Hello from Snow Mexico! The Letter C is a huge one, so many general of plants start with C and many, many common names as well. It is a very compelling, Christmas-y, colorful ingredient in Floral Alphabet Soup, and I am looking so forward to your posts of the glorious C's. Here are just three of mine to sweeten the pot. Lets take this one into Christmas...? Unless y'all slow down a lot.

Carex morrowii



Campsis radicans



Clethra alnifolia



Choinodoxa

To avoid duplications, I'll just post some favorites within the genus starting with C.

Camellia from the April series, which can grow farther north than most camellias and which blooms in early spring:
April Rose is very full and floriferous:

April Kiss is just getting started and still looking straggly here:

Caryopteris, which attracts lots of pollinators:

Celosia Asian Garden, a relatively new All American Selection:

Chaemocyparis Golden Mop; I have a lot of this shrub and like it because it adds a light chartreuse color to gardens and acts as a wind break for my rhododendrons:

Cornus florida; I have five pink dogwoods and love them as cheerful harbingers of spring:

Hello from real Mexico!

Lovely pictures, people.

Cleistocactus and Cotyledon here.



Database pictures...



Interestingly this Cotyledon (same species as the plant pictured above) flowers 6 months out of phase.









And now a few native plants!



The first cactus here is female, the second is bisexual. There are no males in this species.



Last plant starts with C here in BC where it's from (cardón gigante).

a couple of lovely weeds in my garden

A few Campanulas:






More than 17 kinds of Campanulas were in the Riverview, Robson, B.C. Catalogue of 1938. That got me going on identifying the varieties that still grew there when we arrived in 1983, or that sprang up in the various beds I created.
I collected more when we moved to Grandview in 2010, and dearly love them all.

Now I'll lay low and enjoy everyone elses

Camellia from the April series, which can grow farther north than most camellias and which blooms in early spring:

Thanks for this post, I am watching what you come up with with great interest, re Camellia April Series....I have been missing Camelia a lot here, do you think it would do ok in a zone 5b bordering 6 with winter protection in ground?

KatEnns said:

Camellia from the April series, which can grow farther north than most camellias and which blooms in early spring:

Thanks for this post, I am watching what you come up with with great interest, re Camellia April Series....I have been missing Camelia a lot here, do you think it would do ok in a zone 5b bordering 6 with winter protection in ground?

Kat,
In your zone 5b, it would need a lot of winter protection, such as a burlap wrap separated from the plant by tall stakes, in addition to placement in a protected location.

In my zone 6b, my April series camellias face east and are right next to my house. Even then, in very long and cold winters the foliage can burn. The winters of 2015-16 and 2016-17 were ideal, and the following long cool springs were perfect for blooming. These are my only camellias, although there are quite a few others in the April series:

https://www.gardenia.net/guide...

And others:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01...

There is a book called "Beyond the Camellia Belt" by William L. Ackerman, who developed some hardy camellias, especially fall bloomers, and this book recommends locating camellias on the north side of a house and wrapping them for the winter.

I have never wrapped mine and have never planted any on the north side of the house. But you might want to experiment. April Rose was especially recommended to me because it blooms slightly later than April Kiss and is less subject to loss of flowers from late freezes.

Guidance for selection, planting, winter protection and care:

https://www.americancamellias....

Starting with a double C -
Chrysanthemum Centerpiece



Caladium Cuban Gold


Cotinus coggygria - Smoke Tree Colocasia


Cardinal FlowerClover>


<corn <cactus

Cannas

Coreopsis:

NoID // Early Sunrise


Jethro Tull // Nana


Enchanted Eve // Pinwheel

Caryopteris // Calendula


Caladium // Catananche


Cosmos // Centaurea 'Amethyst in Snow'

Clematis. Too many beauties to just post one or two images. Have managed to kill most of these over the years, but still have a few hanging in there.

Roguchi // Arctic Queen


Malaya Garnet // Daniel Deronda



Florida sieboldii



Chantilly // Sapphire Indigo



Silmakivi // Miss Bateman



Filigree

Oh no Debra! I'm so sorry to hear that, always sad when a clematis disappears. Do you know how/why? I've killed a few and it's mysterious to me...

I was just working on my clematis (fever) photos from this past summer, but gotta hit the sack

Dirt, all but one of the losses have been from neglect--limited or no supplemental watering, especially in summer; and poor location--unamended clay soil with not enough mulch or summer shade. Have thought, also, that some Clematis are simply better suited to hot, dry summers. The Florida sieboldii has been in place going on seven years, is in an exceptionally hot area with concrete-heat reflected on three sides, but has proven to be tough as nails, and gives me multiple bloom flushes. Even after frying to crispy brown in the summer, it always bounces back in Fall, and often blooms well into December. I have Lantana 'New Gold' planted at the base and think that is a big survival factor, too.

Miss Bateman, also, thrives with afternoon shade and lots of mulch. Filigree and Sapphire Indigo are not vigorous, but still around after several years. The rest are gone.

Cilantro

All the wonderful 'C's at our disposal. Wow, what a goldmine.

My first thought for "C" plants is Caladium.

Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet', just bloomed this morning

calceolaria hybrida

Cereus-forbesii-spiralis, spiraling through time.

For the bitter of winter Citrus Aurantium, Bitter Orange

and if the winter darkness get you nuts, light a candle..
candle nut; aleurites moluccana, flowers and fruits