Taunting Mother Nature

The weather in Tucson this Fall and early Winter has been a contrast in seasons. We have had a few nights where it has almost gotten down to freezing and I've had to lug out sheets to cover up my tender plants. We've also had afternoons in the 90s- glorious warm sunshiny days that I want to bottle up and keep forever. As if taunting Mother Nature and Winter right around the corner, my Brugmansia has finally decided to bloom again.  It has grown huge in the last year, but only bloomed once last Spring.  The flowers start out yellow- turn white when they first open and then get progressively pinker. Once these blooms are done I plan on cutting this little tree way back and sharing some of it.  If anyone is interested in a branch let me know. 

Brugmansia blooms at last

At long last, my little Brugmansia (Angel Trumpet) has bloomed! I bought this little Brugmansia last summer and it bloomed until fall, and then lost most of its leaves over the winter. This Spring, I re-potted it in a half whiskey barrel and although it has grown tremendously all the little buds that formed dropped, until this last round. There are 4 blooms on this first flush. The blooms start our yellow, turn white and then pink as they open. The pink deepens after the flower first blooms.
I babied this little tree through the winter here and by next fall I will have 4 cuttings to take from the main tree- anyone want to try a brug?
Here is the little tree-compare it here from last September.

The flowers don't open up fully until evening and then it as if they are lifting their skirts high to invite the bugs in. And the scent- it is wonderful, drifting along the front patio. It is a combination citrus and powdery scent.

This flower is on its second night of blooming- notice the pink color has deepened and it has a little wilting around the edges.


Brugmansia come in a wide variety of colors and some have double blooms. I have only seen this very common variety in my local nursery but I am tempted to do some online searching as I know there are so many others available. The problem becomes where to put them- they do much better in Tucson with a good deal of shade during the hot afternoons, and my yard is definitely getting full in the shaded areas.

My two oldest Pies are here visiting me so I have a couple days off this week to spend with them, gardening and whatever....it is going to be a wonderful time!

Skywatch Friday- June Sunset

The sunsets are always gorgeous but as the weather turns more to monsoons season, and the clouds gather in the afternoons, the sunsets get even more varied and intense. The Monsoon season is here, but the rains have not really made it yet. Usually around the 4th of July we get the first boomers. I look forward to them like a kid in a candy store.



And the excitement builds as the first 4 buds on my little brug hang ready to burst open...soon...very soon!



Happy Skywatch Friday! To see the amazing sky from vantage points around the world please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Sunflower Bloomin' Tuesday

Not all of my experiments with planting flowers from seeds have been a failure. A few have actually done fairly well considering how hot it has been. The sunflowers I planted are just starting to bloom.

And I have to show my Brugmansia bloom just ready to pop! This will be the very first bloom of the year! I am so ready to smell heaven on my front porch!

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday!

To see what is blooming in gardens around the world please visit Ms "Green Thumb" Jeans.

One year later...

Well my blogs 1 year anniversary just passed- what a year it has been. The best part of blogging has been the blogger friends I've made and the enjoyment I get visiting other garden blogs. I love showing my latest blooms and get some of the best advice around when my plants are misbehaving. Today was sure a day for Cactus blooms. Many of the cactus that bloomed earlier are putting on second show. Some like this parodia seem to always have a bloom in some stage or another.

This is the second show for this little Parodia sanguiniflora. I counted 6 flowers open today.

And another red one- lots of furry buds keep this one blooming all the time.

This is a newer cactus- the two buds are almost ready to pop.

I bought this succulent last spring- it was in bloom then, this is a second round of flowers.

A second bloom on the pentalophus.

And the Bishops Cap has another today

And the most thrilling for me? The baby brug buds...so far all buds have dropped on my brug, but I've modified the growing conditions a bit, and started using a special recipe on it, and this round of buds seem to be sticking around!

I can just smell those heavenly brug blooms now!