Home & Garden

A Welcome Stowaway

stowaway.jpgIn late spring, I bought some Asian lilies to put in the front porch planters for some spring color. Eventually, the lilies played out and I bought some Gerbera Daisies for the summer decorative flowers in the planters. I didn’t get around to putting them in the planters since a tomato plant had started to sprout in the soil where I cut back the lilies. It looked healthy, so I left it to grow into a mature tomato plant.

I guess it’s quite common for plants from a nursery to carry seeds from tomatoes and other things. This isn’t the first time for this to happen to us.

This is the plant today – sporting a healthy crop of six little tomatoes. I got a trellis from the back yard to support the weight of the tomatoes while they get ripe. Now, I’m looking forward to having garden-fresh tomatoes grown on the front porch. Click on the image to enlarge.

Cereus Cactus Flower

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This is one of four cereus cactus flowers in bloom this morning. This time of year. one or more of these opens every day. Within hours the flowers wilt, eventually fall off leaving a portion of the stem that will grow into the fruit of this cactus. Click on the image to enlarge (notice the pollinator inside).

Tiny Persimmon Orchids

I’m not sure about the name of these tiny orchids, but they come in purple, yellow, red and this shade of persimmon. I have had all four come out on our California patio this year. They grow from stems that extend out of the leaves and form clusters of several inch-wide flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.

persimmon orchids

Echeveria

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Last year, I posted a photo of this echeveria succulent on the patio. Then, it had fewer of the colorful little flowers. I guess it likes it here. I probably got this at the local garden shop last year.

Desert Tropicals describes the echeveria genus:

Echeveria is a large genus of succulents in the Crassulaceae family. They are native from Mexico to northwestern South America. The genus Echeveria is named after the 18th century Spanish botanist Atanasio Echeverria Codoy. Several of these species are outstanding garden plants. A large number offsets heavily and are given the common name of ‘Hen and Chicks’.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Red Gerbera Daisy

I got these a while back to plant in the front porch planters. Today, they were looking very, very red. Click on the image to enlarge.

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Hot Princess Rosebud

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I bought a dozen bright “Hot Princess” roses when we shopped today. I put them in the vase with the yellow “Isabel” roses from last week and the colors compliment each other perfectly. Click on the image to enlarge.