'Cairo Apricot' Hibiscus

My new 'Cairo Apricot' tropical hibiscus.

Smooth Green

A new leaf on my 'Dwarf Namwah' banana plant.

New Leaf

A new leaf on the Abyssinian banana.

Red Angel's Trumpet

A bright red angel's trumpet, Brugmansia sanguinea, at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden.

Tropical Forest

I wish...actually my tropical garden looking up from below.

Downright Tropical!

California is in the grip of an unusual heat wave. Today, the temperature got up to 83 degrees Fahrenheit! The garden is really starting to wake up and is taking advantage of the warm weather. My banana plants are starting to grow quickly, and I have rebuilt the tropical fountain set-up.

Tropical Heliconia Seedling

Here is one of the long-awaited heliconia seedlings. So far three have germinated out of about 20 that were planted. If the weather gets warmer, the seedlings should start to grow a faster pace, and maybe they'll bloom in time for summer. We shall see...

Timber Bamboo

Sunlight glints on the culms of timber bamboo.

Fan Frond

A view up through the fronds of a Mexican fan palm.

Striped

An exotic leaf in the Berkeley Tropical House.

Tropical Flavor

The bright colors of this Heliconia can surely cure the winter blues.

More Plumerias...

Will my obsession with them ever stop?

Bismarck Palms

No, these aren't from North Dakota.

Banana Bonanza

The "banana boulevard" section of the Quail Botanical Gardens.

San Diego Jungle

The lush understory of Palm Canyon, complete with elephant ears and banana plants.

Washingtonia Duo

A pair of very tall Mexican fan palms.

Spider Web Plumeria

Some strands of spider silk cross a petal of a plumeria.

Palm Canyon Trail

The Palm Canyon section of Balboa Park. In this picture, I am standing in a grove of king palms (Archnotophoenix cunninghamiana).

Moreton Bay Fig

The gigantic roots of two very old Moreton Bay fig trees.

Bamboo Forest

The bamboo groves of the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, California.