Flowers Galore

Opuntia engelmannii

(Engelmann’s Prickly Pear)

My lone Engelmann's Prickly Pear is loaded with blooms, which are a darker gold than last year's. More blooms equal more fruits, so I will be able to try some new recipes later in the summer when the fruits ripen.

Citrus × meyeri
(Dwarf Meyer Lemon)

My new Meyer Lemon has about 40 little lemons on it. I'm going to cull out most of them so the tree can spend its energy getting established rather than producing fruit. It's hard for me to do this--but it is necessary. It will probably self-thin most of the fruit anyway, so I'm going to wait awhile longer to see how many drop on their own.

Rosa 'We Salute You'

A bloom so bright it almost hurts to look at it. My spring rose blooms are really big and bright right now. March and April are the best time for roses in our part of the country, and even now, this rose has some scorching on the petal margins as it has a southeast exposure.

Rosa 'Hello Dolly'

This rose has a southwest exposure, but so far, no petal scorching. I think it's because it receives some light afternoon shade from a nearby Palo Brea tree.

Echinocereus viridiflorus

(Nylon Hedgehog Cactus)

The greenish flowers on this new cactus are supposed to smell like lemon, but I can't detect any scent at all. It has a shallow root system, so it needs regular water in hotter months. Because of this, I'm going to keep it potted so I can water it easier. I really wonder why it's called Nylon Hedgehog. There is no information that I can find as to how it got this common name.

Eriosyce kunzei ‘multicolor’

I love the long lasting, florescent flowers of this small cactus. After the blooms wilt and dry, I will be repotting it into a clay pot.

Eschscholzia mexicana

This Mexican Poppy came compliments of the potted cactus that I purchased several years ago. I've been hoping it would reseed into my landscape, but so far, it's only multiplied in the pot. This Poppy is a close relative of the California Poppy, which does come up each spring in my garden. Actually, the Mexican Poppy is better suited to our hotter climate than the California Poppy. I should just buy some seeds instead of waiting for seeds from these few plants in the pot.

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I've shown the amazing growth of this Agave lophantha for the previous two Bloomin' Tuesday posts. The stalk is now almost 16 feet tall, four-to-six feet taller than expected! It has grown so fast you can almost hear it growing, as they say about corn. From the looks of the flower buds, blooming should start late this week or early next week. When the flowers reach their blooming stage, the stalk should be fully grown. we've had strong winds the past two days, and this stalk is so strong it barely moved!






The outer sheath that originally protected the emerging buds has now begun to wilt, a sure sign that the flowers will bloom shortly. For folks interested in seeing the growth progress, see the photos toward the bottom in each of these two previous posts.

Post One

Post Two