Water When Dry

Mushroom or Cactus?

2008-10-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Espostoa melanostele

This hairy cactus has developed a strange shape that makes it look somewhat like a mushroom. It is growing under the canopy of a Mesquite tree, and I think it may have etiolated because of the shade. However, it has plenty of 'hair', which usually thickens to protect the cactus from strong sunlight.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Former House Plants

2008-10-07T02:20:00.005-07:00

Zamia furfurfacea

This former houseplant is part of the Cycad family, and is commonly known as the Cardboard Plant because its leaves feel like cardboard. This odd plant is one of the 'living fossil' plants that have been around since prehistoric times. Another Cycad is the Sago Palm, and although they both resemble palms, they are not really palms at all. I've had this Zamia in the house for awhile, but decided it needed to be outside on the patio instead. It does well outdoors in USDA Zones 9-11, as long as the temperature stays above 28ºF. As much as I love plants, I really don't like to have a lot of plants in the house. I usually end up moving them outside after I get tired of looking at them cluttering up my house. Some survive, some don't, but I think this one has a good shot at thriving as a patio plant. It's drought tolerant and takes very little care.

Sansevieria trifasciata

Although this Snake Plant was a houseplant for only about five days, it still qualifies in my book as a former houseplant. At the time I purchased it, I really thought that for once I'd keep one of these in the house as a plant for a low light area, but after placing it, I decided it needed to be on the patio, just like all the other Snake Plants I've had in the past. I just didn't want to look at it every time I walked by the area I placed it, so out it went. It remained on the patio a few months, then, I decided it would make a good yard plant. I'd never seen these used in a landscape before, and one source warned that the S. trifasciata would quickly get out of control with numerous offshoots if placed in a garden. It's been in the ground for about six months now, and it has, indeed, produced quite a few offshoots. I've let them go as it has a lot of room to spread out. Once it puts out enough offshoots to fill the area to my liking, I'll start removing any new offshoots. I say this with conviction, however, I should know better. I can't seem to keep up with all the Agave pups growing around many of the Agaves in my landscape, and now I've added another garden chore!

Chrysactinia mexicana

Because this is Bloomin' Tuesday, I thought I'd better throw in a photo of one of my blooming landscape shrubs, the Damianita Daisy. When this plant is in bloom, it's gorgeous, but when it's not, it's the ugliest thing you can imagine, with woody gaps of dried stems and foliage that leave bare spots all over the plant. It blooms off and on from late spring to early fall. When the foliage is distrubed, it has a sharp, turpentine-like scent that I think is pleasant. I lost several of these shrubs this past summer, and right now, this is the only one in bloom of those that are left. I just avert my eyes when walking by the others.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Green Thumb Sunday ~ Last Of The Season

2008-10-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather has cooled, several cacti gave it one last push and produced new blooms. This Echinopsis 'Elegant Lady' was the most surprising--the bud formed and bloomed within four days!

My most reliable bloomer, Gymnocalycium baldianum, usually finishes blooming in late September, but it has produced two flowers this week.

The last Ferocactus wislizenii flowers opened Thursday. They will last another week, then shrink and dry as the others shown on this cactus.

It has been a great year for cactus flowers, probably because of the combination of heavier than normal summer rains, a spring and summer that lasted longer than usual, and an other year of growth. Sometimes one good year means a lighter flower production the next year, but I won't fret about that--not after this spectacular season. I hope you enjoyed the many cactus flowers I featured in posts over the past six months. Now that all my landscape plants, cacti and succulents have been documented in 417 posts over the past 17 months, I'll have to start using my imagination to find something to write about, or else buy some new and different plants!

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ End Of Summer

2008-09-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's the end of summer--well, almost the end. The daytime temperatures have been hovering around 100º F. but the overnight temperatures are around 72º F., cool enough to give all the plants some relief. Much is in need of trimming and shaping and the whole place needs a good blow-out and raking. Most of this will be done by a landscape maintenance crew because of the size of this place. I have to keep an eye on them as they love to go around shearing all my bushes. It's almost a compulsion for them. No matter how many times I tell crew leader, the crew, which is different each time, always has a sneaky, shear-happy individual.

The Queen's Wreath (Antigonon leptopus) has started to produce fall flowers. This variety is called Baja Red. I planted this fast-growing vine last year at this time, and it has struggled along, so it didn't grow as much as I expected. In late winter I will cut it to the ground and in spring, it will come back. Maybe next year it will really take off.

This sad looking rose (Rosa 'Tiffany') is the first one in months. It's not yet cool enough for the roses to produce nice flowers. At least I hope that's the problem. It looks deformed, but I won't get worried until late October, when the temperatures are cool enough for the plant to put some energy into the flowers.

I moved my Madagascar Palm closer into the patio a month ago to protect it during a 70 MPH wind storm, and it really loves it there. This is as lush as it's been in two years. I'll need to move it back out into more light in October, but back in again when it gets too cold. At least now, I know exactly where to keep it next summer!

Every year at this time, the skies are extra blue and clear. This will last all of October and maybe into the first few weeks of November. As it cools down later in the year, we get an air inversion, causing a smoggy look to hover over the Phoenix Metro area. I live in a semi-rural area, so it's not as bad as closer into town.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Green Thumb Sunday

2008-09-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

Baileya multiradiata

Although this poem is not well known, it is one of my favorites. I've posted it before but thought that now is a good time for it to be seen by new eyes.

Ode To Some Yellow Flowers

Rolling its blues against another blue,
the sea, and against the sky
some yellow flowers.

October is on its way.

And although
the sea may well be important, with its unfolding
myths, its purpose and its risings,
when the gold of a single
yellow plant explodes in the sand
are bound
to the soil.
They flee the wide sea and its heavings.

We are dust and to dust return.

In the end we're
neither air, nor fire, nor water,
just
dirt,
neither more nor less,
just dirt,
and maybe
some yellow flowers.

~Pablo Neruda

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Passe Plants

2008-09-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

I was going through old photos this evening, and ran across this one taken in 1975, a few months after the landscaping was installed at a new house I had purchased. The photo had faded to an odd color as photos of that era seem to do, but what struck me was how passé all the plants are today--at least here in Arizona. Not only the old-school plants, but the other elements like the railroad tie border, rooftop air conditioner, unnaturally colored granite, as well as the red lava rock used as mulch.

The plants no longer used much in desert landscaping that are shown in this photo are unsterilized Olive trees (considered an allergen), Oriental arborvitae (fine when young, but really ugly as they aged), Tam Juniper (woody and sparse as they aged), Pyracantha coccinea or Fire Thorn (high maintenance), Morning Glory (declared invasive and banned), Mulberry tree (another allergen and messy), California Pepper tree (incredibly messy) and some of the Eucalyptus trees (messy and subject to limb breakage). There are many more, but I listed these because all but two of these plants appear in this photo. The Mulberry and California Pepper tree were in the back yard.

Another reason all of these plants fell out of favor is that they all take moderate to heavy water, and over the years, homeowners who had desert landscaping in the front yards preferred more zeric plants. (Many folks still like to have a lawn and more tropical plants in the back). Very few people planted cacti in those days, but now, it's common, along with native trees and plants. The current trend is to place and use plants are they would appear in the desert. Another change is to use plants that are from Australia. Many do very well here and are low water use.

For those of you who are old enough to remember back several decades, are there any plants in your region that fell out of favor? Any landscape elements? What's new and different now? I'd be interested in hearing about them.

This is Bloomin' Tuesday, but my garden is lacking this week, but I am sure many other Bloomin' Tuesday participants will have beautiful blooms to show. Please see the link list at Ms. Green Thumb Jean's for some great flowers.

Copiapoa cinerea ~ Green Thumb Sundy

2008-09-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

Copiapoa de Philippi

The scientific name of this tiny cactus is Copiapoa cinerea. An extremely slow growing cactus, it seems as if this small specimen hasn't grown at all since I acquired it late last year. Eventually its purple color will change to a dull green, but the spines will remain the same dark color. One of the reasons it has a purple hue (other than its young age) is that I keep it in light shade. In Phoenix, it requires some summer sun protection even as it ages.

C. cinerea is native to northern Chile. There are about 20 other species and subspecies in this genera, and they are coveted for their rib formation. As this cactus grows, it will look nothing like it does in the photo. This species can reach about a foot tall and wide after many years. When I acquired it from a grower who specializes in cactus seed propagation, he referred to it as a 'gourmet' genus and species. I've seen members of this genus in cactus nurseries, but not often. Perhaps by 'gourmet', he meant semi-rare.

Eventually, this cactus will begin to offset. Most collectors remove the offsets so they will not detract from the cactus' basic form, which resembles a Golden Barrel. The flowers will be yellow.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Not Quite Fall In Denver

2008-09-16T01:36:00.000-07:00

Barnet, Vermont ~ 1990

I was hoping to see some fall foliage here in Denver where I'm visiting this week, but most everything is still lush and green. Now and then I see a tree with a trace of changing leaves, but that's it. Later this week we may drive up to higher country where the process is further along. In Phoenix, fall foliage is all but unheard of, so I was hoping to enjoy some of the bright reds and yellows of fall.

One of the best vacations I ever had was to the Northeast Kingdom Fall Foliage Festival in Vermont. Over the course of a week, we visited five villages; Walden, Groton, Barnet, Peacham, and Cabot, Vermont. Each day, we participated in various activities scheduled by the hosting village. The foliage was spectacular everywhere we went, and the activities, though a bit unsophisticated, were really fun. We had a New England Boiled Dinner in a church basement in one town, then sang old-time hymns upstairs. The next day, we visited a bird woodcarver, a Christmas tree farm, and then on to other activities in other towns. There were Clogging demonstrations, Llama farm tours, maple sap tapping, sugar house visits, and a Victorian Home Tour. Each day brought a variety of new activities.

In Peacham, I spent four hours visiting the most beautiful cemetery I've ever seen. It had huge, bright red maple trees, rolling green hills and elaborate granite headstones. I found it peaceful and fascinating. In this cemetery, some of the markers went back to the 1600s. The stones were mostly granite, as the Barre, Vermont granite quarries provided limitless granite over the centuries. In Arizona, there are not a lot of cemetery headstones before 1900, and very little carved statuary, so this was totally new to me.

One of the activities scheduled in Barnet was a pancake and maple syrup breakfast at a local church. the photo above was taken looking down on a valley near the small church cemetery. Although I've had numerous vacations since to far more exotic places, this 1990 vacation remains my favorite.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

On My Way To Denver ~ GTS

2008-09-14T01:48:00.004-07:00

Finally, I have a chance to get out of town! I'm on my way to Denver for several days to visit my son and his family. The last time I was there, I took this photo of an unidentified, simple white flower. The photo isn't the best, but I kept it because I liked the way the petals appear to be made of paper.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Late Summer Patio Ritual

2008-09-13T00:45:00.003-07:00

Every summer, I paint a rock. Just one rock. I've been doing this for years, ever since my daughter came for a visit and she brought a bag of rocks to paint. She had taken a class, or learned the technique from someone. I don't remember. She was good at painting animals and such, but I stuck to adding random colors without any plan. It is very relaxing, for some odd reason.

I just added this summer's rock. I keep them in a shallow pot on the patio. This time of year, it is a little cooler in the evenings, so sitting on the patio is tolerable. Every once in a while, I go through the pot, pull out a rock, and remember the events of the year I painted it. It is an odd ritual, but I enjoy it. And, as an added bonus, the pot of colorful rocks serves as yard art!

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Mellow Yellow

2008-09-09T03:16:00.008-07:00

Parodia magnifica

P. magnifica has bloomed about once a month since May, its best year yet. I have a pair of these in the same container. They are the same age and size, and being in the same pot, they get equal treatment. However, the other one has only managed one flowering. Go figure.

Gymnocalycium schickendantzii

This is the first flower for this G. schickendantzii, and I'm surprised at its size! The cactus is larger than it appears in this photo. It's in an eight inch pot, and the flower is almost as large as the cactus. G. schicendantzii flowers can range from white to red. As I've mentioned before, it seems when a flower color is in question--I always seem to get yellow! This flower has lasted four days so far, and it still looks good. That makes up for any disappointment that the flower color wasn't white or pink.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

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Green Thumb Sunday ~ Echinopsis

2008-09-07T01:34:00.002-07:00

This is the first flower to bloom on the offset of the Echinopsis x 'Los Angeles' I showed on Tuesday's post. The flower is a deeper pink than the mother plant. I think I like this color better. As the offset grows, so will the flower size.

Although the three reds look alike, they are actually three different Echinopsis hybrids, and in person, each one has a slightly different hue. The white bloom is Echinopsis x 'Elegant Lady'.

Echinopsis candicans has produced flowers seven times since March, which sometimes happens when we have good rain. Although it is still hot, we had one overcast day where the temperature stayed below 100 degrees--just enough cool-off for this flower to last until about 11 AM, which is rare in summer.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Illumination

2008-09-02T02:54:00.011-07:00

I love taking photos in the very late afternoon. I think it's interesting to see how cactus spines look when the last rays of the sun illuminate them. Here are a few I took last evening.

And, because this is Bloomin' Tuesday, here is cactus flower that opened yesterday. It loves rain, and seems to bloom every time we have summer rains.

Echinopsis x 'Los Angeles'

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Green Thumb Sunday ~ One Lone Cactus Flower

2008-08-31T01:40:00.014-07:00

Gymnocalycium mesopotamicum

Our recent storms have wreaked a lot of havoc in my garden, but one bright spot in the week was one lone flower that opened after it rained. We've been cleaning up the damage, which included four downed Mesquite trees in my front yard, which are now chips in the local landfill. Those trees had been staked and restaked after storms over the past three years, but this time the 75 mph winds toppled them and broke most of the major roots, so they had to be removed.

I keep telling myself I had too many trees anyway, but it's not working. Every time I look outside, it makes me sad. However, the trees will not be replaced. I just can't go through this whole process again.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Barrels

2008-08-26T00:25:00.001-07:00

Ferocactus cylindraceus

Ferocactus wislizenii

Ferocactus cylindraceus

It's Barrel Cactus blooming season, and all of my barrels have flowers now. Each cactus, even those in the same species have slightly different color flowers. The flowers are long lasting, and the Barrels will continue producing flowers until late September.

Ferocactus wislizenii Fruit/Seedpod

This seedpod was still on the cactus from last year's flower. It sometimes takes a whole year before the seedpods dry and drop off the cactus. I split it open so you can see the numerous black seeds inside the pod.

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Banned Down Under ~ Green Thumb Sunday

2008-08-24T00:15:00.001-07:00

Opuntia paraguayensis

This is the first flowering for my small Paraguay Cactus. I was expecting orange flowers, but not surprisingly...more yellow. Sometimes I think that there's something about my garden that causes so many cacti I have to unexpectedly produce yellow flowers! These blooms are late--most all my other Prickly Pear species bloomed a couple of months ago.

This species of Prickly Pear is banned in Australia because it can become quite invasive. Compared to other Prickly Pear species I have, this one is very slow growing, so I don't think I'll have any problems in that regard.

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Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Beautifully Dangerous

2008-08-19T01:51:00.001-07:00

No blooms today, but I did put together a slide show of cactus spines. I've featured spines before, but these are all new.

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Review ~ Green Thumb Sunday

2008-08-17T02:05:00.000-07:00

Absolutely nothing is blooming in my garden, so I've added a slide show of some of the flower photos I've featured in the past. If you move your mouse over the photo, it will tell you the genus and species of each flower.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

New Baby

2008-08-15T02:13:00.001-07:00

Opuntia phaeacantha

Several of my Prickly Pear species are currently putting on new pads, which sometimes happens this time of year, probably because of the summer rains. The strange looking little nubs become the thorns as the pad grows.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Waiting for Fall

2008-08-12T03:28:00.007-07:00

I have around 100 potted cacti sitting on my north-facing patio, patiently waiting for fall. Every summer I move all these pots to this location because the sun is just too intense for most of them, which are not native. In the fall, I place them where they can get full sun.

If we have a cold spell in winter, I will move the cold sensitive cacti back under the patio and cover them.

I think the variations in spines and shapes and colors are fascinating, but it is a lot of work to move these pots back and forth. I really have too many cacti that are sun or cold sensitive. Perhaps I should consider a greenhouse!

We had another quarter inch of rain last week, so several cacti decided to put out another round of flowers. This Argentine Giant is ready to bloom. I took this photo at about noon, but did miss the open flowers, which occurred after dusk. I think the buds are as pretty as the flowers in their own way.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

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Soleri Wind Bells

2008-08-06T01:00:00.007-07:00

Soleri wind bells are designed by world famous architect Paolo Soleri. The bells are all original and are cast in bronze, with a lovely green to turquoise or from orange to red patina.

This is a Cause Bell; however, since I've had it for years, I no longer remember the cause. Perhaps it was something as obvious as saving the pelicans. These bronze bells have a beautifully clear tone. I have six of them in various sizes and configurations.

If the neighbors can have barking dogs and roaming cats, then I can have my wind bells and chimes!

I'm gone for the rest of the week, attending Arts Unraveled, an annual artist's retreat, where I'm taking several art classes. See you next week when I get back to my garden.

August Desert Garden ~ Bloomin' Tuesday

2008-08-05T00:15:00.001-07:00

The day began with blue skies. The lowest temperature the night before was 95º F. As the day progressed the temperatures rose to 108º F.

By afternoon, the clouds had rolled in, bringing with them a doubling of the relative humidity, but not a drop of rain.

Late afternoon, not breeze in sight--the kinetic wind sculpture was completely immobile, a very rare occurrence. This usually signals that a storm will be coming. The proverbial calm before then storm!

By sunset, the clouds parted a bit to let the last rays of the sun splash across my garden. Still no rain. Then around midnight, we received .07 inches of rain in five minutes. That was it! Just another typical August day in my garden.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

One Last Push ~ Green Thumb Sunday

2008-08-03T01:30:00.010-07:00

Unless we get more rain soon, I imagine these will be the last of my flowers until fall. This is the extent of what's blooming in my garden this week. It's as if the plants feel the need to give it one last push before giving up until cooler weather.

The Last Sunflower

Wind was the cause of the premature death of my sunflower stand. Luckily, I snapped this photo the day before. There were no buds, so perhaps the wind ended a prolonged demise. One thing I love about sunflowers that I don't find in cacti flowers; as the season moves on, the sunflowers get larger. Cactus flowers get smaller.

Catharanthus roseus

Sometimes identified as Vinca, there really is a difference. I find the simplicity of these flowers very appealing, and that white is really pure white!

Gymnocalycium monvillei

My educated guess last year as to the species of the cactus turned out to be right. However, rather than a few years away from blooming, this cactus came through with an early flower this past week!

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join

Leaf Sculpture

2008-08-02T00:26:00.001-07:00

The alternate bipinnately compound leaves of the Red Bird of Paradise shrub (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) are blue-green and feathery. Many desert shrubs and trees have bipinnate leaves.

An Old Standard

2008-07-31T00:30:00.004-07:00

In late February for the past 10 years or so, I've purchased a hanging basket from Lowe's, filled with Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) and Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina) to place in a tall patio planter. I spend about $13, an inexpensive way to have a great spot of color on my patio for a few months, until the hot weather does it in, usually by June 15. When I first place it in the planter, I cut off the wires and the hook for hanging, and then just watch it grow. This year my plant has continued to thrive well past its expected expiration date, and is now sweeping the patio floor. I've trimmed it a couple of times just to keep it off the floor, but otherwise, I do nothing to it but water.

I think the reason it is doing so well is that this year I started watering it twice a day beginning in mid-June. It's amazing to me that the root system can support all this foliage. The size of this arrangement is deceptive. The pot it's in is an 8" pot with a depth of 6". That pot is sitting inside a large ceramic planter pot, and the planted pot is resting on another pot turned upside down.

Each year when I see the arrangement moving toward its demise, I take off a few cuttings and place them in a vase in the house. Those cuttings can last for years in the vase if I choose to let them go.