[Nagami kumquat]

Jujube trees produce Chinese dates. They are edible, oblong red fruit much like palm tree dates although the tree is not a palm.  It has been part of Chinese culture for a long time; it was among the fruits excavated from a tomb of the second century BC. There are an estimated four hundred different kinds. The one in my garden is called the Dragons-claw Chinese Date because of the contorted shapes of its branches. In the winter after the leaves have fallen, I like to see these angular branches silhouetted against the sky.  Click on an image to see its expanded version.

Heavenly bamboo is not a bamboo. It looks similar to bamboo from a distance, but is a woody shrub, not a grass. The heavenly part of its name arose from the ancient practice of using it to decorate altars. In winter, it forms bright red berries appropriate for any holiday of the season.

 

Bananas were often planted near doors and windows in China. Inside the house, the deep jop jop jop sound of water striking their broad leaves provides a pleasant change from the rushing noise of summer showers. There are no summer showers in California, but I planted bananas near doors and windows just because I like to look at them. Their broad leaves add tropical lushness to the garden.

The weeping snow fountain cherry tree by the pond presents an exclamation point to the foliage changes wrought by the seasons.  With no edible fruit, it is dramatic by just standing still.

Over thirty varieties of plants grace my garden. Almost all of them have botanical origins in Asia, although they obviously are readily available in California. I list below my garden plants with their common and scientific names. Most of them can be found in gardens in China.

Garden Plants
Common Name	Scientific Name
Aralia, Japanese	Fatsia japonica
Bamboo	Phyllostachys bissetii
Bamboo	Pseudosasa usawai
Bamboo, chocolate	Borinda fungosa
Bamboo, heavenly	Nandina domestica ‘Moyers Red’
Banana	Musa basjoo
Cherry, Weeping Snow Fountain flowering tree	Prunus x subhirtella ‘Pendula’
Cymbidium	Cymbidium spp., mixed forms
Fern, asparagus	Sprengeri asparagus densiflorus
Gardenia	Gardenia augusta ‘Mystery’
Ginger, white	Hedychium coronarium
Ginkgo	Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn gold’
Honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica ‘Halliona’
Jasmine, star	Trachelospermum jasminoides
Jasmine, true	Jasminum sambac ‘Mysore Mulli’
Jujube tree	Zizyphus jujube ‘Contorta’
Kumquat, Nagami	Fortunella margarita
Lemon, Improved Meyer	Citrus x meyeri
Maple, Japanese red	Acer sp.
Olive, sweet	Osmanthus fragrans
Olive, sweet	Osmanthus fragrans ‘Aurantiacus’
Peony, tree	Paeonia suffruticosa(Luo Yang Hong – rose form)
Peony, tree	Paeonia suffruticosa(Tong Yun – chrysanthemum form)
Pine, Japanese black	Pinus thunbergii
Pittosporum	Pittosporum tobira
Plum, elephant heart	Prunus salicina
Plumeria	Plumeria rubra
waterlily	Nymphea ‘virginalis’
waterlily	Nymphea ‘pink passion’
Wisteria, Chinese	Wisteria sinensis ‘Alba’