Saturday, February 1, 2020

Cactus, Horses and a Lizard

Thursday we were feeling a little tired, so we decided to do stuff like go to Target, go to a cactus nursery on the far east side, and then finish up at Trader Joe's.  That was a perfect day for me.  We drove out to B and B Cactus Farm.  We got an advertising card that gave one free baby saguaro if you came out and looked.  So we did.

They have everything.  


This is an Agave Parryi, aka an Artichoke Agave.  We're contemplating one of these for the front yard.  The prickly pear is looking near death, so there may be a replacement.  The issue with these is they are slow growers, so you want a big one, but we can't lift a big pot.  Too heavy.  Their growth pattern is to put out pups.  Look at the bottom of both pots, the babies are trying to escape.


Another Agave.  They call these Cabbage Heads.


It's been cold out there, all of the growth tips are being protected from frost.  Jim just got back from the dollar store with styrofoam cups for a couple of our cactus.  Tuesday it's supposed to go down to 28.  Depending on whose forecast you listen to, it may or may not snow.
 

Then it was off to the tropicals greenhouse.  If we had land, there would probably be a green house.  They have the most spectacular plants in there.  This is a zoom on a flowering something.


The something.


Another one - they're just ethereal.


These are cool.  The one in the middle has an interesting growth pattern.


It sprouts clusters of arms off its arms.


There are furry cactus.


The baby cactus in the greenhouse.


More cool plants.


The shop cat.


It's an amazing nursery.  It makes me want to tear up the front yard and plant a lot.  Then I think about how hard it is to dig here and I reconsider.

Friday we were up and out for a hike.  We chatted with the horse people we met on the trail.  They're looking for a lot so they don't have to board the horses.  Apparently it's very expensive to do that here. 



On the way back we saw this guy hiding.  He's a Horned Toad Lizard, about an inch and a half long.  He's just cuter than a bug.  Hopefully he won't be eaten by a wretched road runner.


That's it!  Cactus, horses and a lizard.

8 comments:

  1. I LOVE LOVE B & B Cactus. Going there soon to pick up a couple for my back yard. Aren't those trees with the pink flowers amazing? Don't know what they are called. I do like to see the road runners, but they eat EVERYTHING!!

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  2. That cactus place looks well worth visiting. That blooming plant is a desert rose. They have a lot of them at the Desert Botanical Garden. I love them because they bloom all year.

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  3. I like cactus and have several, a few of which I brought back with me from AZ. We brought a small saguaro back also but it didn't like our humidity and died. Heavy sigh.

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  4. Love the variety of cactus! I'll take one of each please. Horse keeping is expensive wherever you do it. Keeping them at home is fun, but expensive AND worrysome. Boarding is just expensive. I do miss them though, sigh......

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  5. we have a friend who lives in one of the next little towns over who is our local cactus and succulent guy. he would love that place.

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  6. I love that beautiful flowering tree! I was never a big cactus fan because I lived in fear of falling into one on my bike and came close on the mountain bike path in Santa Fe (cholla...omg!) OR having Paisley get her face or eyes full of quills on a walk, since she is so curious (and blind now, so would not mix well with cacti). I lived in terror! Love the little toad and also hope he can survive. It's a tough world out there.

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  7. That pale pink bloomer is exactly--ethereal.

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