Hybrid tree Aloe 'Hercules' isn't looking too bad. He's almost 8 years old, from when I planted him as a 36 inch plant. Full sun and only occasional water keep him happy and growing. Wilson the tennis ball perched to show size this morning. Happy gardening!

THANK YOU, houzz for the new "go to top" button at the bottom right of this page (image below). So convenient when great threads get nice and long. It helps us get back to the link for the main forum easier. Thank you! :)

That looks like too much sun on a new leaf to me, colin, but let's see what others say. I really don't think the white/giant bird of paradise likes it here. I see some that are pretty happy, but not many. How much sun is this one getting? They're great plants so I hope you can keep it happy! Keep us posted!

Oh, here's a fun flower open this morning, and evening primrose (Oenothera spp.) that popped open overnight. That's good old "pinecone cactus" in the duck pot, Tephrocactus articulatus ssp. 'inermis'. It really should be subspecies almost-inermis since inermis means unarmed but it still has a few hidden glochids (tiny spines). Anyway, fun discovery this morning. Happy gardening all!

Good ... my Cleveland sage in full bloom, the fleabane next to it.

BAD ... the #$%!@#$~@# WEEDS!!!!!!

I don't have much in the way of pretty flowers, my energy goes to tomatoes and chili peppers. Here's a couple of happy tomato plants, one planter is Black Cherry, a favorite cherry tomato of mine.

Here's the only 'nastie that popped up for me this year. Grant maybe you can tell me what that short, squat cactus is? Looks like it's brewing up some buds.....

I must have reached critical mass on that last post, it would not post this last pic...

And then this big tall stick of a cactus. I *think* I whacked it off my Fairy Castle cactus. See all that tiny new growth at the bottom?

colinhanke, my banana leaves used to look like that occasionally and I gave them a little magnesium (epsom salts) in their fertilizer and it seems to help a lot. I hear it's bad to give them too much so be careful with how much you put in their soil. I usually put about a teaspoon per gallon and that usually seems to be enough to turn the leaves green again.

Here's a few pictures of my back yard today:

Blueberries from last time. I don't know what variety these are, but they were called "warm blueberries". They seem to be doing a lot better than my blueberries last year. They are in peat moss and I fertilize lightly with Ammonium Sulfate and some other stuff every time I feed them.

A bunch of plants in my container area. Containers left to right: 4 oclocks (with aphid damage), Bay Leaf (laurus nobilis, with the fly on the leaf), Bottlebrush (back), Coleus (front), Catnip, Persian Lilac, Chasteberry (far back), another Bay Leaf (newer plant), and catnip again. One of my new peach trees are in the background with the shade over it.

Cherokee Purple tomatoes. not quite purple yet. I have another tomato plant (better boy) and that one grows even bigger tomatoes on it.

Grapes are starting.

This is my 2nd peach tree (both are Florida Prince), just planted this one a few days ago and put up the shade for it. Borage to the right, and marigolds to the left.

And last but not least, Crabby the crab spider defending my garden from treacherous flies.

Crabby, hah! I love those Cherokee purple toms but I find them difficult to grow since our season is so short. When did you plant it out?

All my tomato plants are flowering, now if I can just get some fruit set before the temps hit triple digits! Here's Sun Chaser:

That clay pot is an 'olla', one of several in that bed. Good watering system for the desert.

I believe I put them into the ground at the start of March. I cheated this year and bought them from Home Depot. I was excited to try some new seeds and forgot to start tomatoes indoors in Jan like I usually do.

On a side note, Big Beef tomatoes seem to do really well here. I'm always stuck with way too many delicious tomatoes when I plant those. I like having those problems though :)

I've read about that clay pot watering method and I want to try it out.

This pic is titled "FINALLY!" It's Big Beef seeded in December and planted out in mid January and they're a little bigger than tennis ball sized.

And a teeny tiny pretty-puny potted purple pepper plant that was eaten back to sticks by birds: And of course the Bhut peppers grow like bushes. Well, a couple of them do. This will go into a pot when the weather breaks in September-October.

MaryMcP, if you are asking about the little round cactus, that looks Like an Easter lilly cactus. They bloom about this time of year pretty profusely, the blooms come out at night and fade once the sun hits them in the morning, and smell absolutely heavenly. It will stay pretty short, but will grow new little round arms and spread sideways. Very easy to start new ones by breaking off the side growth and planting them.

WOW, I love all of the new pics and posts, great job everyone! Mary, a beautiful tomato or tomato plant is just as lovely as a flower, so thanks for posting yours. Same to everyone else too. So fun to see!

Yup, Mary, Leslie is correct on the low cactus, it's an Echinopsis cactus, often called "Easter lily cactus". Yours is fun! Your other tall one is definitely a Cereus of some sort. Maybe C. hildmanianus (often called C. peruvianus)? Your fairy castle is a mutant that produces dwarf/contorted growth--it may have made a "normal" shoot that is back to the wild type form. It's definitely a cereus of some type. I like it!

All of the pics are great. I'm so envious of so many of your plants. Love Crabby the crab spider, LOL!

In my little garden, this "amaryllis", Hippeastrum johnsonii is starting to bloom. It's a great oldey timey variety that no one is sure whether it's a species or an early accidental greenhouse hybrid. I like the long trumpet shaped flowers. So easy in afternoon shade.

Here's a hybrid "amaryllis"/Hippeastrum that I bought unlabeled as a dried up little thing several years ago. Now it blooms each and every April for a minimum of care.

First flower of the looooong bloom season for this "lazy hibiscus" (since it doesn't open fully), Malvaviscus drummondii (aka "Turk's cap mallow"). Great shrubby perennials that will bloom off and on now through mid-Autumn. They may not open all the way, but birds and bees and gardeners still love them. So easy!

I guess today is my red phase, given these pics, hah! Keep the great updates coming, pics or not.

Happy gardening!

Grant

Nasturtiums are taking over! The heat will kill them eventually, but not any time soon. Here they are climbing up my 'Parfianka' pomegranate. The climbing types actually DO grab on to things, wrapping their petioles (leaf stems) around anything more narrow then a typical sharpie marker. Great annuals for late winter/spring blooms. Clearly they self-sow all over my garden, hah, with the seeds waiting out the long hot summer to sprout in autumn/winter. Happy gardening!

Another quick pic from this morning. You can see some hollyhock stalks photobombing the pic at lower left, LOL.

Happy gardening!

Grant

Enjoying the back to almost average temperatures. Looking good - backlit Silver Torch cactus and Fire Barrel cactus (Ferocactus gracilis).

Great pic of a great combination, Jon! Thanks for posting it! Happy gardening.

My "rescue" baby rita cactus is blooming! About a year ago, I found a couple of dried up pads on the ground at Lowe's. I brought them home, and even though they were completely dessicated, I planted them, and within a few days they plumped right up and have been happily growing. This one has a couple more flower buds ready to pop soon.

I checked the iris forum first, but here goes. Mom's friend dug up and gave us some irises. Today is April 8. Do I store them and plant in Sept. or try to plant them now? We live in Mesa.

Why don't you start a thread with "Iris Bulb Help" in the subject line instead of hijacking this thread about garden delights? You may get better results.

Congrats on your rescued 'Baby Rita', Leslie, it looks great and the bloom is so pretty! Love that pot and brick wall too. So fun to see!

Ami, if they are bearded iris (the ones with big sword like leaves) I'd plant them ASAP and keep them well watered for the first couple of weeks.

I agree with Mary--you'll get more replies if you make a new thread, plus it's more fun when the forum has lots of different threads geared towards specific plants, events, pests, etc. But I'd plant them ASAP. :)

Happy gardening all,

Grant adding a pic of Matucana madisoniorum in bloom this morning. If you are local and like cactus blooms, get this plant! It flowers over and over and over all spring/summer/autumn AND the blooms last several days. Take THAT, Echinopsis, LOL.

Thank you, I appreciate the help! Mary, your charming advice made my day. I will indeed start a new thread next time.

Thank you Grant. Love your little Matucana madisoniorum, are they easy to find here?

Thanks, Leslie. I find Matucana madisoniorum randomly around the Valley, usually at real plant nurseries rather than big box stores (which I also frequent, hah). Arizona Cactus Sales in Chandler usually has lots of Matucana madisoniorum in the wild type red (mine is a red x white hybrid as I try to get a pink). The reds are amazing and beautiful too and bloom every bit as much. You can always call AZ Cactus Sales first to verify they have them in stock. Such great little plants! Happy gardening!

Thanks Grant. I'm a long way from Chandler, but I will keep an eye out for them.

Here's my Y. Thompsonii flowering for me for the first time.

Awesome yucca, Nick! Thanks for posting it. Great looking garden too. Keep the pics coming!

I'm far from Chandler too, Leslie, I know what you mean. Even so, no nursery is too far for me to go, hah. I even get out to the awesome Shady Way Gardens nursery waaaay out in AJ. Oink oink oink, hah! (that's a plant pig noise, hah).

Here's a no-name Opuntia in bloom this morning. Great, deep Hawaiian punch color.

Happy gardening all,

Grant

Quick pic of a very very very light blue (okay, almost white) nigella in bloom this morning. Great spring annuals that self-sow around the garden if you let them. Tons of sun and occasional water keeps them happy and blooming. They're usually blue, but there are whites, pinks, and in-betweens too. Neat inflated seed pods too. Happy gardening!

Hello, after a while I am back. I just looked thru most of the posts for the last six months or so, and I love all the photos.

My garden was on hold for a while, but is getting there.

Here are some pics...an Easter cactus I just got at HD, my Fig tree and an Amaryllis in bloom.

Most of my cacti suffered a bit but I hope they will make a full recovery...no flowers yet.

First back yard blueberry picking today, still a lot left to ripen.

Beautiful pics, Michael! Is that an Easter cactus in the first pic? I have such great success with Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera) but I kill those poor Easter cacti quickly, poor things, LOL. Yummy looking figs (what variety?) and really cool Hippeastrum/amaryllis too. Love them!

Great blueberry harvest, captain! Why the separate bags? By variety? I'm envious! What are your secrets?

Happy gardening all!

Grant

By variety, so I can get a log going on yield and flavor, the best flavor so far was scintilla, oneal, and misty, bountiful blue has yielded the most but flavor is just ok and they have noticeably larger seeds. This is just my first full year with blueberries, the key for me has been selecting varieties that have low chill hours needed, keeping soil ph low and shading south and west in summer, first season I fertilized with ammonium sulfate at 1 tsp per gallon of water, per plant each week with supplemental watering in between as needed to gain size quickly, and have backed off to every two weeks this season. So far so good.

Yes it is an Easter cactus, found them at HD way overwatered. First one so I hope it will make it, I love the color.

The figs are Black Jack, had a few last year and they are yummy. It

Captain, love the blueberries, I was thinking of getting a couple....any recommendations on which ones?

I love this time of the year, I can stay outside all day.

Awesome blueberries Captain, I'm jealous that you got them to live for a year :)

I only have 1 plant producing enough to matter right now and this is how much I got off it today. I've already done 3 harvests over the last few weeks. I wish I knew it's variety, it just said "warm blueberries" on the container. It looks very similar to my Misty from last year.

Also, I just noticed the hyssop are starting to bloom.

It's Hedgehog Cactus blooming season. Here is an Echinocereus enneacanthus var. brevispinus:

My Arizona Milkweed (Asclepias angustifolia) are blooming, attracting dozens of beneficial pollinators and later providing food for Monarch and Queen butterfly caterpillars.

The Moss Verbena survived the winter this year in this butterfly plant bed in what used to be my swimming pool.

Loads of Mango flowers and fruits setting.

Tecoma 'Sparky' - very showy and very fast growing shrub.

leaf cutter bees doing some damage on my Jaboticabas

Dwarf Namwah banana really taking off now. It's on its fourth leaf.

Pink Guava loaded with soon to be flowers

Another shot of the Guava.

Canna 'Bird of paradise'

My wife's adeniums are happy Spring is here after a winter sleep.

Love to see what's going on in other people yard. Here is one of my favorite native Arizona tree, Footthill Paloverde, in my yard this morning.

Awesome new updates all, thanks for posting them. It's so fun to see who grows what. This weekend was SO RAINY in my garden, and quite chilly too. Here's a plant that didn't mind, Ruellia elegans which is starting to bloom for the season. Happy gardening!

Plus a fun bloom on what is becoming one of my favorite types of prickly pears, Opuntia quimilo. I've planted quite a few around the garden now. Happy gardening!