Rainfall's Autumn Beauty

You would think that dark clouds bursting with coalescing drops of moisture create an atmosphere of doom and gloom in the autumn garden. But there are many plants that shine during fall's cool weather and accompanying rainfall such as pyracantha and cotoneaster berries, pomegranates and persimmon fruits. In our garden, there are few flowers more dramatic in form and color than the Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) with its pointed, waxy beak, three erect, fiery-orange petals and blue-spiked corolla mimicking a regal crown of plumage. Like its native South African sisters, our "bird" blooms in the spring and autumn months. Grown in full sun, this clumping herbaceous plant with 3-4 ft. large, deep green, glossy, ribbed leaves withstands drought, heat and wind and is a perfect architectural focal point on the patio or entryway. Provided there is no frost, it makes a dramatic addition to any tropical garden and its elegant, brilliant-colored flowers lend themselves to stylized arrangements or simply placed in a tall, cylindrical vase. One tip: don't throw the cut flower away after the initial bloom is spent; simply remove the old flower, reach in, and carefully lift the new flower out of its sheath and voila! you've doubled its life as a cut flower. Now that autumn's rainfall has arrived, our "birds" are in paradise and have never looked more beautiful.