Home & Garden

Crassula Falcata

Crassula Falcata

Sadly, I can’t seem to get this to grow in Arizona, although “they” say it is possible. On this trip to California, the timing was right to enjoy this beautiful cluster of flowers with a nice delicate fragrance. Click on the image to enlarge.

Wikipedia says:

Crassula falcata, known by the common names airplane plant and propeller plant, is a succulent plant endemic to South Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope. The foliage is gray-green with striking texture, on plants that grow to 2 feet tall. The flowers are tiny and scarlet red, that rise in dense clusters above the foliage for a month in summer. Crassula falcata is cultivated for use in drought tolerant and succulent gardens, and in container gardens.

Cimarron Sage

Purple Sage

While we were still living in California we often visited the desert. We had a condo timeshare in Palm Desert years ago and would have it to ourselves in the summertime because none of our partners could stand the heat. We also took vacations which would bring us to most of the southwestern desert states. We always enjoyed the desert vegetation, especially the flowering shrubs and sage.

We tried growing the Red Bird of Paradise and purple sage (aka Texas Ranger Sage, Cimarron sage) at our California house near the coastline, but to no avail. Now that we’re here in our Arizona retirement home, all of the above and more thrive here and provide us with colorful and, in some cases, fragrant flowers. The Cimarron Sage along the driveway have erupted with glorious and fragrant purple flowers.

Click on the image to enlarge.

More Erosion

More Erosion

We had a really heavy downpour last Wednesday night. It looks like I’ll have to shore up the front of the property with big rocks to avoid losing more of the landscape between the RV drive and the west wash. Again, I have plenty of big rocks up in the wash and around the lot, so it’s just a matter of collecting them in the wheelbarrow and burying them along the roadway where the floods wash down.

Damn! I’m supposed to be retired and all this stuff pops up to keep me busy. Ah well, It probably keeps me out of trouble.

Click on the image for the full sized panorama.