Aztcqn's Prickly Sphere's of Charm
This Spring I've noticed this little guy's no longer that.
My rebutia narvaecense has hulked out since last summer!
Crazy difference as it's grown 3 times the size I bought it at AND instead of 2 flowers it now sports 40 buds! LOVE this little guy. NOw three flowers open, but if it opens the rest all at once, I will be ecstatic!
:]
This post was edited by aztcqn on Thu, May 1, 14 at 14:40
Comments (151)
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoYeah, the washer dudes could, definitely, have been conscientious about it. Well, I'm sure, one day he'll find his just washed clothes on the floor in the laundry room…..
>;PI looked at the label which helpfully describes one as a haworthia. : / The other label indicates venusa tesselata.
I think they're both the same species, just different personality. :]This yellow echi was a nice rich color. Only lasted one day. I do like the lighter lemon yellow to butter cream pastel colors. I'm hoping the other one is like that.
It's odd what BBS's will contain. I'm impressed with the nice variety of phaleanopsis they carry. The hunt for long lost elements can be a sort of treasure hunt. It is a neat feeling when you find something similar and even nicer, after least expecting it. Hope you find like or ones that are even better than.
Thought I'd post another inhabitant. I also like "air plants" or tillandsias .
I've had this for more than 12 years. It was rather expensive when I bought it. I've seen a few at shows, but not as nice a flower as this. I do think this one is especially nicely shaped and colored.
Now it has split into 3 large plants. I'm fascinated by the pure white with purple edging. Makes for a pretty flower. They are also nicely fragrant.I really do love gardens, gardening and just being among the beauty and calming effect of greenery.
Related Discussions
Roses that are suitable for "limbing up".
Comments (20)I am a horrible meddler with this sort of thing - definately, some roses are more receptive to this than others. My first major success (although that is probably only in my eyes!) was with a huge moyesii - an enormous shrub which is terribly stingy with basals and a tendency to have gaunt, rigid, thorny and totally bare 'legs'. There is now a Forest Pansy cercis growing as an understorey with Russian sage poking through while the whole crown of the rose towers above - it looks rather well. Encouraged, I started limbing up a few climbers (Meg, Altissimo, a huge Scharlachglut and Iceberg) - any rose which has sufficient rigidity does well - A Graham Thomas grows on top of a 7foot wall while mutabilis is underneath in my garden at home. It was a combination of necessity - having to use as much height while making the maximum use of the tiny growing areas available - and curiosity - I am addicted to mucking about with plants, especially pruning and grafting although hybridising is still a bit of a fail for me). Have only just managed to stop short of attempting espaliers and step-over roses. Roses which have not enjoyed this pruning and training regime(raising the crown, thinning out but definately not grown as standards or tree roses as such) tend to have a fair bit of multiflora - they just cannot be easily kept within bounds and take up too much ground area. Hybtid musks - well, Penelope shows promise (again, a bit mean with basal growth and exactly the right sort of sparse canes) while Moonlight or Buff Beauty are respectively too vigorous (the canes are too slender and long) or just too lax and sprawly. In shady gardens, a rose will naturally stretch for light so limbing roses is a way of working with the hand you have been dealt - in my tiny garden,Zepherine Drouhin, grows against a high north-facing wall and the entire height of the rose is naked and in shade - just a couple of long bare canes tight against the wall - white martagons, ferns and hellebores do a sterling job of concealing the canes) while at the top of the structure it arches forward over a 4 foot wide pergola, flinging out long laterals over the garden like a green roof. Previously, it was a mildewy mess but the ventilation increase of arching through the air instead of huddling against a dark wall has turned a problem into a triumph (slight hopeful exaggeration here). So, this is well worth experimenting with - Sophies Perpetual is next on my list as well as a very upright moss, Mme Louis Leveque. Will probably be having a good prune of Darlow's Enigma (as it is going to block the vegetable garden paths if not curtailed). Falstaff would definately be a good Austin to try. It is a fairly useful way of utilising posts, especially when traditional pillar techniques are not appropriate - I grow some roses absolutely upright and either grow a clematis or something like mina lobata or eccremocarpus or simply leave the upright canes bare as with standard wisteria - as long as the roses can make some horizontal growth over an arch, it will flower profusely. Hmmm, thinking about this question has made me realise that many of my roses are pruned and trained in exactly this way - a good way of maximising space and it looks, to my eyes, graceful and abundant if other planting is encouraged to fill in around the base of the roses....See MoreMy Herd of Pricklys in FLower
Comments (17)Hi notolover, Thanks! I used to work at an orchid nursery, years ago, and became enamored with exotics since then. Actually my first interest in growing anything as a group were cactuses. Decades ago, I had several no -names, but the flowers were so charming. They were probably lobelia or echinopsis. I lost most through improper care - grew them like California desert cactus and let the rains have them in winter. :[ But, with knowledge and re-newed interest, I'v set aside an area to grow the echinopsis beauties I didn't know were so acquirable. Here's my first Schick blooms -Serape which has a 4 inch flower! KT Event, slightly smaller than This post was edited by aztcqn on Thu, Jun 27, 13 at 23:27...See MoreAztcqn's Spiky & Fat Herd
Comments (197)This is a good year for cactus blooms. They got kicked around by spider mites last year, but, I think I got them under control and onto annihilating the little bastards. The reason I work at this... Prometheus...See MoreFix this ugly side yard in AZ!
Comments (8)Lush in the desert is not impossible, especially if you are willing to drag out the hose and water once or twice a week to get things established in their first year or two (a task best done at dawn at this time of year). With no picture, it is hard to make suggestions. One approach would be to plant a grove of trees, and then mix in some shrubs, and then under-plant the trees with some smaller plants. I'd start with trees, both for general effect and to shelter smaller plants. If you must phase planting for budget reasons, definitely start with trees. Here are some ideas to get you started. Trees: Velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) can be quite lush in summer, and is only semi-deciduous (the leaves thin out in winter, but it does not go completely bare). Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) has a more open airy form. With no irrigation in winter it can be completely deciduous, but with some year-round water it can be evergreen. Chilean mesquite (Prosopis chilensis) crosses readily with other mesquites, so it is hard to say what kind you are really getting. but, in general, it has shiny dark reddish bark on the the twigs, and fewer and longer thorns than other mesquites, and there are some hybrids or crosses with no thorns. They are quick growing, even more so with some watering during the warm season. Sweet acacia (Acacia farnesiana) is airy and open and covered with heavily-perfumed yellow blossoms in late winter. Mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) is an evergreen with very dark foliage, very tough even in brutal sunlight. Be very specific about the Latin name when buying this one, as other types of pisacia gets huge and needs a lot of water. Texas Ebony (Pithecellobium flexicaule Also known by Ebenopsis ebano) has lush dark evergreen green leaves, pale grey bark. Palo verde (Parkinsonia florida) are everywhere for the good reason that they flourish here. They are essentially leafless (they photsynthesize through their green bark), but make a pleasant very bright shade under which other plants can thrive. And they are blanketed with yellow blossoms in April. Texas olive (Cordia boissieri) is a handsome tree with large leaves. In spring it produces clusters of trumpet-shaped blossoms with golden throats, and then produces a fruit that looks a bit like an olive. Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) is a little-known but charming small tree. Its leaves turn pretty yellow in fall, and the bare winter branches have curious nut-like seed pods that are shaped like sleigh-bells. In spring, pink blossoms emerge directly from the bark, and then it is clothed in leaves again. Note that most desert trees have a tendency to grow multiple trunks with branches that sweep down toward the ground. They really can be oversized shrubs. But if shoots are snipped away from the base, they can be trained up into trees high enough to walk under. Shrubs Yes, there are shrubs that can do okay in the desert. Leucophyllum do well in full sun. They go under various names such as Texas ranger and New Mexico Sage. Some species have medium green leaves, others have silver leaves. During monsoon humidity they bear flushes of pink or lilac blossoms. Another full-sun shrub is little-leaf cordia (Cordia parvifolia). It has a large open airy arching form, pale grey green leaves. In the most brutal hot weather it produces delicate white blossoms of purest white, with a slightly crumpled crepe like form. Dalea comes in many heights that range from knee height at maturity, to shoulder-height at maturity. They have millions of tiny evergreen leaves, and produce many small panacles of blossoms in various shades of violet. There is one yellow-blossomed short type (can't remember the name), and there is tall bluish lavender fall blooming type called Monterey blue. Desert butterfly bush (Buddleia marrubiifolia) does well in blistering sun and heat. It has silvery leaves, and little button-shaped blossom heads of golden orange, that are scented like saffron. It grows about should height. Senna (Senna artemisioides and others) do well in severe desert sun. There are several kinds, most introduced from the deserts of Australia, but not invasive. Choose a type with the leaf form you like best: feathery, blade-like, or knife-edged. They produce quantities of waxy bright yellow flowers in very early spring. Mexican bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) may seem common, but a big healthy plant gives a nice lush look, almost tropical. Once established, it can be cut to the ground every fall and it will produce denser growth each successive year. Chuparosa (Justicia californica) is not considered a very impressive plant, but I would not be without it. It has long spindly pale green stems with a few leaves in summer. Then, in winter when it is leafless, it produces tubular scarlet blossoms for months, which are visited by hummingbirds non-stop. The above shrubs flourish in blazing desert sun, but if they are gradually shaded by trees growing up around them, they keep performing well, though some will produce leggy new growth. Shade plants: Once you have some shade established, you'll be able to grow some shade-preferring shrubs. Yes, there is such a thing. Here are a few of my favorites: Mexican honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera). It has light bright green leaves, and tubular orange blossoms (great to attract hummingbirds). When you see it in a nursery you may recognize it as a plant that looks unhappy around gas stations. This is because it is unhappy in full sun, and developes an ugly broom-like stiffness if shorn. Just let it grown naturally and it is quite graceful and charming. Turks turban (Malvaviscus arboreus drummondii) likes summer shade and winter sun, so it succeeds if planted just under the south edge of a tree that will shelter in from summer midday sun and winter frost, but where the low winter sun can reach it. It has broad papery evergreen leaves, and in fall produces little spiral scarlet blossoms that continue until frost (through frost if you cover it). Mexican dioon (Dioon edule) is a silvery-green version of the dark green tropical pineapple palm (a.k.a. sago palm), but it is well suited to our desert climate, unlike its tropical cousin. It does well in a very bright filtered light such as under an acacia or palo verde. Wandering Jew (Tradescantia pallida) now sold as purple heart, is a native of Mexico, does will in our desert, and add colored foliage. It can be used as a ground cover, but I find its tumbling habit is best shown off in a pot or even in a hanging basket among the tree branches. It gets a little beat-up looking by late winter; I just cut it back and new growth comes in rapidly. I ordinarily would not recommend a tropical plant for the low desert, but I love star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and it does well in bright shade, for example against a north-facing wall. Once established, it can get along with only a little water; this may produce a sparse plant, but the blossoms are just as intoxicating each spring. Cacti and Succulents The above list can give an overly-shrubby unstructured result. Some definition and structure can come with cacti and succulents. Oddly, cacti and succulents can contribute to a lush tropical look when planted under trees and among shrubs. Almost all cacti and succulents prefer afternoon shade or dappled shade. Those with a lot of all-over thorns can end up getting rather cluttered with leaf debris. It doesn't bother the cactus, but it may look messy to you. At any rate, when introducing cacti and succulents consider a mix of forms: posts, spheres, starbursts, spindles, paddles. For posts, look to totem pole cacti, mexican fencepost cacti, peruvian apple cacti, golden torch cacti. These all get anywhere from five to fifteen feet tall. For spheres, look to barrel cacti. Golden barell and red-hook barrels stay very spherical and the color of their spines is beautiful with the low morning or evening light streaming through them. For starburst shapes, consider any of the many many forms of yuccas, desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri), and any of the many many types of agave. They grow to differeing mature sizes, so research the peak size of the kinds that interest you. Note that with Agaves you can snip off the last quarter inch of the black spines so they are not quite so lethal. A few aloe plants are pretty much frost-proof. They look a lot like agaves but pointed tips are not as forbidding, and they produce interesting pinkish-orange flowers every spring. Among the tougher ones are Aloe ferox and Aloe vera. Although they can take a lot of direct sun, they seem happier in bright dappled shade. For spindle forms there is slipper plant (Pedilanthus macrocarpus), a collection of leafless 9or almost leafless) slighly wobbly waxen green sticks that produce curious pinkish-orange blossoms in the heat of monsoon season. They can reach six or eight feet in height, and fairly quickly send up additional shoots around the periphery to produce more and more spindles. If grown in shade, the nearly-straight spindles take on wonderfully crooked and swoopy shapes. Another spindly shaped plant is cadellila (Euphorbia antisyphilitica). It produces dense clumps of pencil shaped stems that reach only about ten or fifteen inches in height. In early summer they are covered with minascule greyish-pink blossoms. Given their diminutive height, I grow them in pots in full desert sun. Paddle cactus are the many types of prickly pear or Opuntia. The kinds that arch down and touch the ground take root and often become impenetrable havens for pack rats and mice (which equals snakes). Look for ones with an upright growth habit, or take off paddles before they touch the ground, easily done with the fireplace tongs or a dedicated garden set of kitchen tongs. Look for shapes or colors that interest you (the santa-rita prickly pear is purplish; the beaver-tail prickly pear is almost blue). Gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida) is a north African plant, and not actually a cactus. It grows in blistering sun, reaches about fifteen to twenty inches in height. In spring it produces heads of chartreuse blossoms. As they finish blooming, the stems die and need to be sliced out just as new stems emerge, an annual ten-minute task. Well, these are just a few tips to get you started. If you use a rake or hoe to pull surface soil inward around a new plant to form a ring-shaped dike, it makes weekly watering with a hose easy cuz the water stays where you want it. Look up each of the plants listed above, using the full two-word Latin name in quotation marks to get you to the intended plant, and then you can see pictures and read more about origins, care, size, soil, etc. By way of inspiration, here is a photo of what I did with my desolate back yard of beaten dirt and rock, using desert plants. (if the photo loads)....See Moreplantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI can imagine your garden will be filled with very interesting species grown to specimen sizes with educated care.
;] Good aspiration.I'm trying same, but since all are babies, will try to be patient....
This is the new Rose Quartz. Round flowers!! This is how I've always seen pics of. I'm pretty convinced the ones I have are seedlings of similar cross.
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI am in love with this flower!
This is a no-name hybrid I acquired from eBay.
It's 4 inches across and has that much pale washed yellow I love with butter yellow mid vein and trim. This is my kind of yellow.
This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 15:34
aztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoGymnocalycium horstii. Not the best shaped flower, but, a yard resident for a long time. Been a couple of years since I've gotten to see it in open state.
This post was edited by aztcqn on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 6:47
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoSo, my Mom can be a great help in the yard. Like a busy bee raking and watering. I asked her to help cut up branches for trash and when I turned my back, she kept going on over to the calandriana! Said it was ratty. Where I had one large community, I now have 7-8 "new" plants. : /
I call her the human termite. Lol.
This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 14:01
mushibu10
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI just love Cacti flowers so much better than anythoyher plant?
earlier in thread you asked me about a stapelia in the back found I have;
s. variegata, and gigantea
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHi mushibu, The long slim one was the photobombing plant in background! Would like to see when the flowers bloom on these!
Planto, Hm, protecting from shadows, here. I wanna see flowers! It's been in yard for over a decade in worse conditions-full sun lack of consistent water. In my case I'll err on the side of a little too much sun. I'm thinking, so far in my experience, it's more important that they receive water at the right times, esp. during higher temps. I believe the horstii can handle the direct sunlight because it's been acclimated to it over the years.....
Perhaps, in small increments the gymno mihanovichii can be brought to tolerate a little more?Well, to help get over the loss of my beautiful variegated haworthia, I invited some new friends into the garden.
There's more green in them AND they came with long fat roots! Sundewd was right on when he mentioned that the pale, one I stressed, over was sold un-established and pushed deep into the pot to hide it's lack of solid roots. All the leaves on that one are turning watery. The crown hasn't yet, will be surprising if it doesn't.Blagh, onto renewed positive growing attempts.
This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 15:56
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIs that the gymno? Nice! Looks like an echi hybrid......
And post pics. Most curious to see the explosion.Another thing I've noticed is that the gymno horstii responded to consistent feeding last year and part of this....even in full sun it is a deep green. I believe it's due to the kelp emulsion it received.
On a more annoying note, I can't seem to get the watering right for the echis! My gut reaction to watering sparingly is not indicated for these alpine growers. I wait too long and the buds fall off. :[
Dangit!No prickle flowers atm, so here's a balloon flower in lovely shade of blue.....
This post was edited by aztcqn on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 7:41
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoplantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoplantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOh my, that's a heck of a climate. When it gets hot here for days, they call it earthquake weather. But quakes are the norm, here, just can't feel them all.
Poor little plants trying to adapt to the odd weather extremes. Makes you really appreciate how they are designed for there particular native areas.
I wish we had a good dump of rain….now, Cali is considered in severe drought.
I've always wondered how concerned the state regulators/legislaturers are about it when the golf courses are still glowing green while they may put out a ration for the drinking public. Doesn't make sense…. Alarming that it basically comes down to who will pay for it…not who needs it….I always wondered why they don't have catch reservoirs for all the run-off that floods the channels briefly every year. That would be a good investment or a program to help folks set up rain barrels that can be filtered for drinking. But, then the state wouldn't get to profit…..so no push for it.
Hey, rock picking upping is a street cleaning service! ;] I've begun to hunt around the yard for stray rocks for my month old emerging succulent diorama projects.
I really love the many different ideas I see on Pinterest. It's another way to be creative in 3D.Yeah must like the pretty ones…..a quick burst then theirs gone. I wonder if that adds to the obsession to get them to bloom, because they are fleeting and sometimes have to be teased out with food, the right amount of water and perfect sun.
SO, no cactus blooms, but one of my favorite orchids produced it's beautiful deep purple flower. Love this plant in particular. It's a zygopetalum. Trick is to get it to bloom more than 2 flowers at a time. This year experimenting with actual attention and love to all my plant kingdom representatives.
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI remember hearing about the drought in Cali, but it didn't occur to me that the golf courses for the rich folks are probably still green. That's sad.
No offense, but it sounds like your state government does a lot of odd things... Don't get me started on politics! Okay, I won't get myself started.
Yes, that could be part of the obsession. There are plenty of night blooming cacti out there. Good thing I don't have one of those. I am a night owl, but I think going outside at night while Hubby is sleeping would surely wake him up.
Purple is my favorite color. I wasn't aware there was such an orchid with such a dark purple flower.
I guess I ought to stop complaining about the rain, someone obviously enjoyed it.
Planto
aztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOdd Cali, Yeah most obvious when the Terminator was elected.......Ok, no politics only cute flowering cactus and orchids and such! :D
Speaking of cute, that one seems super happy. Love its triple pinwheel flowers! Hope you don't have to give up your herd.The purple zygo is one of my very favorite orchid types. They grow really well outdoors, here. But the color of that lip is unreal. My favorite color scheme is the blue violets shades edging toward red as in crimson. I love those intense colors in flowers and cars. Also, currently, I seem to be drawn to the blue /green and blue grey succulents I'm coming across. So neat to see a non-green leaf.
Having said all that about intense blood colored hues, here's a currently flowering epidendrum (reed) orchid hybrid in soft yellow. ;]
Sigh, Okay, today I bought some pots to organize and consolidate the myriad little pots of succulents every where......time to get to work!
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoplantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoplantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOMG! Those are beautiful big blooms!!! I've always wanted some of the mini parodias. I've seen one with a yellow flower crown that looks so cute. Never saw one with such huge flowers. You have a winner, there!
Oh no worries! I just know how the mind works when newly faced with a dilemma. Glad you resolved to keep your babies.
Monsterizing plant's not a bad quality to have. NIce to have super powered dirt. Only time mine's super powered is when I add blood and bone meal to newly potted plantings. Plants respond so well to that. I tell my mom plants are little vampire carnivores. If they had thought bubbles there'd be like an Audrey alter ego screaming "Feed Me!" Oh yeah, and then the possums dig everything up.......sigh.No more cacti flowers. I am suspecting the tree canopy has become too dense over them. Sunlight is probably not enough. Only new flowering in the garden is another laelia hybrid. This one I've had for a few years. So nice to re-aquaint with it this week! Forgot it was a bicolor. It's scented, too.
This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jun 20, 14 at 19:15
aztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHere's a new favorite!!!
sulcorebutia vanbaelii. This one will be spectacular with a many flowered flush next year...can't wait.
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoVery nice! So full and deep hued.
Here's mine. A spikier and redder version.
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoA small focal of beauty in my world. I think it's a chamaeolobivia in tangerine. A rescue from a corner of oblivion at a local nursery. Not a good picture this time. But, any bloom, even a blurry one from my garden is better than last Friday's terrible experience.
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHi Planto,
This happened Friday
I lost my great car. Spent longer looking for it than I owned it....;[,,,,,
This post was edited by aztcqn on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 21:34
aztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoplantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOh no, the pressure washing zealot is back?! So unfair that you can't feel your plants are safe where they are. Wind can be annoying, but, it don't gotta brain. Humans, on the other hand, don't have an excuse for laziness or blatant inconsideration or worse destructiveness. It makes me mad, when one is conscientious and worry about not imposing on the neighbor and then some miscreant (or a mental cretin) bulldozes over our property. Big BIG sore point with me. So, please! Feel free to vent.
I totally understand not risking a loss of something you've taken the time to acquire. Living babies that you plan to nurture and grow to nice specimens! Totally understand that. hhmmm, well, you get visitation rights 'til you get a private piece of property to space out a nice garden. Girl, believe me, I take major issue with stupid, irresponsible people…. especially after being the only one towed home from this recent collision. His Explorer was drivable, and the 2 cars in from of me in the pile up drove home. Yes, 3rd time some idiot plowed into me. 1st time my front end was rammed from the right when the idiot women ran a red light 4-5 seconds after it set (and everyone opposite me had stopped) red and broke my front axel in two. She was going 60 miles per hour while I was barely moving left. 2nd time (in 2010) my car went head on into the fool that cut me off. Both going at 40 miles and hour. This helped wiggle 3 discs out just a little further than good and later caused a really bad sciatica event that took out my right leg for more than a month. The current slam has set me back in the muscle spasm dept. Whiplash, crumped shoulders and neck. Right leg thigh twitching like mad sometimes, but no sciatica, thank God.
And with a knot in my stomach (anger), I begin the trial in researching and looking at ads for a similar condition car all over again. What I had, and was quite happy with-not going to ever sell, was a 2nd generation Lexus sedan, 15 years old but they were made with bulletproof engines. Took 2 years to find my car in excellent condition with 62,000 on the odometer and I want the exact same 15 year old model. Sigh. But, yes. I am getting treated, but can walk and wasn't hospitalized. Thank you, Planto, I really appreciate your words. I look forward to communicating with my cactus buddy, too. I need the connection to the prickly fat leafed admiration club. It's a welcome relief from the current hassles.
I wish that was the only problem I face, tho.
Where I live, it used to be a pleasant safe neighborhood. Just in the last 5 years, we are being drawn into a battle over securing our block from transients that park their Rv's and campers for weeks and leave their trash in the street in front of out homes. This being underwear, smelly clothes, broken furniture even condoms, bottles of beer and lurid looks. The ones without vehicles decide to hole up behind our alley and smoke and drink and urinate back there. They overturn the dumpsters and litter the alley with garbage. I hate seeing them there when I take my trash out for trash day. I hate for my Mom to be exposed to them and worry when I'm not home. Last year, I've found people using our front hose to take a bath, I've found trash, smelly blankets thrown into my yard.
It means a call to local non-emergency, sometimes, twice a week. My, whose ranting, now. :[I sometimes lose interest in organizing the yard when I think about what I see happening to my block. I worry.
What I like about cactus and succulents is that they are quite forgiving and stay green even without a growing medium. I still have the remnants of the mealy triage, I did a month ago, putting out roots waiting for me to give them a pot. I admire their resilience. Maybe, I like this type of plants because they've shown me that you can go on despite less than ideal situations. I can't give up. Some days wear on me more than others.
I forgot to post this bloom. It's a tricho named Lavender. Quite a deep deep magenta with edges of purple. It's my moms favorite ( every new bloom becomes the current favorite). It lasted 3 1/2 days
This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 2:59
plantomaniac08
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoYes, it could be the RoseQ's bigger brother! I hope it will bloom with several flowers open at once in future. This one is my favorite tricho after the Flying Saucer.
The jury is still out on the haworthias - It's in the mid 80's, so I"m thinking' they may be somewhat slowing down in growth? Jeesz. it's so counter-intuitive to stop watering when they are in heatwave…. Your mom has the gift!
My insurance hasn't given an answer to my attorney, yet. There is an amount I won't accept less than but. guess, I'lll see. Rear-ender is also underinsured……
Yep. L.A. bureaucrats have decided that homeowners, tax payers do not deserve peace of mind. Here, it's allowed to sleep in your cars in public areas. Freeway in front of our house is city property. Doesn't matter if it's in a residential neighborhood. We have to wait 72 hours before the city will disperse them. Sidewalk sleepers can stay as long as they want, can't clean up their junk because it's legally their personal property, even if they just picked it out of your trash, We can call the patrol units to come check it out, but transers hide before the police come.
Since the current passel of "elected" have been in, we have less access to basic services and security. One ex. the city doesn't send a street sweeper through here, anymore, because we don't have signs on the street. So it's not even random, we're simply not on the schedule, ever. We have to call in about that.The non-emergency lines were always answered by an Officer, not the case, now, we get a recording, sometimes cycling for 15 minutes. Property tax yanked out of us, but, no services. Neighboring districts are clean. We have to fight to get that basic right to be free of litter and addicts. It's dis-heartening, but, my neighbors ( bless them ) are a unified bunch and it is a concerted effort to keep our street safe. Well, thanks for letting me go off cactus for a bit. Back to more enjoyable pursuits.I did pot up the greater mass of sedums after a week of triage, but, they look a bit ratty. When they show new growth, I promise to post pics. ;]
Just looked at the sedums and they are not worse for wear, just too many patches from my poking through them to get all the mealies.Oops,I lied. THIS is the oldest prickly yard inhabitant. I think some kind of notocactus. It is making nice new growth (and babies!) after years of neglect. It appreciates the new regimen of plant snacks and water.
This post was edited by aztcqn on Sat, Jul 5, 14 at 15:56
aztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago"nother view of noto...
Has the scars to prove it's mightiness at surviving my yard....
aztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRose Quartz! It's popped with a few more magenta flowers. I like this lil plant.
Laura Robichaud
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaztcqn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoA red hot patch among the cacti crowd.
Sulcorebutia tunariensis.
mushibu10
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agohere is me Stapelia Variegata with a large Bud for you :) it's grown!
amsten09