Giant Bird of Paradise & Castor Bean
I just learned about Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and was delighted to find a way to share the flower of a Giant Bird of Paradise that decided to grace my garden in Mountain View. So far this month I had shown this flower to every single friend, visitor or client that came to my house - some may have had to see it twice ;-) ... I was relentless. Maybe I can stop doing so after writting this!
You ask why this one had me so excited? Now Mountain View, CA is not Hawaii and I had only rarely ever seen this plant flower in our area before - therefore there was no expectation to ever see one of these in my own garden, but here is was. Intricate and beautiful, little pearls of orange and pink sap running down its sides. White "feathers" proudly held high and a black beak to die for. And this from a plant that was under-watered and much neglected in a corner, just grown for it's huge leaves.
To top this one off - my Castor Bean has turned into a sparkling fireworks of red and maroon. And yes, the beans are really poisonous, but I love the plant. See for yourself.
Happy Bloom Day,
Astrid
Thanks Astrid. I am glad that you mentioned the toxicity of the Castor Bean plant. It's not only poisonous to humans but also to dogs and cats. For more info read Amy Stewart's Wicked Plants book or visit my blog http://www.julieorrdesign.com/wordpress/?p=219
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