6.03.2009

My New BFF


Jatropha (Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta') is my new Best Friend Forever. Wow! What color! I had to position this near the French doors, where I can look out anytime to see its bright red beacon blazing away like a lighthouse. I was lucky enough to recieve a standard last fall, from someone who didn't want to overwinter the thing, and it survived the dark (no light at all) recesses of my cool basement, and was flowering within a couple weeks of bringing it back into the heat and light this spring. I woke the jatropha up from its winter slumber by placing it in my little pop-up greenhouse.

Ever since, the thing has been going great guns, with beautiful screaming scarlet flowers erupting from bright red buds. Okay, the flowers are small, but that color! I never tire of looking at it. And the leaves! They're cool too! They come in several shapes--like sassafras leaves--and as the new ones appear they have a beauteous bronzy sheen. I'm smitten. Gee, looks like the start of yet another tropical love affair.

2 comments:

Carol said...

I can see why you would be smitten! What a beauty! I forget if you mentioned it's fragrance... wonder if the hummingbirds fancy it too? Your gardens look so amazing... by what I see scrolling along the right side bar. Magical!

Steve Silk said...

Thanks Carol-Haven't noticed anything in the way of fragrance (haven't tried after dusk though), but in this case, color is all it takes. Right now my gardens are a mess--still putting in all the annuals and tropicals and potting stuff up. Soon though...really,really soon.