for the first time this year, but last night we had a lovely downpour of rain, and temperatures are back down into the 80's (30ish C) with marvelous blue sky and clouds.
And wind. If you notice this little collection of flowers looking quite dissheveled, it is! I wanted very much to shoot this out in the sunlight in the patio. I took one set of pictures while the wind battered the stems from one side of the vase to the other. Then I gave it up, took everything back indoors, and rearranged the whole. Back outside for a second try. With roughly the same results. Be assured that the vaseful is now happily residing in the kitchen.
I love the colour and exuberance of Russelia. It must be admitted that its habit could never be described as neat even in the absence of strong winds. But it wins hearts anyway.
I did add a few stems of Eremophila "Outback Sunrise" for the foliage. A few of its yellow blossoms are open as well. In fact, it is putting on a second flush of flowers right now.
The stems all went into my dark brown stoneware jar which, I think, sets off the brilliant hues of the Russelia.
So here is some bright Maytime for the Monday Vase meme, kindly hosted by Cathy even when she is away from the garden! Many other vases can be seen today at
Rambling in the Garden.
It looks like we might still get a little more rain. It can be hard to tell with Arizona clouds, as they tend to drop moisture fairly sporadically as they move across. Here is the view across our wall and the neighbors' flowering trees (identity unknown, to me at any rate).
Happy Monday!
Weather Diary: Mostly cloudy, High: 82 F (27.8 C)/Low: 63 F (17.2 C)
Your Russelia is more robust than mine, Amy. It looks great in the brown jug. We had the high temperatures (although nothing topping 95F), as well as the high winds but, sadly, not the rain.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the rain missed you! Here it cooled things back down into the low 80s for a bit, which is a relief. I was unsure whether the Russelia would like it here; Sunset lists it only for zone 13, and we're in 12. But it's planted up against the patio where it gets quite a bit of shade as well as being protected from the cold. Also I've been feeding it fairly well...!
DeleteI really enjoying hearing about the different weather we bloggers experience - and of course I have just been experiencing the difference between UK Midland weather and that of 500+ miles away in the Outer Hebrides! You may say that your russelia does not have neat habits, but at least it arches perfectly in your globular vase. Very fetching - thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to follow the different weathers - one thing we all have to deal with in some way! I think you're quite right about the arching stems with russelia, and I think it has wonderful possibilities filling in with larger blooms as well (a hint to the roses ;-) Many of the stems grow almost prostrate in the garden bed, but they always seem to keep fairly clean of the soil, which is a great advantage. So glad you enjoyed your trip; it must have been magnificent to see in person! And thanks for keeping the meme going...!
DeleteThe Russelia is very elegant - and what a colour. I should think if it has a tendency to be prostrate it is very useful as well as beautiful in the garden? (Although something I could only dream about!) Re your exchange with Cathy above: I noticed tonight that you were adding your current weather conditions to your posts. What a good idea! It's actually a really valuable bit of info for someone who is garden blog-hopping, isn't it? Must try it too.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good point about the Russelia's growth being useful, Cathy. I expected it to be shrubbier, but in fact it would serve very well on a slope or over a low edging. I hope the weather information will be handy. I could just imagine myself wanting to know what the weather was like at a given time and being able to check back on the blog. (You can see I'm not much at keeping a diary!) I've been doubly pleased that other people liked to be able to see that information too :)
Deletea lovely, vibrant plant. We are hoping for temperatures of up to 25 C next week, but in typical British fashion it will probably not last ...
ReplyDeleteLovely vase. I haven't tried planting the firecracker plant yet, even though it does well here in TX. 100 degrees? YIKES! That is HOT for so early in the season. Well, maybe not for you, but here in Central Texas, we don't see those temperatures until at least July (granted, we see them through September at least). I'm enjoying our comfortable weather in TX right now... highs in the mid 80s, lows in the mid 70s. Perfect weather in my book, so I'm enjoying it while I can.
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