June Desert Garden

This is what part of my garden looks like the first part of June. Many plants need a trimming, but I kind of like a wild look--my desert version of a cottage garden. Soon we will have triple digits every day, and many desert plants go into a state of dormancy as a means to conserve water. My garden then looks dry and scorched, while gardeners in other climates are basking in their verdant gardens. But, just as others are preparing for cold weather, we have a second spring, where everything comes alive and looks beautiful again for a couple of months.

Pedilanthus macrocarpusLady's Slipper

This unusual plant has only a very few tiny leaves on its numerous lime-green stems. Desert gardeners choose this plant because of the stems, which provide a nice contrast among agave and cacti. The stems bear flowers in early summer and again in fall. P. macrocarpus makes a good container plant in warm climates, as well as in desert gardens. The flowers don't look like a lady's slipper to me, but maybe more imaginative folks can see the resemblance.

Parodia magnifica

Ball Cactus

I have two Parodia magnifica in one pot. The first one to bloom had only one flower and I posted that photo recently. Then this second specimen popped these two flowers almost overnight. I didn't even see the buds before this morning.

x Echinopsis 'Rose Quartz'

AKA: Chamaecereus 'Rose Quartz' and Chamaelobivia 'Rose Quartz'

This cactus is called a lot of things, including its common name, Peanut Cactus. This is its second flowering of the season. I may see a couple more flowerings before the extreme heat starts. In the fall, it will start again for a couple of flowerings before it gets too chilly.