Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Heavenly Heptacodium is in Bloom






I purchased this Heptacodium about 10 years ago or so from the Royal Botanical Gardens - and this is the best display so far. I believe its common name is Seven Son Flower and according to the tag it was supposed to be about 10 feet high . Well, this is what happens when you get a plant from China that few people have grown in this area. It is well over the roof of the house - and it may grow larger. It is one of the few trees that bloom in fall for me. And, as the flowers fall, the calyxes turn dark red - so when the branches are bare, it looks like it has dark red blossoms. Last year I got an inkling of what this might look like - hope to post a good photo this year. Aside from its blooming pattern (and I've discovered almost intoxicating tropical floral scent), it also handles shade very well - in fact at the RBG they have theirs growing in a dense forest situation. It has exfoliating bark - which is always a plus in the winter. And, the bees adore it as you can see. I was trying to focus on one of these blossoms, which are well above my head, when this little creature flew into the shot.

3 comments:

Lucy Corrander said...

It's auditioning.

Lucy Corrander
PICTURES JUST PICTURES

Barbarapc said...

With the Toronto Film Festival in town - even the bees are getting into the act - perhaps not his best side?

Anonymous said...

That's nice when you get a good shot like that when your not looking for it. We were really missing the bees this summer. I'll have to find out if the Heptacodium will work where I live.