Fremontodendron californicum 12 August 2019

While Curtis Daily (that baroque stand-up bassist from Portland) was visiting us (we hosted him for Early Music Vancouver’s Purcell concert) he asked me about that “yellow rose”.

It is not a yellow rose. It is Fremontodendron californicum which is a lovely and very happy Zone 9 (tender and iffy in our Vancouver) which we brought from our Kerrisdale garden. It is now somewhere around 19 feet so fall will force me to do some pruning.

The value of this plant is that it begins to bloom in May and at today’s date, August 12, 2019 the upper branches are still in bloom.

The leaves have a beautiful maple-leaf-like shape with an underside that feels like hard flannel which is why the plant is commonly called the flannel bush. It seems that some people might get eye irritation or an allergy from those leaves.

In our garden, because of it growing on the side of our garage, I have trained our Rosa ‘Sombreuil’ to climb on it. The French rose and the native Californian bush/tree seem to have no issues.

More Sombreuil

The Fremontodendron is named after John C Frémont, a most interesting military man, explorer, failed presidential candidate of the Republican Party, etc. Here is his Wikipedia Reference.

In these waning days of summer with the roses (those that are remontant) saving up energy to bloom sporadically in the fall, the orange/yellow Fremontodendron is a ray of sunshine on a day like today which is partially overcast.