White rose~Weekly Color 122210

I found this gorgeous white rose at the Los Angeles County Arboretum during one of our visits there. Weekly Color, "white", for December 22, 2010. To visit other participants in Weekly Color, please visit: http://livingtakestalent.blogspot.com/

Mountain nursery~Mellow Yellow Monday 122010

Sometimes I like to stop at a little nursery up in our local mountains. I bought my flowering peach there last year and I've watched it grow and change colors and lose its leaves. This was the display there about Halloween time. It's a fun place to visit and I enjoy just wandering around and asking lots of questions! Mellow Yellow for Monday, December 20, 2010.

My BURPEE sweet peas have arrived!

Yes, they've arrived and I've soaked them overnight, so today I'll plant them. A few (a VERY few) of the Ferry Morse (WHATEVER...) ones finally sprouted, but not enough to fill 100 feet of chain link fence, so I'll plant these BURPEE ones in the missing spots. With a weather forecast of rain (on and off) for the next four days, this will be a good time to plant them here in the desert. Wish me luck!

Sunflowers

My sunflowers and California poppies are coming along just fine. My STUPID sweet pea seeds, however, are DUDS and I'll NEVER buy from Ferry Morse again! I ordered 6 packs from Burpee this week and they should arrive here next week and I'll have to replant them! I also bought 3 more packages of sunflower seeds and I may plant them along the back fence, with the sweet peas, and maybe the peas will grow up the sunflowers? Has anybody done this? These were my sweet peas from last March. And, yes, these were BURPEE seeds!

My sweet peas didn't germinate! ACK! Frustration rant!

I was in a hurry this year to buy and plant my sweet pea seeds and NOBODY down here in the desert had Burpee ones, so I bought Ferry Morse. BIG MISTAKE! I planted 12 packets of them and NOT ONE BLOOMIN' SEED has sprouted! Can you believe it???? I was talking about this at school the other day and a fellow teacher told me he had purchased Ferry Morse seeds, too, and NONE of his sprouted either! What's WRONG with Ferry Morse seeds? So, this morning, I sat down and ordered 6 packets from Burpee, through Amazon.com. They should be here in about a week, and once I plant them, they will sprout in 7-10 days. I'll NEVER buy Ferry Morse seeds again, PERIOD!!!!!!!

My blooming bougenvillas~Today's Flowers 112810

I took these photos of the bougenvilla which is inside my gate and which has climbed up and over our 6 foot wooden fence. The sunlight was hitting the blossoms just right and I had to stop and admire them. Today's Flowers for November 28, 2010.

The status of my garden 11/25/2010

My sunflowers have sprouted and are growing, my California poppies have sprouted and are growing...life is GOOD! I soaked my sweet peas last week and planted them, then forgot to water them for 2 days, and they are NOT coming up...sigh...I'll keep checking on them. I may have to replant all of them. DARN!

My seeds are coming up!

Yes, my seeds have sprouted and, if my neighbors don' t trespass and spray ROUNDUP on them, I'll have African Daisies and a few sunflowers next spring! I threw out my daisy seeds from last spring and there were some sunflower seeds in the ground, which have now sprouted! I'm so excited!!!!!!!

Rethinking my garden plans 102410

I'm rethinking my plans for my gardens this fall. I WILL plant my sweet peas in the back yard, along the 6' high chain link fence which divides our back yard in half. (Half of it is for the dogs). But, I'm NOT planting sunflowers along the street fence, like I've done for the last two years. Instead, I threw out African daisy seeds (no California poppy seeds this year). But, I do have an east-facing fence between me and my neighbor which now gets full sun until late afternoon! She was kind enough to ask me if it was okay to trim back one of the shrubs which was there (and was growing over her side of the fence)...so I said okay and now I have a whole other location to plant seeds! So, yesterday I planted my sunflower seeds along that fence, along with the California poppies. I also had two packages of Texas Bluebells that I planted there, so I'll see if they sprout this year! We had quite a bit of rain last week and the ground is still soaked, so the seeds should sprout quickly as it is warming up now. I'll continue to water these newly-planted seeds and I hope by next Spring I'll have photos to share with you!

Wild sunflower, Lone Pine, CA~Today's Flowers 102410

Hubby and I drove up to the Sierras last weekend and we stopped near the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine to take some photos. There are always wild sunflowers growing there and I especially liked this one! There is a cow pasture behind them, but these grow wild along the roadway. Today's Flowers for October 24, 2010. Oops! For some reason, I'm getting a message that Today's Flowers is "for invited bloggers ONLY" and is closed! Can anybody help me? I'm getting this message: "This blog is open to invited readers only."

One of the last roses before winter~Today's Flowers 101010

I board my 5 rescue horses up in our local mountains, out away from the desert heat. They are well into their autumn season and I found this yellow rose on one of their roses bushes. There were three more buds on this rose bush, but soon they'll go dormant for the winter. I better enjoy this beauty while I can!!! Their maple trees already have yellow leaves. Today's Flowers for October 10, 2010.

Yellow rose~End of summer~Today's Flowers 091910

Summer is beginning to wind down here in the desert and we should only have a couple more days of triple digit temperatures. By Tuesday, it will only be 99 degrees here! YIPPIE! So, yesterday morning, I took a walk around the horse ranch where I board my horses. It is up in our local mountains, at 4,000 feet. All the horses are beginning to get their winter coats already! The maple trees are starting to get yellow leaves. And, the roses bushes, which bloomed all summer, and winding down. But, this yellow one was in full bloom yesterday and I stopped to admire it. Today's Flowers for September 19, 2010.

Yellow mums~Mellow Yellow Monday 091310

I went to Lowe's this week to check out their fall flowers. They still have many summer ones like zinnas and portulaca. But, they also had these colorful mums. It is still too hot to plant them here (it was 100 degrees here yesterday), but soon our days will cool down and our nights, too. Then desert gardeners can plant these in their gardens. I remember how my grandfather loved his "mums". Mellow Yellow Monday for September 13, 2010.

Sunflower in the morning~Today's Flowers 091210

This morning I'm going back through my photo archives and I found this one. I'd nearly forgotten about it and the others I took of my sunflower garden last January. I had gone out very early one morning and I had to use a flash on it. But, I like the color and you can see the background of the wooden fence behind it. Today's Flowers for September 12, 2010.

Dried agave blossom~Today's Flowers 081510

I always enjoy walking in the morning up at the Santa Rosa Mountains Visitor Center. One morning, they had these agave blossoms leaning against a wall and I stopped to observe them. The agaves have already bloomed and there are many dried ones along our local mountains and highways. I took a close look at one of them. Isn't it interesting? Today's Flowers for Sunday, August 15, 2010.

Wild sunflowers~Today's Flowers 080810

A friend and I stopped on the road to Warner Springs yesterday at an old stage coach stop and I saw these wild sunflowers. These grow all around the Coachella Valley and up in our local mountains. I have stopped a few times to pull off the seeds and planted them in my yard, but I've only had 1 plant actually grow. So, I guess I'll continue to admire them in their natural habitat! They are smaller than commercially grown sunflowers, like the mammoth, and have many flowers on a stem. There are some growing right now down by my school and I may investigate them further! Today's Flowers for August 8, 2010.

Desert Willow~Today's Flowers August 1, 2010

Our desert willows are now blooming here in the desert. While my own plant is just a baby, these mature ones are up at the Santa Rosa Mountains Visitor Center. I walked by this one this morning and took these photos. Desert willows are fairly common here in our desert. While its leaves are long and slender like a willow, it is actually a member of the catalpa family. Bees enjoy visiting the blossoms and they were busy this morning! Today's Flowers for August 1, 2010.

Cosmos~Sunday stills Challenge 071810 and Today's Flowers

Cosmos always mean "summer" to me. They are such delightfully beautiful flowers! I didn't have any seeds to plant here in the desert this summer, but I found these up at Simi Winery in the Dry Creek Valley of northern California. I mean, who can resist their cheerfulness? Next year I'll reserve a space in my garden for some cosmos. Sunday Stills Challenge and Today's Flowers for July 18, 2010.

Smoke tree blossoms~Today's Flowers 062710

The smoke trees here in our valley are blooming right now and I stopped one afternoon last week to take some photos of them. The usually-gray trees and now covered with dark blue flowers. And, these flowers attract hundreds of bees! I could hardly get close enough to take the close-up photos! ACK! As I recall, they do not bloom for very long, so I'm glad I stopped to take these pics. Today's Flowers for June 27, 2010.

Red and Orange Bird of Paradise and blue sky~Sky Watch Friday 062510

These flowers aren't in my garden. While I DO have some, they aren't blooming right now. These belong to a neighbor and while I was out and around the other day, I stopped to take some pics of them. Aren't they pretty against our blue sky? SkyWatch Friday for June 25, 2010.

Orange flowers~Today's Flowers 061310

These flowers are growing in our daughter's neighborhood and yesterday I was able to finally take a photo of them. I don't know the name of them, but butterflies seem to like them! Today's Flowers for June 13, 2010.

Rose in Lone Pine, CA~Today's Flowers 060510

No, not my rose. As you know, I CANNOT grow roses! But, I admire them and this one, with others, was growing steadily in Lone Pine, CA. Today's Flowers for 060510.

Welcome to the garden center~Windows and Doors, Too~052710

I love this door. It is the door for one of the entrances of the garden center at the Living Desert Reserve. From here, you walk through a little water garden (yes, in the desert!) and then you enter the garden center. It's always shady and cool here, which is a welcome relief on our hot, summer days! Windows and Doors, Too! for May 27, 2010.

Branches~That's My World 052510

As I wandered around the Living Desert on Saturday morning, I couldn't help but notice how green all the trees were! I took these two photos of the new growth on a couple of them. That's My World for Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

More flowers from my neighbor's garden~Mellow Yellow Monday 052310

I wandered over to my neighbor's front yard (she is a professional landscaper) and found these delightful yellow flowers. I'm not sure what they are, but they are in full bloom right now. Mellow Yellow Monday for May 23, 2010.

Roses next door~Today's Flowers 052210

As I stood waiting for my aunt and uncle this morning, I wandered over to my neighbor's yard to see her roses. Aren't they beautiful? These are roses that do well in the desert! Such beautiful colors! I wish I could grow roses, but every bush I have planted has died. My parents had beautiful, healthy roses bushes, but I simply cannot grow them! So, I admire hers! Today's Flowers for May 22, 2010.

Cholla blossoms~Macro Monday 051710

I got up close and personal with this cholla cactus when I saw a cactus wren leave its nest in it. Believe me, no creature is going to mess with these spikes! The little blossoms hadn't opened yet and I would like to keep an eye on them and see them when they open up! Macro Monday for May 17, 2010.

Roses at the Ranch~Today's Flowers 051610

First of all, let me tell you that these are NOT my roses. Oh, no! I've killed every rose bush that I have planted in the last 35 years! No, no, no! For some reason, I can't grow roses. My parents could. They had BEAUTIFUL ones! My neighbor can. She has beautiful ones. My school can. They have beautiful ones. But not me. Period. So, I have to enjoy others' roses. These are in full bloom right now up at the ranch. I'm sure they, like my parents, put tons of horse manure on them (there are, after all, over 20 horses on the ranch!) And, look at that blue sky! Ahhhhh....a warm day, the fragrance of roses, being with my horses...what else could I want? Today's Flowers for May 16, 2010.

Heat and my sweet peas

Well, last week's heat has finally pretty much done-in my sweet peas. I picked the last full bunch of them Sunday and took them over to my aunt for Mother's Day. She and my uncle just bought a new house in Sun City, Indio. They sold their house in Rancho Bernardo and moved to the desert. We are all glad to have them nearby as they are both in their 80's, but still pretty active! Anyway, my grandfather used to grow BEAUTIFUL, full, vibrant sweet peas and this is the first year in nearly 30 years that I've had a decent spot to grow mine. I tried growing them on chicken wire, but they never thrived like this year's crop. These are on my chain link fence out in the back yard. I soaked the seeds overnight before I planted them and they immediately sprouted and grew! I'm going to pull them up this Sunday, since I have to stay home all day as my aunt and uncle are sending their new bed over and they bought separate twin beds! So, I have to be home to answer the door when our son-in-law and a friend deliver the bed. I'm thinking about planting some cosmos seeds along this fence for summer and I may stop at Lowe's today after school to check out other summer seeds. Good -bye sweet peas! They have put nitrogen into the soil and have completed their cycle. Now it is time to plant something else in their place. I will miss their beauty and fragrance. We could all smell the last batch that I picked Sunday and took over to my aunt's house. I LOVE sweet peas!

Visitor center red~Ruby Tuesday 051110

I don't know what these are, but these red blossoms were at the Palm Desert visitor center. I stopped by there one morning and admired them and some of the cacti there. Ruby Tuesday for Tuesday, May 11, 2010.

My sweet peas in full bloom~050910

My sweet peas are now past their prime. I took these photos about 10 days ago. We've had days of 90 degrees plus heat, so they are quickly drying out and going to seed. This year's crop was really an experimental one, since we got the fence put up last fall to keep the dogs from running all over our yard. We have a 6' chain link fence down one side of our yard, about 100 feet long. Our son put it in for us. I have planted sunflowers on a couple of sections, African daisies and California poppies on the section nearest the gate, and my sweet peas in the middle sections. The sweet peas are very special to me as my late grandfather used to plant them in his garden and ours. He was an old Kansas farmer with a VERY green thumb. His sweet peas were gorgeous, healthy, and very thick. I think he mixed horse manure in the soil (I have PLENTY of that, with 5 horses!)...This is the first crop to EVER come close to his typical crops! I am going to have to pull them out shortly (this will break my heart!), but I have some cosmos seeds and some Tithonia seeds to plant in their place and since sweet peas put nitrogen into the soil, the latter seeds should do very well. Ahhh....they will have done their job! I am collecting the seeds and I plan on planting them next December, and once again delight in their beauty and their sweet fragrance! And, if you are wondering, yes, I DID soak them overnight and I did throw some horse manure on them! Brenda's Photo Challenge and Today's Flowers for May 8, 2010.

Almond blossoms~Today's Flowers 041810

There are four almond trees up at the ranch where I board my horses. Two of them have white blossoms and the other two have pink ones. They only bloom for a short while, so, last month, while they were in full bloom, I walked down to take these photos of them. The ranch owner told me that last year, they had a good crop until a strong wind came by and knocked all the almonds off the trees. Another year, they had a really, strong, hard, late frost. Maybe this year? Today's Flowers for April 18, 2010.

Bougenvillas~Today's Flowers 040410 and Bloomin' Tuesday

Two of my bougenvillas are in full bloom right now, my purple one and one of my red ones. I love how the red one cascades over my front fence! When I pull in the driveway every afternoon, it greets me! I planted them several years ago right next to the fence there and now I have two of the red ones that have grown up and over the fence. Bougenvillas grow extremely well here in our desert heat. In fact, they LOVE the heat! I planted the purple one right next to one of the posts on our patio, and it has now grown up the post. Today's Flowers for April 4, 2010.