South African Coral Tree is the Star of the Show

Billy Goodnick, contributor

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Photo: Billy Goodnick

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This magnificent Erythrina caffra was well established when I was asked to redesign this west facing garden off the master bedroom in Santa Barbara's foothills. It became the centerpiece for a composition using grasses, succulents and snow-in-summer ground cover.

A "meadow" of snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) and blue fescue (Festuca ovina glauca) provide a neutral foreground, but the real reason they're used is that under a foot of soil sits the septic tank, so we needed a shallow root system and plants that could easily be removed.

The bright orange succulent is my fave, coral aloe (Aloe striata) which is usedknowing it would be in full bloom at the same time as the tree. 

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Can anyone tell me what this tree that looks like an umbrella is?

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Julia's garden