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!

Early Morning wander

Come take a wander around my garden and see what is going on this early August morning. It is very early, the sun is barely up and a light sprinkling of rain (Yes-RAIN) is coming down. I wish the day could freeze and I could hang onto these moments.
The barrel cactus is budding out- soon those amazing red flowers will be here. I see these in all stages of bloom around town and in the desert area near where I work. Mine must be late bloomers.

The "Natchez" Crepe Myrtle I planted last summer is hanging on in the heat and even puts out a few little flowers now and then.

And the night blooming cactus is getting ready to bloom again. Here are 3 of the 6 buds...looks like tonight will be the night.

In the backyard the grape vine is growing nicely- not sure if it will give me grapes anytime soon but it sure puts out the green.

The tangerines are gaining a little size.

And the little Pomegranate tree only had 3 fruit. One of them showed up in my bedroom this morning, fairly well eaten, a gift from Miss Moo dog, which is what prompted this wander to begin with. So now there are two- are they not the cutest?

Hope you enjoyed this early morning wander as much as I did. Happy Bloomin' Tuesday! To see what is blooming in gardens around the world please visit Ms "Green Thumb" Jeans.

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!

April Fool's Day Surprises

I was walking around the yard today and noticed baby Pomegranates on my little Pomegranate tree! This tree was almost a victim of the mortgage crisis but was saved by my son, and found a new home in my backyard. I thought these were tiny fruit and that I had missed the flowering, but Claude left a comment telling me they are actually flower buds. I took another look and I think he is right- I'll have to keep closer watch on this little tree and catch them when they open up. Hopefully fruit will not be far behind.

Here is the little tree

And as I was out in the backyard I also noticed the Orange tree has finished blooming and is loaded down with teeny tiny oranges now. Many of these will drop, but hopefully I will still get a nice crop this year.

And the last surprise- my Bird of Paradise plant is unfolding a gorgeous new leaf! I wish this guy would bloom- so far nothing!

Hope April Fool's only held good surprises for you!

A little bit of heaven in the backyard

When I went house-hunting in Tucson about 6 years ago, I was not exactly impressed with what my money could buy. Until I hit on the one I live in today. The house was ok- nothing to really brag about, but it had potential I guess you could say. However it was the yard - and the 5 full grown citrus trees that really made me take notice. I have an Orange and a Tangerine in the backyard, and a lemon, lime and grapefruit in the side yard. Right now the Orange tree is in full bloom and the perfume is so strong that the dogs start sneezing the moment they step out there. The other 4 trees are all in various stages of blooming too. Here are a few pictures taken yesterday.

One perfect lemon blossom.

Lime blossoms on the way out. They opened last week.

A baby lemon starting at the center of the flower.

Lemon buds and a baby lemon- I love the lavender color of the buds.

New leaf growth on the grapefruit. This tree gave a bumper crop this year but they were very small fruits. I still have lots to learn about how to grow citrus.

The bees busy at work on the orange blossoms.

I don't seem to have as many bees as last year which is concerning. If you have bees visit your trees and plants are you noticing a decrease this year?

Desert Wren encounter for Green Thumb Sunday

I was standing near the big scary Cholla yesterday, contemplating the Cape Honeysuckle and the affect of the lower night temperatures on the blooms, when I heard the distinct sound of the Cactus Wren. I looked up and perched on the Cholla, staring right at me was a darling little Cactus Wren, one of the inhabitants of the many nests in my big Cholla cactus. I quick put the camera up and took a few pictures, as she chittered and hopped among the thorny limbs. These birds are known to be quite outgoing and she seemed to be quite at ease being so near to me, but still protected in her thorny home. In reading a little about the Cactus Wren I discovered that they build many nests, but only one is the real nest for the babies, the others are decoy nests that serve as roosts. That would make sense why there are several nests in this cactus, the newest being almost in the center of the plant, and very protected by the sharp thorny arms of the cactus- hopefully her protection doesn't become her killer in the end. These little birds live on a diet of mostly insects, and a little fruit, so I love having them in my yard. The Cactus Wren is also the official state bird of Arizona. The second picture below is a shot of the newest nest in the Cholla.

I wanted to post the tiny lavendar bouganvilla flowers that are forming at last. Now all three of my Bouganvilla have begun to bloom. It was a long wait for some color on these but definitely worth the wait.

To see other Green Thumb Sunday posts from around the world, please click on the links in the blog list in my sidebar. To join in the fun yourself, please visit "As The Garden Grows".

To see other "Camera Critters" posts please visit Camera Critters.

Happy Green Thumb Sunday!