Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Bloomin' Tuesday - Pink and Purple surprises in my garden

I am enjoying a little slower pace in my life, and am thrilled to be able to post this week, however late in the day it is.
It seems like I have purple and pink blooms in my garden this week. This cactus was left to me by my homes previous owner. It gets a crown of little pink blooms around the top of it. The very first ones are just starting to poke out. I'm not sure what kind of cactus this is.

This little vine almost died when planted in the shady front flower bed. I put it on the side where it gets partial sun, and after a few months it has some good new growth, and the first tiny purple flower. It looks blue in the picture- but is really more purple than blue. I bought this vine before my interest in plant names grew, so this one is also unknown.
Remember the gorgeous Snail Vine I bought last summer and planted at the base of the bird feeder? It really struggled at first but the first bloom since planting opened and it is a beauty! The first picture is yesterday when it just started to open, and the last picture is todays.





To see the links to other "Bloomin Tuesday" posts and to join in the fun yourself, please visit "Ms Green Thumb Jean's"
Happy Bloomin' Tuesday from Tucson Arizona!

6 comments:

Julie said...

I have one of your cactus in the top photo! I believe it is called a Mammillaria matudae! Mine has the same pink of pink flowers around the top! I think it is such a cute cactus, especially when it blooms!

Carla said...

I think your second picture is a vinca, my mom grows them VERY well, sometimes too well:). What a neat cactus and I love your snail vine:)

Jean said...

Carla is right the vine is also called myrtle and periwinkle. It grows wild in the woods here. I can't wait to see the cactus in full bloom! The snail vine is really neat. Love the soft color. Jean

Anonymous said...

I actually have one of those top ones in my "garden" (former fountain now holding an arrangement of mini-cacti surrounded with aquarium gravel). Cactus plants are the only thing I can have indoors because of the cats, who never met a leavy plant they didn't like to chew.

Aiyana said...

Hi Dee,
I think your cactus is a Mammillaria muehlenpfordtii, also called M. celsiana. Julie mentioned M. matudae, but that species has a different spine arrangement and color. It's a Mammillaria for sure! No idea what the vine is though.
Aiyana

Cheryl Ann said...

I LOVE snail vines! I planted one between us and our neighbors. We have an old wooden fence there and the snail vine has covered the fence and it's beautiful to see! I planted one out front and it crawled up the post and hung down from our porch roof, but our STUPID DOGS dug it up! Grrrrrrr!!!!! It was so pretty with the little snails hanging down! I'll have to plant another one, but Target doesn't seem to carry them any more, so I will keep looking for one.