SanDiegoTreeMap.org. Just thought I would point out this website again. This online resource is full of information about trees in San Diego, and I think this is one of THE greatest resources out there! I use it frequently on my walks to identify trees I see around town.
I’m not sure how they figure all of this out, but it’s impressive. City governments and a few other agencies have done the bulk of the work inputting trees, but you can sign up and add a tree to the list, or just add information to existing trees already on the site. Pictures can be uploaded, too. I added the Deodur cedar tree in my front yard to the map.
When you log onto the site, you can search for trees by species, or you can search by particular address. The site show 332,010 trees input in the system as of today. There is value in those trees! The site states the value in dollar amounts for the different benefits that our trees bring to our community including the following:
- 24,621,928 lbs CO2 reduced
- 60,826 lbs pollutants reduced
- 10,996,793 kWh conserved
Anyway, who really needs a reason to plant a tree? Just do it!!!
“The tree remains, but not the hand that planted it.” – Irish saying
Planting seeds are a goal I have set for my garden this year. It’s cost-effective and the varieties I can grow are much more diverse than what I typically find in nurseries. My seeds are growing and I should be planting them in the ground soon. Time to start another group. I’m trying to stagger plantings every three weeks. So far, this is what I’ve gotten started. I’ve also started sunflowers and cherry tomatoes.
always a gardener…..
I was so much cuter then – what happened!!! 
Orchid trees (Bauhinia variegata) are in bloom all over town. Usually, they are pink flowered, but I’ve spotted some white ones around town as well.
These trees are native to Southeast Asia, from southern China to India and Pakistan, and seem to have acclimated well to San Diego’s coastal climate. They can grow to about 30 feet high.
Beautiful flowers and interesting leaves!
Here’s the biggest orchid tree I could managed to find in town. This one is about 30 feet tall and wide.
Last week’s Flower Show went smoothly and we had a great turnout of entries. Every year there is one plant that is extraordinary, that stops me in my tracks. This year that happened when one of the show vendors, Walter Parkola of Blossom Valley Protea, brought in a blooming stalk of flowers that was like nothing I’d seen before. Walter posted a little sign with the stalk so people would know it was real, not faux flowers!
The Puya alpestris aka Pitcairnia alpestris or Sapphire Tower, looks like a grass, but is actually a bromeliad. This plant is a great choice for xeriscape plantings. It grows in full sun or part shade, and is drought tolerant. This flower stalk blooms out of the middle of a clump of skinny, sharp blades with teeth!
I couldn’t get over the color of the flowers, sort of a bright, steely blue-green, which, although you can see the unusual color, my camera didn’t fully capture it to do it justice. Anyway, it was a show-stopper. Absolutely spectacular and the focus of a lot of attention and conversation amongst flower show attendees.
Thanks to Walter Parkola for sharing his incredible specimen at the show!
