Pink Epiphyllums

It's beautiful out so I got my camera and took those epiphyllum photos. I also spotted one of those elusive spiders I've been trying to get a photo of. They are extremely shy, and even though I was far away he ran off after only 2 fuzzy photos. But if you can tell from my photos which spider it is, I'd love to know. This is the first year I've spotted them in my yard.

Epiphyllum Love

Thanks for following Mike.
Now that the epipyhllum is in bloom, it's a much lighter red than I was expecting. Just beautiful. I'll need to get out there today and take photos. If I recall right the blooms last a while.

I definitely want to spend some time outside today. It's going to be a perfect CA day. I never take our weather for granted. I know much of the country is still covered in snow.

The ice plant I put in the front yard in the 'bald spot' has grown like crazy in the spring rains and is about to burst into specatacular ice pink blooms. I'll finally be able to compete with the African daisies my neighbor planted in the yard across from mine. Everything else I had planted in that spot had died when the previous owner turned off the sprinklers. The new owner is really into landscaping and our new front yard looks posh.

Epipyllum

I'm happy to report that the epiphyllum I got from my partner's grandmother's estate has not only adapted to it's new spot under the ficus tree in my back yard, it has four new flower buds on it. Epiphyllums are not the world's prettiest plant. But they are famous for their flowers. These flowers look like they are going to be a deep burgundy red. I'll be sure to get some photos when they bloom.

When I was a teen I used to take my mother to the Desert Nursery in Sunnymead CA all the time and they had a vast collection of epiphyllums for sale. Sadly the nursery is long gone. I believe it got plowed over to make a Moreno Valley, CA mall. My mother is gone as well. So my memories are even more important to me. We always came home with a flat or two of new succulents to try.

First Rose of 2009

Normally I go out to the garden and take a photo of the first rose of the year. But this year it bloomed before I even realized it was there, and instead of being pink or red with a few white stripes it was predominantly white.

The pink jasmine just started to bloom as well. It has a huge number of buds on it thanks to the recent rains. As much as my bf wants me to pull it out because it's an invasive vine, I so love the smell of it and the cascades of flowers. I guess we'll never agree on gardening. My wild streak always ends up manifesting in my garden.

The epiphyllum and donkey tail (sedum I think) we got from my bf's grandmother's estate. They are showing signs of new growth so hopefully they've adapted to their new home.

Right after I took a photo of the first rose, the petals started falling off. Life is so short.