Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Spots of Color

I was hoping to have a few ripened prickly pear fruit this year to use for a vinaigrette, but it looks like the cochineal insect beat me to it. Every one of my prickly pear plants has the cochineal invasion. I lost a prized prickly pear last year to this insidious insect, and it looks like I'm headed for the loss of a few more. I spray with a strong stream of water to expose the bug (under the white stuff,) but so far it hasn't helped. Next, I will try insecticidal soap, and if that doesn't work, I'll just have to have them removed. I noticed that many neighbors also have the infestation, so even if I could get it under control in my own garden, it won't be long before it will be back.

Desert Petunia, a drought resistant summer bloomer, puts out short-lived flowers every couple of days. The shrub will be covered with flowers one day, then they dry up and there will be nothing for two days, and then it will be covered again. This goes on about 10 months of the year!

In mid June I found an old, half used packet of sunflower seeds and decided to plant them, as sunflowers do well even when planted in July, according to the planting schedule. Although the plants are still small (perhaps it is just the variety) the first flower bloomed this past weekend. The packet said mixed colors, but all the buds appear to have the standard yellow color.

My poor roses just keep trying! The 115 degree heat is just too much for them, and the buds they put out are tiny they dry up before they can open. No matter how much I water, nothing will help them except lower temperatures. No chance of that for another couple of months.

Here's another reliable summer staple, the ubiquitous Red Bird of Paradise. I have about eight of these shrubs in my landscape. They provide brilliant color from early June until early September.

Another spot of color is this yard art lizard. He moves around to various places in my garden, depending on the season.

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

Half-Way to Fall

Even in the depths of summer, I do have some greenery, but nothing much flowering. It's just too hot! This weekend I got rid of the last of my container vegetable garden, as well as all the struggling potted geraniums, creeping charlie, dwarf marigolds and half dead cacti. This year I've upped my irrigation schedule to every three days for the shrubs and groundcover. Last year, I followed the guidelines for this area, which called for every 7-21 days. I tried the shortest--7 days--and my plants just about fried. I have a desert adapted landscape for the most part, so I'm a bit surprised that I have to water so often to keep the plants from suffering from water stress. However, I don't feel too bad about the more frequent watering as we are behind on annual rainfall. I've had only 1.96 inches since January 1st--quite short of the expected amount by this time.

The suggested tree watering schedule works fine at once a month or every 5 weeks. The only exception is my Tipu Tree, which is still getting established. I water it every two weeks.

With temperatures in the 115 degree range, the leaves of the Mexican Bird of Paradise shrub fold inward to conserve moisture and reduce sun exposure. From a distance, the shrub appears to be wilted, but this is normal for these extreme summer days.

This lizard has the longest tail I've ever seen! There is not enough contrast to really get the full effect, but its tail is about twice the length of its body. This one must have been an artful dodger all season to have avoided the roaming neighbor cat.

When walking around my garden, I noticed a couple of empty bird egg shells on the ground under a mesquite tree. When I looked up, I spotted this dove for the first time. I'm not sure if the eggs are from hatched babies, or just casualties of the wind. After seeing so many poorly constructed dove nests, this one appears to be a better built model.