Monday, May 18, 2009

Dahlias, Hydrangeas and lilies- and a cactus bloom for Cactus Monday

Since I am still visiting my daughter I thought I would post some recent pictures that I never got around to putting up. I was really surprised when my two Dahlia plants started coming back this Spring. Everything I had read indicated the tubers needed to be dug up and stored over the winter, but busy gardener that I am, I never got that done. I had them both in pots, and when the tops died back last winter, I just put the tubers in the flower bed, covered them with mulch and hoped for the best. Well they popped right back this spring, with the peach colored one just a bit ahead of the pink one, but buds on both. Here is the first bloom from the peach one.

And a "bugs-eye" view of the opened flower


Here is the very first flower from the little Hydrangea I've been babying along for the last year and a half or so. It is the kind that blooms pink or blue depending on the soil PH. This plant really isn't cut out for AZ heat, and I often have to give it an extra watering, but its worth it to get Hydrangea flowers- some of my childhood favorites- to bloom for me!


I planted two Calla Lily bulbs a year ago in the early Spring, but although both had plenty of green leaves, neither of them bloomed. However this Spring I was surprised to see them both pop out, and one of them sent up a gorgeous bloom.

And for Cactus Monday. This little cactus bloomed in late April, and was putting out a second round of blooms when I left home last week. I don't know what kind of cactus this is but the blooms are gorgeous and there are tons of buds.


I am heading home today- can't wait to see all the changes in my garden! Happy Cactus Monday to everyone! Please head on over to Terri's Painted Daisies. Terri hosts Cactus Monday and leads a wonderful talented group of artists in showing off their cactus creations!

16 comments:

Diane AZ said...

I remember Hydrangeas and Calla Lilies from Southern California where I grew up. That cactus is really putting on a show, pretty color too. Happy Cactus Monday!

Teri said...

Such gorgeous blooms!!! That blooming cactus reminds of a hedgehog species but I am no expert :) Beautiful blooms on it for sure.

I bet you are going to find lots of changes in your garden and that is always fun.

HCM

Deb said...

love your cactus...pretty hydrangeas...have a safe trip home

Lynn Cohen said...

awesome blooms thanks for sharing.

Deepa Gopal said...

They are so BEAUTIFUL! Stunning blooms! I love the varied colors.

HCM!

studio lolo said...

That dahlia is perfect!! Hydrangeas are among my favorite flowers too. I wish the PH was right for mine to stay blue!
Stunning cactus blossoms you have there...and calla lillies are like weeds where I live. They're everywhere!
When I lived back east I chose Calla's as my bouquet when I got married. They cost a firtune. I never knew I'd have a million of them in my yard one day :)

Claude said...

I think that's a peanut cactus... not entirely sure. Most, but not all, Dahlias are winter hardy through zone 8, But here we usually dig them up every couple of years to divide them into new plants. I've found that the big giant ones aren't as hardy as the smaller ones. Great pics!

marianne said...

Wonderful flowers!

HCM!

Aiyana said...

Your unidentified cactus appears to be a an x Echinopsis 'Fire Chief', also known as Chamelobivia 'Fire Chief'. Cacti of this type are called peanut cactus. I'm amazed that you can keep the hydrangea alive and flowering here. Usually the soil is just too alkaline. Do you amend the soil?
Aiyana

Margaret Ann said...

Beautiful bloomsand a spectacular garden...the red certainly are festive! HCM!

Nancy in Sun Lakes AZ said...

I have a question too. Are the dahlias, hydrangeas and lilies planted in mostly shade?

kesslerdee said...

Thanks all for your comments, and congrats on my newest grandbaby!
The Dahlia, lily and hydrangea are all planted next to my house on the North side, so they get a little morning sun and shade the rest of the day. Even with this I find the Hydrangea wilting some afternoons. I have added miracle grow garden soil to this bed and used wood chips around the plants as well to keep moisture in. I also added coffee grounds quite a few times and epsom salt once. The Pink dahlia is on the west side of my house, so it gets a bit more sun, than the peach one in this picture, but it seems to be doing fine too. I do water plenty- more than I would like- an irrigation system is definitely in my future somewhere!

Cathy S. said...

Just gorgeous! love that bright red color.

Julie said...

I thought I remembered these being called "Fire Chief" on Aiyanas blog...I went back to see...but then I see she already gave you the name here! You both have stunning cactus of this variety! Happy Cactus Monday to you!!!

San Diego Farmgirl said...

Beautiful! What a green thumb!

Valeriannah said...

Those are beautiful blossoms!
I really like the pic of the Calle Lily.