Summer Flowers

some of my summer flowers in a desert yard. These do take quite a bit of water and time to grow. First summer bulbs - peacock orchids, shell flowers and glads. I have one yellow lilly bulb that does great each year.

Morning glories, a zucchini blossom, some sedum (a succulent grown cover I grow in a pot). Lots of sunflowers. Note the bumblebee on one and a butterfly on the last pics.

Hoya Vines and Geraniums

Most of my houseplants have been blooming. Here are some of the better pics. First 3 are of my zonal geraniums.

 

 

 

these 3 pics are of my two Hoya vines. I do keep them in the house year round. There are lots of different Hoyas but I only have the two. One has a pale pick blossom, the other one is darker. They put on these clusters of half inch blossoms with dark centers. The leaves are heavy dark green. I would almost call these plants a succulent. They are a vine but do need help to stay around my curtain rods that they like to climb on since they make a nice hanging plant. I will warn you they do have a very strong perfume odor. Most people like it but I find it so strong that I can get a headache from it. The odor is stronger at night than in the day time. Sadly I do find my self cutting of these beautiful blossoms when the odor gets to bothering me to much. Some times I put them in a bowl of water and leave them outside for a few days so I can enjoy them longer. They do seem to make a good cut flower just on a short stem. Hoyas are easy to grow, not taking much care. I only water mine about every 2 weeks and I live in the desert. I would think in a high humidify climate you might could only water once a month. They do like bright light but don't need direct sun like we get here which is why I keep them in the house.

The geraniums seem to do better with the direct sunlight but need lots more water.

Martha Washington Geraniums

Thank You

My blog information says I have had almost 300 page view today. That is wonderful. Thank you everyone that looked at my blog. Leave a comment if you can. I will post those, too.

Yuccas and Cactus

The yuccas in my yard were blooming until the wind blow them to bit and the sun cooked them. Same with my horsecrippler cactus (also known as claret cup cactus)

House Fire!

It was a horrible experience to watch our neighbors house burn to the ground the other day. But it was worse for then when they drove up and saw what had happened. Here are a few of the pics I took from our front door. The blue truck is in our driveway. The third pic makes it look as if the fire is right behind our pony shelter but there is a road between our place and theirs plus their house is or was a couple of hundred yards back from the road like ours is. Fourth pic makes it look like two house but it is the garage and rear of the house. Last I heard the fire investigators think it might have been a problem with the hot water heater as fire seemed to have started in the wall by the water heater. I know we kept having problems with our old propane hot water heater kept getting a build up of soot in it that we kept having to clean out. We got rid of that one and got an electric one when the price of propane kept getting higher and higher. So had several other people around here. This has been a good reminder to check out hot water heaters, air conditioners, clothes washers, and dryers , and any other appliances that need to be cleaned frequently. I have heard of a lot of house fires starting in air conditioners and clothes dryers. I have known of so many people, my self included at times, who don't clean out clothes dryer vents, backs of refrigerators, and cook stoves, and making sure the pump and motor of the sump cooler is working right. As the old saying 'Better Safe than Sorry' I think I am paranoid now about this kind of thing. 

Roses and Others

I like roses, especially the yellow ones. I was beginning to think they weren't going bloom. Seems like it's a bit late this year. But here they are and they are pretty. This is one of my favorite called Henry Fonda.

this is my only large red one, a Mr. Lincoln

This is a paler yellow than the first one called Gyspy sometime, I don't remember but it is very prolific

Another Henry Fonda

This is one of my red mini roses

Another red mini but darker red and very tiny roses, and it's a climber, I keep mini roses in large pots

Both of the Martha Washington geraniums I have

A clump of clover took over one of my pots but is a nice flower

Tuffee dog in front of the pot of daisies that came from some seed my sister gave me when I was in Oregon once. She said they grow all over