Apartment Garden Blues (Blog): Jacaranda Blooms

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Published on Friday, June 21 2013 17:53

Written by Alexandra Martin

My favorite tree has to be the jacaranda. The best part about these plants is that they bloom with spectacular tubular purple flowers twice a year (the spring bloom is generally much nicer than the fall bloom). Jacarandas are commonly seen here in California, but they don’t do well in most of the country (except for other warm climates, like Florida). I took a walk through a local park about three years ago and collected a couple seed packets from the jacaranda trees there. Tossed the seeds inside of the hard, dry packet into a plant container, and just waited to see what would happen. It was a little experiment I was doing that led to a whole bunch of trees. (I did this with a few different trees – lemon, peach, avocado, pines, etc.)

I was pleased to see when the seeds sprouted and grew slowly, looking like little mini ferns for the first year or so, and then they grew into teeny tiny trees. I pruned them a bit to make them grow upward and look like a tree, rather than a bush, and some grew tall, and some stayed stunted.

Just today I was watering the plants, and when I was checking out my lemon tree flowers, I noticed some flower buds on one of the small jacaranda trees! I’ll post a picture when (or if ) they bloom.

It’s very exciting to grow a plant that doesn’t flower or produce fruit for several years. Once that day comes when you see a flower bud, it’s like all of your hard work was worth it.

And now I’m dreaming of the day when all of my jacarandas will bloom. Wow!

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Alexandra Martin is a professional writer from Southern California who grows vegetables, herbs, lots of aloe vera and one giant Boston fern in her balcony garden. She also grows dracaena, pothos and English ivy indoors. She loves traveling and birdwatching in addition to gardening.

Apartment Garden Blues (Blog): Lemon Tree Flowers!

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Published on Friday, June 14 2013 20:29

Written by Alexandra Martin

In my garden, I have a rather large lemon tree. The story behind the lemon tree is that while a family member was cat-sitting for me, she threw some lemon seeds into an empty plant container. Not only did a seed sprout, but it grew really tall (probably about 8 feet tall now).

So far this lemon tree hasn’t produced any fruit, but I’m proud to announce that I spotted a flower!

While I’d really love to keep this plant forever, I’m wondering how long I can keep this one until I’ll need to give it to someone else. It’s getting much too large! My next lemon tree will be a dwarf tree.

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Alexandra Martin is a professional writer from Southern California who grows vegetables, herbs, lots of aloe vera and one giant Boston fern in her balcony garden. She also grows dracaena, pothos and English ivy indoors. She loves traveling and birdwatching in addition to gardening.

Apartment Garden Blues (Blog): Gardens at the Filbert Steps in San Francisco

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Published on Friday, June 07 2013 20:02

Written by Alexandra Martin

During a recent trip to San Francisco, I walked up and down the famous Filbert Steps of Telegraph Hill. Three sections of stairs (supposedly totaling 284 steps) rise from Sansome Street up to Coit Tower. Not only do you have great views of the bay and the city during your hike, you will also see beautiful homes, manicured gardens, local runners (running up those steps like pros!) and maybe even a feral parrot or two.

There are many small private gardens along the stairs, but the most impressive is the public Grace Marchant Garden. This 2-acre garden is named after a former resided who cleaned up the area in the 1940s, which was filled with trash. A sign at the garden reads

Filbert Steps
Darrell Place
Napier Lame
In appreciation of Grace Marchant for her unselfish devoted energy in the beautification of Filbert Gardens.

At the end of your trek, you will end up at Coit Tower, which at 210 feet, will give you fantastic 360-degree views of the San Francisco (except on a foggy day). Lucky the 1933 art deco monument dedicated to the firefighters of San Francisco has an elevator! You can also rest a minute and see the depression-era murals inside.

For more information about the colorful feral parrots, watch the 2003 documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

Read more about the gardens on San Francisco's Alcatraz Island, at Pier 39 and the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

Enjoy some photos from this gorgeous walk.

Wouldn't you just love to have a balcony with that view!?

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Alexandra Martin is a professional writer from Southern California who grows vegetables, herbs, lots of aloe vera and one giant Boston fern in her balcony garden. She also grows dracaena, pothos and English ivy indoors. She loves traveling and birdwatching in addition to gardening.