Desert Garden Stroll

Lately, most of my time in the garden has been dedicated to picking and chopping weeds, trimming trees, thinning Agave, checking for Agave Snout Weevil, replacing plugged emitters, and repotting cacti and succulents into new pots. So, this afternoon I took a leisurely stroll with my camera to capture some of the fruits of my labor.

I love the quality of light in very late afternoon, so I take a lot of photos just before the sun goes down. Colors look richer then, and the photos take on a painterly quality. The dark green of the Agave desmettiana provides a nice background for the yellow Baileya multiradiata, or Desert Marigold.

At first glance, the new pads forming on an Opuntia basilaris look like maroon flower buds. This Prickly Pear retains its purple margins all year, but the purple in the pads will fade as the weather gets warmer. If I want to limit the number of pads, it is easy to clip off the pad buds at this stage.

We had some strong wind gusts late last week and it wreaked havoc on the fragile Chuparosa (Justicia californica) stems, which are now leaning in all directions, providing an interesting tangle of Chuparosa and Desert Bluebells.

This is my favorite Gazania rigens cultivar. It is from the Daybreak Series. I like to plant these on the slopes of the raised areas of my garden where they are not visible until you walk around the corner... and then, pow! An unexpected burst of brilliant sunny color.

The flower stalk of a Coral Aloe will last for at least two months. Bush Morning Glory is in the background.

The Eremophila maculata v. brevifolia 'Valentine', or Valentine Emu Bush, is so loaded with flowers that its branches are dragging on the ground. This year I'm going to have to trim it after the flowers are gone. I've avoided trimming to gain maximum flowering, and I certainly reached my goal with this shrub.

The Drosanthemum hispidum (Desert Ice Plant) has just started flowering. By May this trailing groundcover will be totally covered in these hot pink flowers.

I decided to try a lighter color Gazania in my garden this year. I usually go for the brilliant shades, but I had just the place for these. It recently occurred to me that I've never purchased a purple or pink Gazania. Perhaps I should change that!

Last but not least, the Trailing Purple Lantana (Lantana montevidensis ‘Imperial Purple’) is at its best right now. When it fades in warmer weather, the New Gold Lantana (Lantana camara 'New Gold') will be ready to burst out in bloom and will provide color well into fall.