Have you noticed your garden has been sending you Valentines? Once you start looking for heart shapes, you’ll see them everywhere. In addition to the flapjack plant (Kalanchoe luciae) above, here are a few Valentines from my garden (and others) to yours.
Anthuriums have bright, heart-shaped bracts and green, heart-shaped leaves.
The taro plant (colocasia), from Polynesia, likes ample water. Its edible roots are used to make poi.
Never mind the flowers—I think the leaves of this cyclamen are the prettiest part of the plant.
Not all the pads on this spineless cactus are hearts. Most are ovals or teardrops.
Would you be pleased if someone gave you these? I would!
This puts a different spin on the phrase “purple heart,” doesn’t it?
I’ll bet you’ve grown this common houseplant with an odd common name: pothos.
This is a waxflower (hoya) vine. Were it in bloom, I doubt you’d notice the leaves. Its ball-shaped clusters of flowers appear made of wax.
Ever notice that most ivies have leaves that are more or less heart-shaped?
This is an oxalis leaf.
And now for some heart-shaped garden embellishments…
These pavers make square or round ones seem dull indeed.
Simple yet sweet: Form a metal band into a heart and hang it on a garden wall.
I saw this sign in a garden and took a photo of it because it’s so cheerful. Not that it matters, but there were no cherries for sale nor cherry trees nearby.
And finally, a Valentine of echeverias, aeoniums and sempervivums from me to you (from Succulent Container Gardens).
What a nice idea! I found many ‘hearts’ in my garden, including the bleeding heart blossoms. Thanks for the idea. The echeverias are very pretty.
Ah, bleeding hearts. The ultimate hearts-in-the-garden. I can’t grow them, unfortunately—too hot and dry here. But echeverias, yes…in pots. Debra
Each on their own is a fun coincidence, but to see them all together as you have presented…is magical! Thanks. Matti
Hi, Matti — Hey, speaking of coincidences, I just posted a comment on your blog after your post on the found object you planted with succulents and mounted on a garden wall. Great idea! Debra
I love finding hearts in the garden. Thank you for the valentine. Happy day to you too.
Hi, Lisa — And these are Southern CA plants. There must be many more. Debra
Cool post-now you have looking in my garden…
I’m pleased, Nicole. I love helping people appreciate their gardens in fresh new ways. Debra
Debra, your photo essays are always amazing. Thanks for this one — it made my morning coffee-and-blog-reading routine seem extra special today.
Hi, Hilda — It was fun pulling it together. I went back through several years of photos looking for hearts, and also went out looking for them. I think what surprised me the most were all the heart-shaped cactus I found. Prickly, keep-away hearts—an intriguing contradiction. Debra
Wonderful heart sightings! Beautiful light filled photographs … a great parade! May your life be loved filled every day! Lovely, lovely post! Carol
Thank you, Carol. Same to you! Debra
I love all of the “hearts” in your garden… but none as much as the kalanchoe photo. The underplanting on that is fantastic–I think that I’m going to NOT plant my ‘Amazon Sunset’ in containers anymore!
Kalanchoe luciae is stunning. There are more photos of it in the landscape on the Garden Design page of my website (http://www.debraleebaldwin.com/SucculentGardenDesign.htm). I could do a photo essay just on that particular plant! Debra
This was very nice indeed. It’s true when you start noticing shapes in the garden you see them everywhere….I did circles today..
But (ever notice?) what you won’t find a lot of in the garden are perfectly straight lines, unless they’re man-made. Debra
All Valentines/hearts in your garden looks very beautiful and attractive . Thanks for the posts
My pleasure ;+) Debra
I’ve been thinking about hearts in the garden too. As my garden is buried under a lot of snow, I’ve had to rely on photos from last summer to remind me. I’ll look anew in the spring, when I can see everything again.
Yes, no hearts in a snowy garden. In my overpopulated part of the country, roses are already breaking dormancy. Debra
What a cheerful post! I shall be looking for hearts in my garden this summer
Please do, and let us know what you find. Debra
Love this!
Thanks, Paige! I might hunt for hearts in the garden next year, for the fun of it. Debra