Baby pinecone

Lars....Is that a giant ice plant?

Lars, between the sunshine and the beautiful flowers, I would say you live pretty close to heaven!! Gorgeous and in March yet!

I am in Louisiana right now at the family house. It was overcast this morning but it turned very sunny.

Nicole, that is not a giant ice plant, although it is an ice plant. I simply put some cuttings from the front yard into a hanging basket that has other succulents.

The orange flowers are epidendrum orchids, which bloom all year here, and I now have them in several colors, but mostly yellow to red. I want to get a purple one.

Murraysmom, weather here is springlike all year, and so it is difficult for me to remember what month it is at times, but we do get changes of day-length. Still, it is mild enough in the winter for me to grow tropical fruit, such as cherimoya, mango (which I don't have since I left Venice), bananas, and white sapote, which are just now about to get ripe. I also love that I have year-round citrus. A lot of herbs are perennials here, but certain herbs (like parsley, cilantro, and dill) do best in the winter. However, I have learned to move them to shadier spots in order to grow them in the spring and summer.

In a couple of months, my epiphyllum will start blooming, and that is my favorite time of the year, as the flowers provide a riot of color.

I have orchids and bromeliads blooming in my back yard throughout the winter, and I really do appreciate the colors that they add. My favorite plants are probably the bromeliads, but when the epiphyllum are in bloom, there is no comparison.