Another Reason I Like Cactus

I walked out to the cactus bed while the sun was shining just right on this echinocereus, a claret cup hedgehog. The sun’s rays gave the blooms a lovely shine and iridescence. It almost looked surreal. I grabbed the camera and tried to capture the glow, but was not as successful as I would have hoped. Timing is everything when it comes to capturing the effects of sunlight.

 
That’s why you just have to appreciate the flowers in person. And it is such a nice surprise to walk out to the cactus bed and discover a bright, unexpected splash of color. I may have already talked about this cactus or shared pictures of it, but it is worth revisiting.

 
The flowers made a nice backdrop for this picture of Peaches, too. I just couldn’t resist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another good thing about echinocereus is that the petals of the blooms are waxy and thick and last for several days. Many varieties and I think most of them are cold hardy, so they make a good choice for an outdoor planting. Keep them in mind next time you go shopping.

It is Springtime in the Greenhouse

I am just having more fun walking into the greenhouse every morning to see what is blooming. First it was the blizzarde. Now we are having dustbowl-worthy winds and dirt, sand dunes where there should be lawns, and still no rain in sight, but the greenhouse provides a lovely respite from the dreariness outside. 

These echinocereus pentalophus have remained open for four days. I will admit I took them outside for the picture; at least the sun was shining that day with no dust in the air.

Several lobivias like this one have bloomed.

Dolichothele uberiformis has made a blanket of pink for over a week.

Albuca looks sort of like grass, but makes this interesting flower.

 

Echinocereus knipplianus is a new plant. One bloom has opened and three more are to come.

Thelocactus tubensis has made yellow flowers that the bees seem to enjoy.

 

This mammillaria silver arrows is on its second round of flowers.

Gymnocalycium baldianum makes a nice large yellow flower.

This echinocereus  looks unusual in a side view. And I will get to enjoy this three more times when the other buds open!

And the last one I will share with you today is this kalanchoe blossfeldiana in orange-or perhaps called apricot-with the fuller flowers that are called doubles because of the extra petals. This plant really made a statement in the greenhouse; the fuller flowers really stand out.

It is going to be fun to see what blooms next.