MORE FROM GREEN SPRING GARDENS, ALEXANDRIA, VA - 7/7/24

 Trumpet vine

I see the Trumpet vine in a lot of the places and have shared it before. It is also known as Hummingbird vine, Trumpet creeper, American trumpet vine and Cow itch vine! Botanical name is Campsis radicans. The ants seem to like it as you can see in the photos. The trumpet vine is a flowering plant that climbs as it grows. It gets its nickname from those bright flowers, which are shaped like long trumpet bells. 

The hummingbirds love to visit for its nectar, and no doubt that's why it has plenty of ants. It is an original native to eastern North America.

Above you can see the Balloon flower. I have seen the pretty purple color but not the white. This flower had the pods before bloom, flowers in full bloom and those that had gone past it and were shriveled and dried.  I found the three stages very interesting. You can read about it at this link.  A few other names are Chinese bellflower, Japanese bell flower, Chinese balloon flower and Platycodon. Its botanical name is Platycodon grandiflorus. It likes the full sun and is native to the mountains and fields of East Asia and the far eastern reaches of Russia. It was given the name balloon flower because the flowers have a tendency to expand and 'pop' like balloons if squeezed.

At the side of the visitor center there is desert-type garden. 

One in particular caught my attention. The tall plant on the left is a Foxtail agave, according to my plant app. Also known as Lion's tail, Swan's neck, Spineless Dragon-tree agave, with a botanical name of Agave attenuata. It is native to the State of Jalisco in central Mexico, a popular ornamental species in gardens in subtropical climates.  This link shows very interesting photos of why it got its name, thanks to the dramatic flower stalks produced by mature plants.

Agave is a type of succulent that is commonly confused with cactus. We are told to remember the rule that all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. The main difference between agaves and cacti is the presence of leaves, cacti do not have them while agaves do. This particular species grows best in foamy soil protected from direct sunlight. It may die if it is exposed to prolonged periods of frost. 

More information is about the botanist and geologist Henri Guillaume Galeotti who first reported the species in 1834, and since then only small colonies have been sighted in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacán and Mexico. It is now grown in gardens around the world and has escaped into the wild in various warm, dry climates. It is actually very rarely seen growing naturally in its original native range in Mexico. (I always thank my plant app Picture This for most of my information on plants and flowers.)

I am grateful to the staff and volunteers who take care of this garden for us all to enjoy. I am also grateful to the original benefactors, Michael and Belinda Straight, who deeded their house and 16 acres to the Fairfax County Park Authority, on the understanding that the land remain a park. Even today the gardens include many boxwoods, azaleas, and rhododendrons from the time the Straights owned this property. I get much enjoyment learning about various flowers, plants and trees that are here, and one of the many reasons we keep coming back.

I will share more in other posts but this is all for now.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope 

your day is a great one.