Thursday, October 25, 2012

Around the Block: Cactus Blooms

Down the street and around the corner is a garden I enjoy seeing whenever I pass by.  On a recent morning these cactus blooms invited a closer look.



The blooms look similar to cereus and that's the closest I can get to guessing the name of this one.  Those are Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) rosettes in the gravel just waiting to make their spring showing about five months from now.


Good thing I stopped when I did as the blooms were finished by the time I saw them again later that same day.  I've posted about this garden before and you'll likely see more from this lovely garden in the spring.

18 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Glad you stopped to get a close-up.

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    1. It was so stunning to see while just driving along.

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  2. Nice surprise - I hear you on short-blooming of some cacti!

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    1. Most of them fade in one day, we have so few cloudy days. The opuntia flowers stay longer it seems.

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  3. Beautiful! Looks like a San Pedro cactus to me - Echinopsis pachanoi. They are so pretty and quite hardy!

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    1. P.S. I just looked up cereus - man...could be that also! Are these sister cacti or what!!!????

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    2. It's San Pedro, thank you Chris. It seems to go by two different botanical names which is why I hesitated to name it. San Pedro is apparently hardy in our area and I often see them available at nurseries.

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  4. Just incredible. The cereus is one of my favorite plants in my garden. I have 3 growing around various places at El Presidio and I'm spreading them around because they are magic...truly. Whether they have flowers or not, it's my favorite. San Pedro cactus:)

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    1. San Pedro it is, thank you Chris. Cereus flowers are beautiful and the foliage is always interesting shapes.

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  5. Beautiful, beautiful cactus in bloom! Brightened my day. Thanks!

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    1. I try my best to brighten the days for those of you in cold, rainy PNW.

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  6. Replies
    1. Yes, I think one should be added to our gardens this spring.

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  7. Almost too perfect to be true...so maybe fitting that if you blink, you will miss it.

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    1. Even in person you have to look twice to ensure they are real.

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  8. So interesting how the blooms just come out of the cactus like that! Enjoyed seeing this - and the background looks lovely, too.

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    1. It is interesting since most blooms appear on top of the cactus. The owners are obviously gardeners, I hope they will be out sometime when I stop by.

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  9. That cactus and its blooms are truly beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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