Whence Comes a Plum

With luck (and the birds don't get at it first).

Happy Red Hibiscus

Light the Candles ...

Mystery Flower Identified! [updated 4-28-13]

Pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana aka Feijoa sellowiana).   Has produced two flowers, but no fruit (yet).

Red Flower Day

Here is our old friend the "cactus orchid," this time in red. The top photo was taken with ambient (day)light. Flash was used for the bottom photo.

With greetings and happy birthday wishes to our most devoted reader. Good health and happiness to you!

Spring Fail

After numerous attempts resulting in a 99.9% failure rate, we've given up on tulips. The Dutch can keep 'em.

Yes, this is a tulip we grew from a bulb. It is the one tulip that bloomed out of dozens planted over the years. It is the .1% that briefly occupied a spot in the garden. And it is pink. :-(

Hands-Free Spring Success

No skill required to grow this. Sooner or later, it finds its way into most gardens without human assistance and thrives easily with a bit of sun and water run-off from the irrigation of other plants. Bees visit it and the roots fix nitrogen in the soil, which can benefit other plants.

When I was a child, I found a stem of clover in my mother's garden bearing the legendarily lucky four leaves. I pressed it and carried it in a waxed paper envelope in my wallet for several years until the wallet was lost. It didn't seem so lucky then.