Hey, Bud!

Howdy!

So, more rain! All the plants — weeds included — have been enjoying a good long drink and appear quite chipper as a result. For the weeds that meant showing themselves in larger, more colorful, ways. Sadly, for them, that display only made it easier for me to pull them oh-so-carefully from their stations. My desirables have responded with more robust foliage and by standing taller. And, by producing buds that hold the promise of color for weeks to come. The ardent flower stalk of the above aloe is a perfect example …

Tiny now, but you'll see ...

Still just tiny clusters of barely-pink nubs, the ends of my burgeoning ‘Pride of Madeira’ don’t even begin to hint at their future showstopping display. Long spears made up of tiny blue/purple blossoms will be the result of all the heavenly watering we’ve had of late.

Buttercup buds

Fuzzy gray-green leaves of desert abutilon have been joined (surprisingly) by big buttercup yellow buds. This plant’s leaf shape and cup-like blooms will make a nice foliage contrast with nearby cassias (background, on right) sporting their own green and yellow finery.

Vibrant protection

My fantastic ferocactus has so enjoyed the rains that it’s adding some floral accessories to its already prickly look. The blooms on this cactus are a deep red-orange; they’ll look great next to those stand-offish magenta spines.

Spindly purple promises

What color would complement the dull purple-gray of a succulent’s rosettes best? Yellow, naturally! When I first saw the bright little blooms this plant produces I was amazed, the color combination was so ‘wrong’ it was perfect.

Tiny transistors?

Truthfully, I’m not sure these are really buds since they don’t produce flowers in the traditional sense. They do, however, produce these little transistor-electronic connector-christmas light-like tips that pulse with buzz-y color. When covered with them, this plant looks absolutely plugged-in.

Tiny, fuzzy, buddy

This diminutive cactus stands barely 4-inches tall, yet has a huge presence. Its cool fuzz-ball display comes from super tight spines arranged to hug its green body so closely you can barely see it. So, how it managed to add bright magenta buds to the mix is beyond me and I can’t wait to see the flower show …