Echinopsis
I've been keeping my eye on the bed at the back of the garden. Another group of Echinopsis were budded up, and I wasn't sure what day they would open.
So bright and cheery!
I rearranged some of the front porch plants, and added an Aerathos, teddy bear air plant to the mix. So cute, it reminds me of the Stark Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles".
And the Staghorn ferns are enjoying the warmer weather plus their daily shower.
But I actually think it is thriving and hugging the tree.
I gave up on the company that I hired (in February!) to make new covers for the circular couch. CANCEL! I very unprofessionally velcroed some Sunbrella fabric on the old cushions for this summer.
I'm a fool for pale green fronds.
An experiment, I tied a staghorn fern (I used stretchy bandage tape that has disintegrated) last summer to the cherry tree and let it overwinter with zero protection. It is a bit charred from early spring heat, before the tree leafed out.
As I walked back with the soapy water to clean the table and bottom of the couch frame, someone had discovered a new spot to rest.
Have a wonderful weekend! I'm looking forward to touring the Filoli Historic House & Garden in Woodside. Do you have any fun plans in the near future?
Wow, those blooms are huge.
ReplyDeleteI should've taken a picture with my hand to show the size, they are BIG!
DeleteBeautiful.. beautiful!! I like the blue and yellow you decided on. I have the same color for our outdoor pillows.
ReplyDelete:-)
Carla
I agree, love navy & yellow together. Thank you!
DeleteThe bright pink Echinopsis are stunning but all your photos are great, Tracy. I love the little thistle flower. Your post also reminded me that I still have to find a way to properly mount my staghorn fern, which has spent too much of its life in a common pot.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit to having someone help, or basically do all of it for me. Ivan is great at finding cork or other wood and mounting the ferns for me.
DeleteSo exotic compared to what I am accustomed to…beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marie :)
DeleteWow, your Echinopsis flowers are gorgeous! It makes me want to go out and buy one right away! I wonder how large they need to grow before they bloom?
ReplyDeleteI've had pretty tiny ones put out a bloom. But definitely a few years established is when they put on a real show!
DeleteI love seeing photos of your yard. Can you offer a resource for the use of gravel in a backyard? What is the composition of your gravel for the succulents and the other blooming plants; for example, the salvia?
ReplyDeleteI ordered yards of the cheapest topsoil I could get from my local rock yard. *'Cheap but not fill dirt. When I first started I added pumice or the smallest rock (California Gold) into the mix. But to say I wasn't careful about it is an understatement. And I did lose a few agave during our flooding a few years back. Where I had mounded the most soil, did the best. With the Australian plants I've been adding bagged sandy loam to a cactus mix for sharp drainage (so low phosphorus). The sandy loam I found at Acapulco Soil & Stone in Berkeley. The salvia, speedwell, gaura do absolutely fine in the unamended soil.
DeleteThanks for your response about the gravel.
DeleteBeautiful plants! Amazing cactus blooms! Sweet cat!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lea, Dr. Feelgood is a sweet boy :)
DeleteI think you are maybe a long way from seeing trilliums in person, but you look very compensated by your garden abundance.
ReplyDeleteThank you! There are definitely plants I miss seeing from Portland, trilliums are one of them.
DeleteFantastic cacti and the flowers! Staghorn ferns are a thing here in Florida, do you have the Elkhorns too? Amelia
ReplyDeleteI have different ferns, and am not good on id'ing them I'm afraid. I should really label them!
DeleteI had to look up Echinopsis but yes, I know what they are - and, of course, where I live they are houseplants for us who love that type of plant. It was so nice seeing them bloom outdoors where they belong. My weekend plans? Tomorrow, the annual Sacred Sites Sunday, where houses of worship have open houses where you can view their art and learn more about the buildings and their history and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteOh Alana, that sounds like a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!
DeleteOh, so beautiful! Your arrangement of plants is exquisite, and then to see the dramatic blooms among the succulents...magical.
ReplyDeleteThank you Beth! I really need to work on my overplanting, lol.
DeleteThe newly painted black fence makes everything very elegant and sophisticated. It elevates' every cacti bloom photo you take. (And I'm a sucker for those skinny Italian Cypress trees!).
ReplyDeleteThe teddy bear air plant and Stark Trek's "The Trouble with Tribbles" connection cracked me up, though that fabulous log-arrangement on the front porch isn't funny: it is fabulous: I sure hope there is a chair right behind there to sit and breath in all the beauty of your front garden.
Your kitty put the stamp of approval on your new upholstery... I'm with kitty.
Chavli
hahaha, I'm glad you liked the Star Trek reference - I think I've seen all episodes more than once (of the original series) my brother was obsessed with it when we were growing up. Thank you, and yes there is a couch there on the porch. I couldn't resist sitting down with the cat for a bit.
DeleteHeh, and just as I commented about recovering our couch in your last post, here you are talking about doing the same thing. I always admire a plant whose flowers are bigger than the rest of the plant itself. Takes a certain amount of personality to outshine the body. Nice experiment with the staghorn fern. Amazing that it survived the winter and looks really good.
ReplyDeleteHa! I did a terrible job recovering - wouldn't not recommend myself for the job whatsoever. The squirrels won't even touch it now. That fern took winter like a champ, I'm impressed! I love what you said about BIG flowers, I wholeheartedly agree.
DeleteYay! You know, I have never been to Filoli even though I grew up in Pacifica, so it is fairly nearby. I hope you enjoy your time visiting.
ReplyDeleteIt was really cool, the garden had so many sections. - I couldn't quite wrap my head around it all. The house was really cool, I especially loved the kitchens - there were several. They must have entertained a lot.
DeleteCactus flowers! What a year it's been for cactus flowers. Must be the late rains.
ReplyDeleteOh, haven't they been great this year! I really owe you for showcasing Brent on your blog.
DeleteWow! Those blooms are AMAZING!!! There is nothing more satisfying as seeing a cactus flowering!
ReplyDeleteI was constantly checking on them, the only downside they don't last long.
DeleteYour gardens look lush and beautiful. I was definitely not familiar with echinopsis so I had a learning moment, and that looks like one great weekend garden visit. I'll be working outside and staying away from the tourists. Hope we both have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Judy!
DeleteSince our yard gardens were always here on the east coast, I was unfamiliar with many of the ones in your CA garden, aside from cacti and a couple others. That said, the variety was wonderful and my favorite was the pink cactus flower.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bea, I love that one too.
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