What beautiful plants and flowers, the last is a stunner.

Lol!!!

As I was looking at the picture, I was imagining a tortoise. If you've ever seen one of them eat, you'll know what I mean =D

Made me chuckle with surprise to see the innocent looking deer!!!

I used to think deer are cute until I lived in their midst. I've been ran over by one, if you can imagine that.

Noto, that Trichocereus is yummy. Does it take a long time to bloom? Does it get really big? What is the smell like? I want at least one specimen but I do not want to be responsible for a plant that will grow huge. Or I'll just enjoy yours.

Pagan

Addendum: I looked it up. They do get huge. Oh well. There goes that idea.

Thank you Dave, really appreciate your comment.

Leslie: how cute, a gopher tortoise--another love we have in common :-) . The only pets I have right now are box turtles, but they're in a "jungle" pen for the summer and I hardly get a glimpse of them. Almost everything in the pen is planted for them, but I think all they eat are the strawberries. There's plenty of slugs and worms for them, though.

Hook--those babies aren't so innocent, but seeing them almost makes up for all the damage the combined herd does. I had a beautiful geranium that was gigantic and someone (probably that mom again) managed to prune 2/3s of it overnight.

Pagan, my plant took about 7 years to bloom and it is about 18" tall. For multi-blooms I think it has to get taller. The stem is very thick, but the bottom has severe corking/spider mite damage. I have another one that hasn't bloomed yet, but I had to cut the top off of it because it was getting too dangerous to move. It is much skinnier. I would offer you the top, but I just threw it in the shade and it etoiliated. Plus it doesn't have any roots. I really have a lot of housekeeping to do out there this fall......

The smell is hard to describe, it smells sweet and citrusy to me. My dh can't smell it.

Ummmmm, venison stew-delicious.

Growing up poor in Elko Co. we ate venison or rabbit 3 or 4 times a week. Would have been easier if the deer had come right up to the house.

Dave,

I guess it would have been easier :-) The deer keep a healthy distance from us, but still within shooting range.

We have Canadian geese and peacocks, too. The wild turkeys don't seem to last long here whenever they release them. It's so odd that the peacocks are much hardier.

My dh hates both types of birds, he always threatens them with the rotisserie-LOL. But he is on a quest to get rid of the gophers--that should keep him busy for the rest of his life :-)