Spring Flowers .....Two Thousand, Twenty Four..

[Silas_Sancona]

🎵 ....We've come a long, long way together.  Through some cold times  ...and some rain.  

I have to  ....Celebrate you, baby..

I have to praise you like i should... 🎶 


....Some  ~slightly~  adjusted lyrics  from the wayy back machine  to welcome in the second best time of year,  esp. here in the Desert.. 


Randoms..























Phacelia ..crenulata  ..Closer to being sure on the ID. Have others popping up elsewhere from seed i'd collected to compare these to when they start poppin'.





Calliandra eriophylla




Penstemon parryi    Pretty sure there were Black Chinned Hummers checking out the taller parryi when peeking out the window this morning after awakening.






P.  superbus.. Differences obvious now, lol.






Dogweed,  ..or Gold Fields < Genus Lasthenia > ( No clue where they came from. Didn't order seed of... )




2024 crop of Salvia coccinea  already flowering..





..................................The Globe Mallow Sisters.....................

S. laxa    ....Ready to go





S.  "... Not quite sure yet / Boyce Thompson / Picket Post area collection... " .....Almost ready to go






S. coulteri  ...On the way.. This specimen anyway.  Other that popped up is bloomin.






Lupinus sparsiflorus   about to pop




L.  texanus..   Moving a bit faster now ..At least out by the sidewalk.   ....Flowering by???  ....Mid March???




Senna covesii  ...joining the party..







....While the in ground  Plumeria... ( Crossing my fingers this is the year for my special specimen )





...Galactia wrightii



...Mealy Blue Sage



...Berlandiera lyrata



and  Aristiolochia fimbrata  all awaken from their winter naps..



Ratibida columnifera  too ..As usual, the over achiever between the plants out there is already just about ready to pop..  Other specimens, up closer to the house ( and currently in more shade ) aren't even budding yet.




Some complain the desert is a stark and boring place devoid of much interest / options  ...or that flowers are boring..    ...I look out the window and laugh, ...hysterically,  at such narrow minded, dull, and squared " views".. 

Never a dull moment / lack of color,  99% of the year in this yard  ...Except maybe during the worst part of:  " Hell Season " Ha Ha. 

Welcome,  ...to Spring...

[Swolte]

Stunning shots!

[Peter]

That blue is killer!

[Silas_Sancona]

A few randoms, on a Monday..















L. texanus,  on the way. If they don't start poppin by the end of the week,  Long stretch of 80F+ heat suggested in the forecast beyond the start of next week should wake 'em up.



Another YTBID'ed  Spring annual that popped up..  Flower morphology suggests something Phlox family but there are a few other Genus in a couple other families that have flowers that look similar.. Tiny, so this should be a fun one to ID. 





Couple things noted showing up in a neighborhood Big Box..

Clerodendrum splendens  ..Want to succeed w/ these here?  Plant in filtered, all day shade. E. facing side of a wall / house,  w/ overhead tree canopy in front of the wall where planted to provide morning shade would be ideal..  1-2X  deep soak, esp once it gets HOT obviously.  Remember these being a bit tender, so imagine they can get nipped if it gets cold enough, even here.





Same w/  these,  Passiflora vitifolia.



White Bird ..babies??



Seen a few different Pink Salvia greggii  cultivars over the years but this one is quite vivid..  Hard to pick up the correct color in pictures..

[Swolte]

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, Swolte said:

🤔  Narrow leaved or Roadside Blue eyed Grass.. Always nice to see these.. S. bellum  is very common ( and popular in native themed gardens) in CA. Tough as nails..  Didn't realize they grew in FL either until i'd moved there.

Have 3 ..or 4 sps here, a couple flowering in the summer / early fall. No one sells them though ( doubt they'd survive in the valley anyway ). 3 have yellow flowers, vs. blue or white -ish.

[Swolte]

I think this one was called v Suwannee. I love the soft blue! Deer used to rip it out of the ground when I first planted them. This is actually a good thing as they, like many human visitors, appear to mistake it for a grass. Once they take a bite... yuck! Hah. I just just place it back in the ground. Now they are more firmly established.  

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, Swolte said:

I think this one was called v Suwannee. I love the soft blue! Deer used to rip it out of the ground when I first planted them. This is actually a good thing as they, like many human visitors, appear to mistake it for a grass. Once they take a bite... yuck! Hah. I just just place it back in the ground. Now they are more firmly established.  

Yep, Deer will definitely browse it ( Then never touch it again, lol ) I'd see drifts of the CA species " trimmed " as they were greening up when hiking around local parks back in San Jose this time of year.. After a couple weeks ..and no more visits from the deer, they'd shrugged off the trim and were in full bloom.

Slugs / Brown Snails liked them as well out there, but rarely visited again after sampling them, foliage at least.

In FL, plants that grew in a drainage ditch next to where i'd worked at the time got mowed -at least - once each spring. Didn't seem to bother them.

Definitely tough.. Were one of the few perennials that would flower reliably each spring, even during the really dry years when pretty much everything was dry / not enough rain fell for annual stuff.

Curious, i managed to find a few observations for one of the AZ species from the valley floor in Tucson i'll have to seek out later.  If the " observed " locations are legit, and i catch the plants seeding when i track them down in person, might be something i try in my shade spot here.

Nearby park that has several permanent water features where these could " appear " in the future as well..

[Silas_Sancona]

Some mid week color...


















A couple different angles of the " Sidewalk Bed " ...Not " filled to the brim " w/ color this year since  i'm planning on yanking out another  foot - 16" wide strip of grass this year to have enough room to accommodate a pair of mature-er sized / aged dwf.  Plumeria cultivars ( Cultivars that stay ~approx~ 8-10ft in total height ), a triplet of Baja Ruellia that can be kept semi formal / trimmed  ..and possibly some drifts of Ox Blood Lilies / some similar bulb that will pop up and flower in late summer / fall,  and a pair / triplet of Hedgehogs (  E. englemanii,  rather than more coccineus extras that i have ). 

  Penstemon are easy enough to start from seed again if i loose any of the established plants when repositioning to fill in gaps after everything else is added in.

While i probably could fit the Plumeria in there as - is, once they're bigger, half of their potential canopy width might hang out over the sidewalk too much.. Pulling back the grass a little more will allow them to fill out nicely w/ out the threat of needing to be trimmed on the sidewalk facing side to keep them from impeding neighborhood foot traffic.  Will also help keep the Bermuda from reaching into that bed as easily / quickly.

Anything i can do to reduce the space grass takes up is a plus anyway, lol.

If it works out as envisioned, combined " living wall " of Dwf Plumeria / Ruellia will get tall enough to frame the front yard a bit / break up the view into the yard from the offices across the street, but not get large enough ( Plumeria ) to completely block the view of the street / oncoming traffic from the neighbor's driveway as they try to pull out onto the road..  Ruellia would be held to about 3ft in height, positioned in front of the Plumeria.

Looking north...



Looking south...

 

[redbeard917]

Lovely. Those Penstemons are spectacular.

[Silas_Sancona]

Weekend color....











Two shades of  Calliandra eriophylla.   See this among specimens out in the desert too.





Gotta love Scorpoid Cymes..



" Spring " Sunn- ny flowers galore..

 







Plenty more on the way ...Some quite colorful even w/ out any flowers.



L. texanus   almost ready to go..




Tis' the season,  ...for Grape Soda  ...2024
























...And Lemon blooms






...Sweet Acacia,  gearing up



Clitoria mariana  waking up..

[Silas_Sancona]

End of the week, ...and final days of Trad. Winter color     ...Galore..

Randoms.....


































Coral Vine,  awakening..




Coral honeysuckle that popped up near an Alpinia nice n' green.. Doesn't grow as fast as it could due to siting, but is happily gaining size..




Some excellent fresh leaf patterning  of Aristolochia fimbrata




Melampodium leucanthum    stepping on stage to join the party..




Erythrostemon palmeri  doing the same.



Lupinus texanus  ..awake, finally.  Interesting note i don't recall being mentioned by most references regarding it.  ...Have to get up close n' personal with them but, stuff a nose in em' and the flowers possess a sharp fragrance similar to some of the true Jasmines, Gardenia, and / or Star Jasmine.   Very different than the sweet, grape soda / spice tinged scent of Lupinus nanus.








Sweet Acacia starting to flare up.  ( When their flower display starts to stand out better against other green foliage from a distance. ) Noticing a few flowers starting to appear on a couple of the Blue Palo Verde directly across the street as well.



Peityle emoryi



It may be a meh tree, esp. here in the desert where there are many better adapted options but,  when the White Mulberry scattered throughout the older neighborhoods here start flowering,  Spring is in full swing..  Enough of a " sign of the season " for a mention..





...Sum' other sure signs of Spring? 

The return of the Digger Bees..





..and Fire - crowned Hedgehogs.....

Edited March 14, 2024 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[Swolte]

 

Edited March 17, 2024 by Swolte

[Silas_Sancona]

An " Irish " Spring - themed walk around the neighborhood on St Patty's Day  ...and the last " official " Sunday o' Winter '23 - 24. 

A Little bit of everything today..


















A " hot " combo..





Honorable mentions:

Convulvulus sabatius.  Rarely seen planted here ( ..But was a hot seller in CA ). In the 7..... years i've kept an eye on this specimen about a block away in the street island, nothing seems to bother it.



Biggest Hong Kong Orchid i've laid eyes on yet locally.. Caught the  STRONG  fragrance wafting from it about 200ft before reaching the yard it was in.








Apparently not the only one growing " Spring " Sunflowers..  Light yellow-ish white may be Italian White ( which appears to be more light Yellow, than White,   lol )  Popcorn Senna hanging out w/ the Sunflowers is a nice addition.







Another uncommon sight here, Blue Hibiscus, Alyogyne hueglii  looking quite content..




Calla Lilies, in the Desert?... Yep.. ( Could do w/ out the Geraniums though, ha ha ) Plumeria in the same yard lookin good ...just awaiting some heat.



Reflections and some not so desert-y scenes from a nearby, neighborhood park.. See plenty of spots where some Plumeria could fit in nicely.. hrmmmm

Many of the homes in this particular area have very ideal micro climate level siting ( Lots of high tree canopy / east facing back yards/ many that face west which would be shaded in the afternoon, and some extra humidity from the lake / extensive grassy areas ) for trialing some cool stuff, ..if they chose to pursue " the good stuff "












YTB ID'ed  Emu " Bush " that is more of a tree ( approx 20ft in height )






Decent sized Silk Oak ..by low desert standards



...And the always looks good Texas Ebony nearby



Vachellia rigidula, starting to bloom ( ..a touch late i might add )


Some final sniffs of " Grape Soda Season "










While Sweet Acacia season gets under way










That perfect Echinocereus triglochidiatus specimen a couple blocks away, now w/ flowers starting to pop..


.....And a few things from the yard..










Don't forget to say hello to my little Freesia.  Capiche? 😁🙃








                                                                       >>>>>>> Tis' the Season <<<<<<<<<<

 

[Hillizard]

Can only sit here and admire Nathan's fantastic gallery of spring flower images he's sharing!

Here's my Dendromecon harfordii ('Channel Islands tree poppy') in my front yard natives-only garden. That's a Ceanothus 'concha' behind it.

[Peter]

@Silas; impressive Texas ebony and sweet acacia-nicer than the ones I've seen here

[miamicuse]

My Psedobombax ellipticum tree flowering on schedule this year.

The moon on the upper right corner.

I have enough flowers to use as mulch to fill two wheel barrows.

[Josue Diaz]

On 3/17/2024 at 3:37 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Biggest Hong Kong Orchid i've laid eyes on yet locally.. Caught the  STRONG  fragrance wafting from it about 200ft before reaching the yard it was in.










 

Holy Baby, these pictures convinced me to plant mine in the ground. 

[Silas_Sancona]

47 minutes ago, Josue Diaz said:

Holy Baby, these pictures convinced me to plant mine in the ground. 

..If i had room, i'd be planting one here for sure.. Flowers / canopy cover the foliage provides / ..an scent of the flowers themselves, can't go wrong having one ( or a couple, haha ) in a yard.

May go back and try to get better shots of this tree this weekend. Sun was positioned  almost directly behind the tree when i took those, so they didn't come out as nice as i'd wanted.   Need to check the other big specimen in a yard over by the Mall here.  99% sure it should be flowering also atm.

[Silas_Sancona]

On 3/22/2024 at 11:52 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

May go back and try to get better shots of this tree this weekend.

Not perfect but better shots of the same Hong Kong.. Seems like it it is at peak bloom now..









....And some other noteworthy flower power noted along the way. Was hoping to track down something i noted on a street view search yesterday nearby, but missed the location by a couple streets.. Next time..








From the yard..







May not be the native sps, but the annual Larkspur starting to pop will work as a nice stand - in for now.







How about that, actually got one Owl's Clover this year, haha.




 

[Silas_Sancona]

A few,  on a Tuesday afternoon....














Typically Blue,  but sometimes Purple Phacelia campanularia



Aristolochia fimbriata  flowering




Aristolochia watsonii  awakening..



Cordia parvifolia





Yerba Mansa




Clitoria mariana

[Hillizard]

On 3/22/2024 at 10:57 AM, Josue Diaz said:

Holy Baby, these pictures convinced me to plant mine in the ground. 

I put mine in the ground a couple of years ago here in Sacto. It's done well and bloomed a little. Problem is the B. variegata beside it is competing for sun and space, so I'm going to take it out; it's a messy tree anyway. I prefer the look of the B. blakeana.

[miamicuse]

My Brownea grandiceps about to open.

[Rivera]

Neighborhood Ceanothus

[Looking Glass]

10 minutes ago, Rivera said:

Neighborhood Ceanothus

Good lord that’s nice!  

[Silas_Sancona]

11 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

Good lord that’s nice!  

 Far nicer than Crotons and Lantana.  That's the west for ya' 

[Looking Glass]

19 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 Far nicer than Crotons and Lantana.  That's the west for ya' 

That color.  Looks like something from “What Dreams May Come”.  

[Silas_Sancona]

A few Good Friday Randoms..











Uncarina peltata  waking up..





New stuff added, just in time for a good natural soaking this weekend...

Back of the house side - bed finished / unfinished bed by the master bedroom started..

Live in the desert ..or similar dry areas of the West, must have a Creosote Bush planted somewhere in your landscape. This will be utilized as a living sun screen on the left side of the Patio.. Shouldn't take long to reach a size where it can be carefully sculpted to fit it's space ..Similar to the shot of a small-ish tree sized Creosote next to a Pygmy Date i've posted in the past, though hemmed in just a tad tighter.



....After watering it ..and everything else planted yesterday, patio smelled like Creosote after sunset.



Main side bed along the west facing wall / notch bed by the " good " Bougainvillea:









Russellia " St. Elmo's Fire " Flower detail



Alternated Baja Ruellia, and " St. Elmo's Fire " Russellia..  Didn't realize this Coral Fountain selection can reach 4-6ft X 4-8ft  so... the main bed might get a little more crowded than assumed ..which is fine.  Since both plants will flower on and off at roughly the same times, should provide lots of color thru the year when they cycle..



Bed by the Master Bedroom in progress:

Chilopsis " Sweet Bubba " A supposedly seedless ( Doubt it will be completely " Seed less " ) cultivar of Desert Willow.






Gotta love a tree that might already have some flowers the year it goes in the ground too



If curious why i planted it off center, rather than dead center in that bed,   answer is simple...

During the summer, sun angle hits that side of the house from about the angle of where the trunk of the tree sits.. Though desert Willow drop most / all foliage during the winter, nekked-ness at that time isn't an issue since the sun isn't near as intense on that wall as it is during the summer.

Idea is it will fill out in such a way that it will completely block the sun from that angle.. Other stuff will be planted below / around it, inc a semi- compact / compact sized Plumeria cultivar near where the remaining Juniper stump is located.

The two combined should provide great color, some afternoon shade, and wafting fragrance into the house on those stormy, warm humid nights in summer when you can open the window.

As fast as Desert Willow grow / hot as that area gets, i won't be surprised if puts on enough growth to provide enough shade there to drop a Plumeria in by Fall.. We'll see.

Soon, i'll start putting in the edging block to define the bed rather than leave undefined as - is.


Tecoma stans  " Sparklette " interesting cultivar i picked up to try.  Like the two - toned Orange flowers. Supposed to stay somewhat short ..in the 6-8ft height range, but, we'll see.  Anyone who has grown Tecoma understands they rarely stay as short as some nurseries might advertise.

Now to figure out where to plant it.





Rest of the Baja Ruellia purchased will go out front once i get that bed ready.. 


Besides getting the back beds planted, potted and in - ground Plumeria, Guaiacum and other important stuff provided a wake up, spring dose of 20%K just ahead of that good soaking on the way, ...and more sustained warm up about a week or so later, hopefully. 

Edited March 30, 2024 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[Tracy]

Olivia season. 

[Tracy]

Flowering trees of spring:  m stands for mango and macadamia nut trees.

[miamicuse]

My Hoya is blooming, sorry it's hanging low so hard to get a good angle with the light.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, miamicuse said:

My Hoya is blooming, sorry it's hanging low so hard to get a good angle with the light.

Fixed ( Was upside down )  Nice specimen

[miamicuse]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Fixed ( Was upside down )  Nice specimen

Thanks Nathan, you are right, I didn't notice it was upside down, I think when I was taking the picture the sun was in the background and I shifted the phone from my right hand to my left hand and took the picture upside down LOL.

[Silas_Sancona]

A few on your Saturday......











I spy a visitor..



Clitoria mariana, leaves get bigger each year..



Plumerias, waking up











Almost done with the front bed extension..

Was nearly complete when i looked at and said " ..need to remove another sliver to come to a satisfactory width for everything going in there " ( Purple line )  Magenta dot is a sprinkler head i'll be removing / possibly placing somewhere else..





As mentioned, Penstemon in there will be moved after seed on them finishes ripening. Waiting for that just in case the plants themselves fail to transplant.

Other stuff ..Desert Marigold / a few Senna covesii  may be totally removed to " clear the slate " so to say.  have plenty of seed from the Senna, and Desert Marigold are easy to re- sow as well ...so no big loss in yanking them to get the bed finished.

Looking at it now that it is wider,  gonna need 3 more Baja Ruellia. 3 won't be enough, lol..

While i'm sure i'll waver a little,  here's one idealized  chicken scratch idea.. Purple = Ruellia,  Orange = specific  Plumeria cultivars that should stay in the 6-11ft height range, and produce flowers that have some Orange in them.

For the most part, Native Annual color will stay on the outside of the Yellow line. May change the rock type / size/ color in that area too.





White is a one of a kind center piece..  Something extra rare or one of a kind that deserves to be seen. Won't say what i've decided on yet, but needless to say, it's definitely uncommon ..but shouldn't be.  Hasn't flinched thru any of our winters ..or summers in it's pot so far and should be a perfect complement to all the other unusual stuff planted out there.

Overall, centerpiece / Plumeria / Guaiacum coulteri  out there should provide a nice break between the yard and street / traffic ( Maybe even a little shade, once taller at least ) but not overwhelm the space / get so tall that they take away from the view of the palms / trees across the street / sky   ..and add lots of color, ...on top of all the other color out there already. 

Bed is wide enough that any moron foolish enough to try will be trespassing if they attempted to steal any of the plants ( no excuse of " ..It was near / within easy reach of.. the sidewalk " )..

Would be a dumb idea anyway since there are  LOTS of home / business / city cameras in this area of town,  Police are present on our road / parking lot of the Med offices / Hospital across the street 24 -7. 

[Silas_Sancona]

Some late week color for ya'


Eclipse day Sunflowers










Who says you can't have big, " Tropical looking "  leaves on something simple..






Today's short walk to check on a few things..

Neighbor's Barbados Cherry, and Fruiting Mulberry, Possibly Pakistan ..but fine if wrong on the cultivar.





Euphorbia antisyphilitica



Delonix regia, the " 'Hood Royal "  just about ready to awaken.  Seed trial from it starts soon.



Some of the nicest " tended " Torch Glow Boug. specimens around..  What i hope to achieve w/ the ones planted between the house / neighbor's house.  Picture the Guaiacum coulteri planted dead center there hovering up above a 3-ish ft living wall of this color, and you have the ideal outcome for that area.



Ocotillo, by the Hospital. We'll discuss the nearby Saguaro soon.





Honey Mesquite decked out in flowers and that glowing, Apple green new foliage..







....Back at the " Lab "....


Dyckia rariflora  gearing up. Six flower scrapes on the way so far.



Dyckia choristaminea  also deciding to flower this year.  Released from the confines of a 1gal, into a wide 3gal today as well.





Mini Tiger Stripe Punn' Kin, trial take #2.. Instead of starting in pots, decided to sow directly in the ground this year ..and start a hair earlier than last year. We'll see what happens this time around.






Ipomoea longifolia  awakening...  Absolutely a big deal.It's twin should awaken shortly.




Physalis ( native Ground Cherry ) sp. that popped up alongside Plumeria ctv. J105 last year.





Aristiolocha watsonii  that decided to pop up in w/ one of the other JJ Plumerias.





As " Acacia Season " Fades, " Palo Verde Season " steps up to the plate to take some swings..













" Desert Willow Season "  too....





About faded out but the strong " Pez Candy fragrance "  from this Whitebush, Aloysia gratissima  is still easily detectable as you approach it.



Some tropical looking feathered friends, just for the heck of it..  Hangin out in the Sunflowers out front atm, completely un-phased by passing traffic.  ..At least this kid.





..and a Goldfinch..



Always lots of color, even in the Desert


 

[Silas_Sancona]

Future   Spring flowers,  Take #1  ..if all goes well at least..  Good test of longer - term viability for some things too.




1:  Adansonia gregorii  AUS collected.  Sent here in either '19 or 2020.

2:  Ipomoea pes - caprae,  Railroad Vine. Collected in 2015 at Bird Key, Sarasota.  Still good enough to sprout?

3:  Enterolobium sp.  ..One of the two growing in FL.  Can't remember which.  Both have been grown ( ...and done fine since planting ) down at U of A in Tucson.  If the seed is still good,  these will go to a nearby park in a couple years. ...Unless someone local interested has a bigger yard.  Collected in 2015, If from some pods i'd collected in Sarasota, ...or wayy back in 2011, when i lived in Clearwater.  Lets seed how this goes.

4:  Seed off the Neighborhood  Royal Poinciana, trial #1.  A little smaller than seed i've collected from trees in FL / have been sent, but should still be filled out enough to germinate.  We'll see if they'll sprout and shatter the assumption that Delonix regia can't reproduce successfully here.

5: Leucanea retusa  ..Seed originally collected off a now gone specimen in Glendale in 2017 or 18, ..Possibly both years.  Had one steadily chugging along, gaining size  ...until i decapitated it last fall.   Stuff happens. Start over.

[Rivera]

Diplacus aurantiacus

[Silas_Sancona]

A lil' Sunday color...
















Late season CA. Poppies, CA Buckwheat ( white flowers ), Senna covesii ( yellow, lower left ), Erythrostemon palmeri ( yellow / center ) and the yellow flare up of Parkinsonia florida  lurking in the background on the lower right.  Palms are obvious.







....And the next batch of seed viability trials.. Tossed in pots today: 🫰

Ceiba erianthos, FL. sourced. Sent back in 2018.

Amourexia / Cochlospermum  palmifidum. S.E. AZ sourced. Sent in '22

Bolusanthus speciosus, Tucson sourced. Sent in '18 or 19.

Albizia sinaloensis, locally sourced last year. ( Not from mine.. Too small to start flowering )

Mimosa palmeri, Sonora Mex. sourced. Seed sent in '17 or 18.

Mimosa xanti / now listed as M. tricephala xanti.  Sourced in Baja.  Seed sent in '17 or 18.

Senna hirsuta v. glaberrima. From my own specimens. Sown to test first harvest overall viability.

[Peter]

@Silas_Sancona, I've got a Ceiba rubriflora hybrid crossed with an erianthos-looks very promising.  Very thorny, I hope the flowers will be fuzzy, and a little larger and darker than a typical erianthos.

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, Peter said:

@Silas_Sancona, I've got a Ceiba rubriflora hybrid crossed with an erianthos-looks very promising.  Very thorny, I hope the flowers will be fuzzy, and a little larger and darker than a typical erianthos.

If they came from the same source, my rubrifloras might be crosses as well. ..though not labeled as " crossed with " when the seed was sent.  A few, but the trunk " studs " are pretty sparse really.. 

As rare as they are, seems like they may be reasonably tough regardless..  Placed one of the seedling ( ..err, saplings now ) in a spot where the top part of it peeking above shade canopy got afternoon sun last summer ..which didn't seem to bother it.  ..Didn't note any damage to those tips anyway..

Kept it in the same spot thru this past winter just to see what it might do.  ..No issues either w/ all day shade / what chilly nights / extra rain we saw this year.  Is leafing out atm, ...while the other sapling / cut i'd started are just starting to bud. 

C. erianthos seed was from that same source and also not labeled as hybrids ..though that is certainly possible, which is fine of course.. Just have to wait and see,  ...as long as the seed is still good and sprouts. 

..Also hoping one or the other will have the fuzzy flowers associated w/ erianthos when they eventually flower..