Home & Garden

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters, respectively, in the Greek alphabet, or so I’m told. That just sounded like a good title for this post since I have a feeling that the blooming season is about over for the Cereus cactus in our garden. The First Flower popped out around the end of May, leading up to a Profusion of blooms a couple of weeks ago.

This little bud may be one of the last blooms of the season. It looks formidable surrounded by spines, but it is destined to be another gorgeous flower. Click on the image at the left for a really close-up view.

Warmed by the morning sunlight, this nice Cosmos flower shows its symmetry and order that prompted the Spaniards to give it the name Cosmos, which means “ordered universe.” This one is the first from some starter plants we bought a few weeks ago, and is quite large – about four inches (10cm) across.

I’ve posted about my favorite flower, the Stargazer Lily, before. For whatever reason, the flower concession at our local supermarket has been devoid of ‘gazers. Over the weekend, however, we went to another store and found a nice bouquet of three stems for under $10. This one opened over the weekend and is so pretty. It’s nice to see ‘gazers back on the dining room table.

From FloraPedia:

The stargazer has added a new layer to the already rich legacy of lilies, which have been a significant floral symbol for centuries. In ancient mythology and in folklore from around the world, the lily has appeared as a deeply spiritual and philosophical metaphor. Developed in the latter part of the 20th century, the stargazer lily is a recent addition to the lily family, but this unique and rather exotic hybrid has rapidly risen in popularity to become one of the most adored and sought-after of all lily varieties.

The flower concession at our local supermarket had a special on Phalaenopsis orchids this weekend. I put this beautiful spotted Phalaenopsis in the shopping cart and it now sits with our exotic tropical plant collection on the kitchen counter under the skylight.

We added this nice two-tone Santana Hibiscus bush to our backyard landscape today. We’re running around getting all the shopping and chores done because tomorrow is the gun show!