More Blooms Today

Nice flowers, but I don't care much for the plant.  The one at Mom's house is starting to look very tree-like at the base.  Way to big for that little space.

OK, this one's not a flower, just cool looking.

A Santa Rita variety. Nice long spines along the top of the stems.

This one sure does put out the flowers!

Closer look:

Cleistocactus samaipatanus (Thanks Christer for the ID on this one!)

This was right next to the one above.

Spring is Here (Again)

Yes, the annual picture taking of flowers I already have tons of pictures of.  How does that happen? Every year I think they get better, too.  Of course, that may only be because I don't look at the others.

Poppies seem to be able to grow with next to no rainfall.

This year, there was plenty. A bit late, perhaps, but plenty.

Fiddleneck

Look how nettly the stems & leaves are! No animals seem to eat this.

Lupine

Desert Marigold

Scorpionweed

Flowers - in Spite of the Heat

Went to a conference this week for Parks and Recreation and it was at the Camelback Inn . The grounds are nicely manicured and I was there early, so I took some pictures....

Not your typical bouganvilla (or bougainvillea, if you prefer to use the proper spelling of the genus), this is much more shrub-like than vine-like. And the flowers have a nice cluster. Here is a typical planter. I shouldn't really say that since they have numerous settings with cacti and palms. Not your lush flora you might find in some flower gardens, but much better than you'll find in most desert landscapes!

These two shots are from a kaleidoscope attached to a planter which you rotate to get differing views. I honestly didn't think of getting a shot of the planter with the kaleidoscope until I was uploading these pictures. It was unsual looking to say the least.

Flowers - No Trip is Complete Without Them

Scott & Louise Ravenhorst have an extraordinary gardener. In fact they have him come all the way out from Mesa, AZ to their home in Irvine, CA

Scott & I took this from bare dirt to this beautiful garden in a couple days. OK, we started it. Louise is the one with the green thumb who has cared for it and helped it to look as good as this now.

The boys and their Pokemon think it looks great.

I can't pass by flowers as nice as these without at least a few pictures. A close up of a Canna Lily above.

A Hibiscus flower

Here's an interesting leaf fallen among the groundcover in Legoland.

An unusual flower tucked away along a path in Legoland

Same type of flower from a different view.

And another unusual flower.

This one in pink. There were also orange ones.

Speaking of Roses...

Took these a little while back with the boys. I don't think I blogged them. I did put them on facebook recently. I don't know the names for the various varieties shown here, but if anyone is interested, just let me know and I can see if I can figure it out.

I wouldn't be too surprised if one or two of these make into a stippled drawing...

Unusual Flower

Stopped in at the Desert Botanical Gardens today for a quick look at their new cactus & succulent displays. This was one of the plants in the succulent portion. This one probably isn't more than 8" tall. Not terribly unusual in and of itself, though it is interesting.

It was the flower that caught my eye. A strange looking one that looks as though it would be more at home underwater. Then there were the strange green bumps - individual flowers? seed pods? Who knows, but definitely interesting!

This aloe was also interesting, not so much for its leaves, which are different from your typical aloe - say aloe vera perhaps, but for its flowers.
These are the flowers. I noticed there were ants all over the stalks on this. I'm not sure if they show when you click on the photo, but there are several ants here.

Simply Amazing!

Alright now, this is a super shot. It is a small Fishook Pincushion (Mamillaria) in full bloom. I don't think I've ever seen them bloom this full before. At least I hope I didn't miss it if they have!

I spoke with a photographer from the early days of Arizona Highways Magazine and he said they would pick flowers and use toothpicks to hold them to the cactus to get a full bloom like these here (usually on the saguaros). Those were the old days - they really don't go for that now. In my opinion, these shots are Arizona Highways worthy, and that is saying a lot!

Barrel Cactus

Our wildflowers tend to bloom early out here, then the hedgehog is usually the first cactus to bloom. Now the Saguaros are starting to bloom as well as others. This is a barrel cactus (barrel-shaped until it gets really, really tall (maybe at 3-400 years it will be 6 feet). Don't worry, I'll be getting a LOT of saguaro pictures.

Roses

My latest drawing/painting with Micron markers. 8" x10"

I took this reference shot in Buchart Gardens while on our honeymoon back in 1990!