Thursday, June 13, 2013

Kangaroo Paws 06-13-13

I have posted before how much I like the Kangaroo Paw flowers.  I've seen them in yellow, red, pink, and white, but gold is the most common color.  Since they were introducted in SCalifornia at least a decade ago they have become a very popular landscape plant not only in private yards, but shopping strips, resorts, street plantings - I see them everywhere now.  On Tuesday I stopped for lunch at Kappa Kappa Hana on La Paz, just off the I-5 - I think that is Mission Viejo.  And what is blooming like mad in the parking lot? 


Gold Kangaroo Paws!  I took this shot showing my car to demonstrate how tall these plants are.  Over six feet, I believe, the largest I have seen. 
 

I took this image before I got out of the car - a solid wall of golden "paws".
 

Look at the gorgeous red stems - what a wonderful contrast to the bright yellow.  There are several open flowers in this picture.
 

I put a brown bag behind this branch hoping that the flower shapes would stand out a little more.  At the bottom is a unopened bud and at the top a couple that are just opening - this is when they look most like the paws of a kangaroo.  And in the middle is one open flower - green with bright yellow spikes sticking straight up. 

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1 comment:

Dolores said...

I've never seen them before - interesting looking!