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Friday, April 19, 2013

Random Garden Bits for Friday

Today seems like a good day to post some random garden pictures and things that made me smile recently.

The claret cup cactus I received at the swap two weeks ago opened two blooms at once.  Like a cute little frog looking at you.  Claret cup blooms last about two days.



The small barrel cactus I featured on Monday's Bloomday post bloomed again yesterday, this time with a double bloom.


These are gorgeous coral blooms that only last a day.


We had a nice rain again Thursday morning which is very beneficial to the garden this time of year.  The coral hesperaloe blooms are looking especially nice since we started using deer repellent on them.  The deer usually get to them first.


A request from Texas garden writer Cherie Foster Colburn to use one of my blog photos in a presentation made me smile too.  Her request elicited an even bigger smile when she identified the photo as this one of bluebonnets having gone to seed.

 

Of course, it's one of the ugliest I've ever posted!  Cherie is speaking to a group of Master Gardeners this week on the subject of wildflowers and plans to show that they have seasons.  Sometimes those seasons aren't pretty.  I'd call that the "if you want a wildflower meadow in your lawn be prepared for this" approach.  The "Growing Texas Bluebonnets from Seed" post has turned out to be one of my most popular.  Here's a similar view from March.



And bluebonnets always get a smile from me.

Happy Friday!
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18 comments:

  1. outlawgardenerApril 19, 2013 at 9:06 AM

    Thanks for sharing the smiles! Congratulations on your picture being used in Cherie's talk! Your cactus frog/owl is very cute. One or two days seems like such a short time, do more blooms replace them or are these plants with a very brief bloom time?

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    Replies
    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 1:38 PM

      They bloom briefly in the spring and then sit there looking like cacti for the rest of the year.

      Delete
  2. Linda/patchworkApril 19, 2013 at 10:41 AM

    Great blooms.

    I might try Bluebonnets again, sometime. The ones I planted a couple years ago, didn't work out too well...one bloomed, and it got deer-eaten.

    We got a small amount of rain. Guess we have to take whatever we can get.

    Have a great weekend.

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    Replies
    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 1:40 PM

      We get good results from treating the seeds first as outlined in the post.

      Delete
  3. danger gardenApril 19, 2013 at 11:01 AM

    Love the flower frog!

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    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 1:41 PM

      So glad I could hand out a few smiles today.

      Delete
  4. RohrerbotApril 19, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    Hello Shirley Fox:) I'm loving the blooms. We're not quite there yet in Tucson. Yuma however is in full swing spring as is Phoenix. I am so in the garden this weekend. Your area in the backyard gave me some ideas for our our fountain area and I can't wait to put some cool plants around those areas. It's going to be awesome!

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    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 1:42 PM

      Will look for that post soon Chris!

      Delete
  5. David C.April 19, 2013 at 12:51 PM

    Nice overview, even if the first two photos feel like I looked at one of the other non-existant garden blogs from NM! Seeing wildflowers' ugly seasons is so important, I think, even if Monet never painted flowery scenes in the other 8 months.

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    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 1:46 PM

      At least you'll be moving to a place where landscaping is important which is pretty much anywhere. Churches and haystacks the rest of the time.

      Delete
  6. rickiApril 19, 2013 at 4:33 PM

    Lucky for us you caught those brief blooms through your lens.

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    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 4:52 PM

      I find things to do in the front garden when they are blooming so I can enjoy their brief stay with us.

      Delete
  7. AlisonApril 19, 2013 at 4:45 PM

    I love the frog flowers! What a beautiful color they are. I have an Opuntia that might bloom some day, but not any time soon. So far it's just sitting there. At least it isn't mush. The closest I'll probably get in the meantime is a Portulaca. There's something so wonderfully rich and exotic about cactus flowers.

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    Replies
    1. ShirleyApril 19, 2013 at 4:50 PM

      I agree and often think the Portulaca and Purslane flowers are the closest in color to these cactus flowers. The colors are both bright and delicate at the same time. I think you can only find these colors in succulents or desert flowers.

      Delete
  8. Beth at PlantPostingsApril 19, 2013 at 8:39 PM

    Thanks for sharing the smiles. We all need them so much lately. Lovely blooms!

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  9. HolleyGardenApril 20, 2013 at 8:36 AM

    I've often wondered, if we are told to plant in threes, or odd numbers, why many plants bloom in twos. Seems like Mother Nature often forgets the rule of design!

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  10. Donna@Gardens Eye ViewApril 20, 2013 at 2:22 PM

    Beautiful bluebonnets and cactus in bloom.

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  11. Heather/xericstyleApril 21, 2013 at 1:11 PM

    The first picture looks like a cute little bug-eyed toad :) Everything is looking so pretty Shirley!

    ReplyDelete

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