November- almost time for tangerines!

The Tangerine tree in the backyard is loaded with fruit this year. It is probably my best producing fruit tree out of the five (grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine and orange) that are planted in my yard. I picked a couple to put in the cavity of a roasted chicken but the taste is still pretty sour- they are not quite ready. They are almost completely orange now, thanks to the brief cold snap we had last week.

I can't walk past the Lavender Lady passion vine without snapping a photo or two. Looks like I am having trouble posting to my blog without including one too. :) They are beautiful though and when there was a chance of frost I covered the vine up with a sheet last week- I wasn't ready to give up my passion flowers for the year just yet.

I've not had good luck with this type of succulent before- either the birds eat them, or my son steps on them or they just die. I couldn't resist trying again though when I saw this little guy that had just started to poke out a little bud. He bloomed last week- pretty huh? Now wait and the birds will think it is breakfast- the little Cactus Wrens in my yard seem to enjoy my succulents quite a bit.


And a lovely pink rose- my pink rose bush is just full of buds and blooms this time of year. And they smell delightful too!

Happy November!

October is here and Fall is in the air...even in Arizona!

Fall has definitely arrived in Arizona, even though the afternoon temps are still very warm, the nights are getting cool, and my garden is changing with the season. My pink roses are blooming again. This rose bush was here when I bought my home and they are real reliable. I tried a few "bare-root" roses before I learned they are not suitable for my climate, but the couple that lived rarely put out any blooms.

I had a couple surprises this last week, that were completely unexpected. My purple sweet potato vine bloomed! I didn't even know these flowered- having bought it for the pretty purple leaves. I was pleasantly surprised to discover they do bloom.

Here is a picture of the vine- pretty without flowers too.

I have yucca plants (at least I think they are yuccas) at the front of my flower bed beneath the big olive tree- and I can't recall ever seeing them bloom before- until this year. Only one put out flowers but they are so beautiful. I wish I could get up close and see if they smell, but the tops of these yucca are not within my reach.

Here is a picture of how they look from a distance- they seem to stand guard over the bed behind them. I need to get in there and trim the dead leaves- another job for another day!

And on the other side of the bed, is this little palm. It was actually in a pot when I bought my home, and my son planted it in the ground. It has since gotten quite large and I am thinking I might need to dig it up and plant in a bigger area. Does anyone know what kind it is, and how big it will get?


Happy October and Happy Saturday! I am heading off to Kansas City for a few days for my job. Hope it isn't too cold there for these used to Arizona bones!

April Roses

The pink and yellow roses that came to me with my home are just gorgeous again this year. Even the crazy wind we are having hasn't done too much to them, as they are in a protected area by my house.
I tried planting some bare-root roses but not many of them have done very well. Then I learned that bare-root roses are not good for my area- live and learn I guess! A couple of them have lived, but they sure don't bloom like these older ones.

Happy Easter

We have had a couple of rainy days and nights here in Tucson, not to mention some outrageous winds too. The rain has been nice and my garden enjoyed it too. Here are a few blooms from Easter afternoon.
The little Pomegranate tree only has a few blooms, but the first one cracked open today. The flowers in a fluorescent orange color, and is housed in a little red shell that resembles a tiny pomegranate. I can't wait until the bloom fully opens.

The pink rose bush that came with my home is going crazy with lovely blooms! I am so glad roses are forgiving of butchering.

And a twin set of blooms from the African Iris I bought last summer. It is doing well in the very shady area in the entry way of my home.

Happy Easter to one and all! Hope everyone has their taxes done- I don't! :)

Green Thumb Sunday- July 6 2008

I don't really have much blooming this morning in my yard- the two cactus flowers are Saturday's blooms but the little pink rose bud greeted me this morning! We had rain last night- glorious, wonderful rain! It is overcast this morning, with mostly clouds and the yard is full of debris from the Palo Verde and the Oleander- why do some plants seem to shed so much and so often!! I can't begin to keep up with either of them, not to mention the Olive tree that constantly drops leaves and olives (in season) into my front flower bed.

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Sunday Morning Surprises

One should never post GTS using Saturday's pictures, without first taking a walk through the garden early Sunday morning! This is a lesson I have learned as this mornings walk certainly brought forth some interesting finds:

The yellow rose from yesterday opened up in all its glory this morning- it reminds me of the sun!

A new deep red rose bud- this one hasn't bloomed before so I am very excited at seeing the first bloom form- it almost looks black!

The new bougainvillea I planted looks gorgeous in the morning light- reminds me of a bridal bouquet! I just love the pale pink and white of this variety.

And lo and behold- can life get any sweeter- ANOTHER baby bean tree just barely peeking out of the earth! I am truly blessed this Sunday morning but the picture just wouldn't turn out- too small I guess!

I also posted a picture of the big brother bean tree- see how I've grown!

And a close-up of the bougainvillea- I love the little flowers within a flower!

GTS- end of the prickly pear blooms and yellow roses

The two rose bushes in my yard continue to put out a bloom or two even with the heat coming on. Those little leaf-cutter bees though have almost completely carved up the young leaves.

The prickly pears in my yard are just about done blooming- this sweet little flower is one of the last! I really adore the peach color and waxy appearance of their flowers- I just need to learn how to make candy out of the fruit.

Shades of pink

Here are pink roses that seem to bloom all year on the side of my house-

If you look closely at the leaf by the unopened bud you can see where "something" is munching on little circles of leaf- When I first discovered this I thought there must be some type of worm or bug eating them but after checking them at all hours- I haven't found a thing! Good thing because I am not sure how well I would take to picking bugs off plants- the day may come when I do this but I haven't had to yet! I think I might have leaf-cutter bees coming to visit- from what I've found on the internet they cut away pieces of leaf, and roll them into a tube shape to line the entrance to their nests! Interesting huh- and supposedly they don't really hurt the roses!

The tiny Pink and White blooms on the cholla are so delicate and pretty- a big contrast to those scary thorns!