by germinatrix | April 3rd, 2009
I was taking a little walk around the neighborhood when a huge, prehistoric vine growing halfway up a steep hill caught my eye – well, of course I couldn’t just leave well enough alone, so I clambered my way up the slippery slope (there are so many of those slippery slopes out there!) and found one of my favorite plants ever – Solandra maxima, or Cup-of-Gold-Vine.
monster flower
I swear this vine was probably eaten by a brontosaurus back in the dinosaur days. It is so big and dramatic! I climbed up a little further – surely this vine didn’t plant itself! and I saw that it originated in a funky backyard grotto – all decked out with big, over-the-top sexy plants. I was impressed! i wanted to be swimming in that pool, surrounded by all that lushness!
sexy hillside grotto
Don’t those flowers look like they are going to DEVOUR you? I love it! If only I had room for one of these in my garden – it is a big, pushy, take-no-prisoners type of vine. AND it is very drought tolerant, even though it really flourishes in tropical climates. A perfect match for my prehistoric monster themed garden! Alas, I have to enjoy it from afar, by climbing the slippery slope next to my house and risk sliding on my ass down to a very busy street and getting flattened by a speeding car.
All for the love of plants!
Hey, by the way, I KNOW this is very short notice, but I’m going to be on the Bonnie Hunt Show again tomorrow! Check your local NBC listings for channel and time – if you aren’t busy working, that is. Don’t lose your job just to stay home to watch me – not in THIS economy!
Until next time,
Germi
Oh, good, you do it too, then I’m okay when I sneak peeks over other people’s fences. I always feel a little guilty, but I can’t help it if there’s a hint of something good growing over the top.
I’m so happy to see you’re back blogging, and this time, your blog works in my RSS reader, so I can actually stay caught up! Welcome back!
SAW YOU ON THE ‘BONNIE HUNT SHOW’ AND LIKED YOUR IDEAS. DOWN TO EARTH AND EASY!! DO YOU SEND OUT NEWSLETTERS ? IF YOU DO, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ON YOUR MAILING LIST. I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET! THANKS, sANDY
Love it! Look forward to reading more. Germinatrix is a kick-ass name I might add . . .
Megan – I am the BIGGEST garden snoop! I am just waiting for the day when I get caught – hopefully I won’t be staring at the end of a double barrel shotgun! Or a mean doberman! Or a shovel wielding granny!
Sandy – Thanks for watching and for visiting! This blog IS my newsletter, girlfriend! Keep coming back and join the party – me and my friends will have LOTS of tips – and don’t forget to read everybody’s comments, because there is ALOT of garden wisdom amongst my readers!
Reno! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it! You know, I saw online that there is another Germinatrix, but it’s a guy and he’s a music person of some sort … In my humble opinion, I think I make a better Germinatrix. I bet I can take him in a plant battle!
Greetings, Ivette!
I tuned in too late to the Bonnie Hunt show and missed the recipe for spraying in the garden. I’m desperate for a recipe such as that. I did however get to see about the urine. Bonnie’s reaction was priceless. BTW…does the urine work for skunks and raccoons too?
Hey Cindee – I JUST posted a wrap-up of the show, so check out the main page and the recipe is there!
…and yes, urine is reputed to work on all sorts of unsavory characters. I wonder if it works on annoying people. If so, there are a few people I’d like to pee on right now…
Ha…I know what you mean about annoying people. I could have used a remedy like that one today. Too bad we couldn’t get away with it like dogs can… LOL!
I’m off to get the recipe now. THANK YOU! ♥
Cindee {:O)
your ‘peeping’ reminds me that it’s time to take a drive to Los Alamos in the Santa Ynez Valley where there is an old adobe along Alamo Pintado with the most wonderful old-fashioned rose and lilac garden with a rail fence. Every year I try to see it in April, hopefully before the lilcas are done. Last year I met the caretaker, who spends only one day a week (“lo siento senora, solomente una dia”) and we shared in Spanglish, our love of gardens and wild things as a hawk flew over us with a ground squirrel wriggling from the talons.
Sue, that sounds wonderful! making friends with the caretaker of a great garden is a treat. I’ve learned so much just by shadowing people who really know what they are doing.
cooooolest domain name)))
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Hello, I can’t understand how to add your blog in my rss reader
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I think you go to the bottom of the page, where the rss situation lives, click on entries, then when you are on my rss page you go to the sidebar and click ‘add bookmark’
You should start receiving the entries automatically…
I am just assuming this, by the way – I am really lame at anything technical. I can barely turn on my computer.
Thanks for reading me! Ya’ll come back now, y’here?
You can come snoop in my garden any time! Solandra does very well in San Francisco too, but noone grows it. There are a few in Golden Gate Park where they have been left to grow freely and now climb redwood trees. I felt inspired to try it in my garden after seeing one in a Santa Barbara hotel parking lot brought to heel and performing nicely. Want.