esrosedotblog

ABLOOM

Our yucca plants out front have burst into bloom. And not just one per plant. This year we have three bloom stems for each yucca.

The blooms do seem to burst. The first indication that they are coming is a stem that shoots out of each branch over just days. Then little branches grow on the stem and, before you know it, flowers all over.

They go as fast as they come but while they are here they are showstoppers. People ooh and aah. So do I.

In the same patch, we have the ocotillo doing its annual show.

It started green leaves about a month ago and then slowly put out blossoms at the tip which soon burst into bright orange color.

Another short show.

Somehow the infrequency of the bloom on this cactus (hard woody stems, long and tough) add to the excitement of its arrival. Something about the less we have, the more we want.

Neither of these plants actually belong in this elevation of desert. They are more high desert plants. The yucca has done well here. When it first came, we had asked for and thought that it was a joshua tree.

The joshua trees are also yuccas, but we are told that the joshua tree would not grow down here. It likes the cold weather too much to give it up. Besides, the space the plant would have had is too limited for the reach of the tree.

Labels: desert, horticulture