That is a Crown of Thorns in the pot. It's a euphorbia. To the left is the baby saguaro, to the right is a blue barrel cactus. We put the pot on a watering line, and I'm hoping enough water drains through the pot to keep the area damp so the cactus don't die in the summer while we're gone. The euphorbia looks about 100 percent better since we put it on water. "Drought tolerant" doesn't mean they actually like it.
The Mexican Bird of Paradise is no longer with us. Despite building tents for it every time temperatures went down to freezing, it was not doing well. Instead we have planted three opuntia. The one with the long stickers on the right will get to be four or five feet tall, years from now. They're cheerful little plants.
This is an oputia gumby. I'm pretty sure that's not his scientific name.
This morning we saw this. Look at the agave, just to the right of center. See the pointy thing sticking up? That's going to be a flower spike. It requires so much energy, that after it blooms it dies. We always thought the plant was on its last legs because it looks so bad, but apparently not.
Look at the base, that is a sad agave.
This is the hummingbird status as of this morning. There are still two of them in there.
A side view. Later we saw both heads up, waiting for HRH to bring food. Look at the edge of the nest closest to the palm trunk. I think after the babies fledge, we're going to be hosing poop off of that tree. It's everywhere!
Today B&D blinds came and took away all of our mini-blinds are replaced them with a combination of vertical blinds and two inch horizontals. Looking through the two inch horizontals, when they're level, really increases our ability to see outside. The verticals are just huge, because they span essentially three sliding glass doors.
That it! Birds, plants and window coverings.
Pretty cool to see an agave blooming. It seems all that snow has set lots of things to blooming. All of your cactus look happy!
ReplyDeleteAww the baby hummers are getting BIG!!
New window coverings are always a big PLUS!!
my mexican bird of paradise will freeze to the ground if we have enough cold weather but it has always come back. had just a few light freezes this winter so it didn't. we also have a century plant in the front which has had most of its leaves frozen to mush the the past two winters (not this one just ending) but continued to grow. it's still fairly young, maybe only 5 or 6 years so has a way to go til it blooms.
ReplyDeletethose little hummers are going to be too big for that nest soon.
You have a lot of sunshine for those blinds to take charge of!
ReplyDeleteHow often each day does HRH feed the kids?
We don't really know. When they were eggs, she was on the nest all of the time. Now she is gone most of the time. I guess when she sees the mouths open and the heads waving she comes back. We think she's spending her time eating bugs to feed the kids.
Delete