More wild cactus blooms

It is a wonder I get any work done these days, with the desert in bloom, calling to me.  I indulged yesterday and took a little walk to check out the Cholla and Prickly Pear cactus.  Both are in bloom now, and I counted 3 different color Cholla flowers that had all opened up since my last visit.  All the prickly pears are now in full bloom.  I honestly can't decide which is my favorite. Can you?

Another Sunday wander

Mid August brings lots of interesting things going on in my desert garden. This little Shrimp plant may not look like much, but a couple of months ago, it had only a few leaves, and no blooms at all. It had been in a shady place in the entrance area to my house, where it also competed with olive tree roots for room to grow. I finally pulled it out and planted it on the corner of the house, where it still gets plenty of shade, but a little more sun too, and it isn't competing with anything for root space. I've been amazed at how it is transforming. Lots of new leaves and a few blooms too.

I've also had some trouble with some of the crepe myrtle I've planted. My little red rocket one died this spring, after putting out a huge flush of blooms, none opened and the whole plant died. This little pink one has been slow to bloom but finally I am seeing one open here and there.

The Natchez white crepe myrtle has done the best of the bunch. It has flowered consistently since spring.

I put in a new tumbling pots planter- now I have one at each end of the bed under the Olive tree.

This one is a Sedum morganianum, or "Donkey Tail" It was terrible to plant, every slight movement knocked the little leaves off the plant.

This one is called Crassula lycopodioides or "Watch Chain".

And at the top, a Pachyveria haagei...pretty isn't it?

Remember the little mystery sprout, that Claude recently identified as a Mulberry tree. Well it got its own home in the yard this weekend. I hope the sun isn't too much for it.

And the two little cholla that had sprouted up in its pot, each got their own pot. I really am not sure why I saved these guys, I don't really need more cholla, but they were just too cute to not keep.

Happy Sunday...I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend as much as I am.

A Cholla flower for Cactus Monday

I have two kinds of Cholla in my yard- the chainfruit Cholla I've shown previously that has the pink flowers and this one that I have yet to identify. I love the yellow-orange flowers. Anyone able to ID it for me?

Happy Cactus Monday! To see other cactus themed art and photography please visit Teri's Painted Daisies!

June Blooms and other garden delights

Want to take a trip through my desert garden and see what blooms in June? Come along with me....

I love the way the Dahlias open up, each stage having its own beauty. Here is that steady blooming orange dahlia of mine, just ready to raise her head and open her petals.

And a shot from the side.....

Here is a picture of my little Baja Fairy Duster. This little plant has done well from the start and always has a few little flowers open.

My "Fuzzy Navel" cactus put out 4 lovely little night blooms. 3 bloomed the first night, 1 the second night.

My two Pansy plants were faithful bloomers all winter long, providing me with hundreds of flowers which I dried and have saved to do something crafty with. My Mom makes pictures, bookmarks and other neat things with dried Pansy blooms. Once it started getting hot I put the two plants in a shadier area and I am still getting some pretty blooms.

This pot holds a mystery sprout that came up last year in another pot. I had to smile to see the two little chain-fruit Cholla fruits that dropped into the pot when it was under the Cholla tree. They have both sprouted into little Cholla plants. I'm not sure what I'll do with them- these Cholla are wicked when grown, but these little guys are just plain cute!

I never did find out what my mystery sprout was. It has lots of leaves but has never bloomed.

The 3 Passion Vines are in constant bloomers, and their long vines have grown wild around my office window and up the bird feeder area. This next picture is the last one I planted. It had a little transplant shock but it got over it quickly and seems very healthy and vigorous now. The leaves seem to take the sun better than the Lavender Lady passion vine. That one has lots of sunburn but this little vine stays nice and green for the most part.

I planted green "Envy" Zinnias in several different areas, including in this cement tube my neighbor gave me. I have it under the bird feeder and they have done better here, than in the flower pot near the front of my home. Some of these actually have more than one outer row of petals. They still are not full and lush as expected. The Arizona heat is hard on flowers. Still they look green and pretty next to the bird feeders.

And lets take a walk to the backyard now and check out the little oranges on the orange tree. They are growing quickly- I can't wait to taste them!

And remember the little "rescued" Pomegranate tree? It has 3 Pomegranates growing- here are two that look like twins!

And my experimental Rhubarb plant- experimental because I don't think Arizona is ideal rhubarb country but I can just taste that Fresh Rhubarb Cake recipe I used to win purple ribbons with at the state fair in South Dakota.

I planted a few different kinds of Sunflowers and some did better than others. I thought this one was a "Teddy Bear" Sunflower- but it doesn't look quite like the other Teddy Bear Sunflowers which are fuzzier in the center. Check out the last sunflower picture below to see them side by side.

And almost every day I see the little lizards that like to climb my Olive tree- here is one doing his daily push-ups! Click to get a better view.

And my beloved Brugsmania...two drying blooms.

Meeting a fellow Tucson gardener and bringing home some Canna cuttings got me going with my first little pond set-up. I have plans to expand this but haven't found the time yet.

And the aquatic Canna were inspiration for some normal dirt grown Canna that I planted on the side of my house.

My Hibiscus which are two years old now, put out bloom after bloom. I love the pink ones when they are just ready to open -they are so graceful!

Heres to June- its been a wonderful month in the garden. July should bring monsoon rain and lots of thunder and lightening shows too if we are lucky!