Cactus blooms in the spring garden

We've been busy in the garden this week taking advantage of the cool weather and finishing up projects before the summer heat sets in.  This has been a special season for cacti blooms in the garden--most are blooming for the first time.  Today I'll share a few of those pretty blooms from this week.

This unknown Mammalaria has produced a wreath of pink blooms around the top after two years in our collection.  It is frost sensitive and spends the winter in a small greenhouse.

Devil of a Bloom!

 It's been a good year for cactus blooms with milder than usual weather the last few weeks.  On Tuesday this Devil's Tongue barrel cactus (Ferocactus latispinus) bloomed for the first time.  Bright purple and similar to a straw flower it waited through a string of cloudy days to burst into bloom when the sun appeared in the afternoon.

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.