Cholla Cactus

Moved my cholla cactus into my Texas pot. Mom got the original start of this from Jon who brought a piece back from his trip to Cibolo Creek Ranch years ago, and I got some pieces from her last year.

Mother of Millions, Kalanchoe laetivirens (Bryophyllum)

I bought this plant last year at the Lubbock Garden & Arts annual plant sale. It was a bit rough and unruly but has filled out and developed a more balanced form and has probably doubled in size. It IS making babies everywhere, ha ha!

Bryophyllum is a subgenus of Kalanchoe, and the species is native to Madagascar. Laetivirens may be a hybrid between K. daigremontiana and K. laxiflora.

Close-up of little plantlets that rim the serrated leaves.

My succulent plant stand on the patio. K. lativirens is on the lower shelf, back left.

The little plantets drop of and take root everywhere. I have started several new plants by putting these in pots. Any strays will die this winter as this plant will not tolerate freeze at all.

Mini Orchid

I picked up this mini orchid on clearance at Walmart for $4 back in mid-April. It was out in full sun and was very dry so the leaves are a bit funky, but it's held onto all of its blooms since I brought it home.

Tonight I put it in a cloche since regulating moisture can be more challenging on mini's. I'm planning to get a pretty plate for it to sit on instead of this plastic drip pan.

Orchid (Phalaenopsis) Flower Spike

UPDATE: 5/11/2022, Eight blooms open (out of 13 buds)

I didn't stake the spike enough. I underestimated how tall it would get, so it arched over in a way that didn't best present the flowers. I ended up using an adjustable ribbon at the top so I could slowly lift the spike a bit each day, and that has worked really well... plus, I think it's kind of pretty!

UPDATE: 5/1/2022

Four blooms open now!

UPDATE: 4/20/2022

First bud starting to open, 4 months after spike first started forming.

UPDATE: 3/26/2022:

 Finally starting to see real bud formation!

Also, I got this pale yellow orchid yesterday at Walmart for $15!

UPDATE 2/19/2022:

Also, I got a second one this Valentine's (2022) and took pictures so I can remember what the blooms look like, ha ha! (I can't remember what the first one will look like because it's been so long since it bloomed!):

 

1/9/2022: My orchid started putting out a bloom spike which I first noticed about a week before Christmas!

This will be the first time it has bloomed since I received it almost two years ago. I re-potted it in August of 2020 into a larger pot, and I've been fertilizing it 2x a year with a slow-release fertilizer.

Pictures from re-potting in August 2020:

Succulent Collection

I love succulents, and this is some of my current collection (on a stand I retrieved from the dumpster!):

Above: Portulacaria afra 'Variegata' (Variegated Elephant Bush) on the left, Haworthia at top, Echeveria pulidonis at right.

Below: Kalanchoe 'Flapjacks" in blue pot, Echeveria Hybrid 'Miranda' in white pot

Below: Kalanchoe (unknown variety that Mom got from Sandy) about to bloom

Kalanchoe 'Bordeaux'

Below: Aptenia cordifolia 'Variegata' (variegated dew plant) I "stole" from a neighbor! (it's still rooting in)