Yarrow and Larkspur

These pictures are from the front flowerbed where I installed a flower bed last year.

The wild yarrow I dug up at the farm last year when I was home mowing. It appeared to have a very slightly pink blush at the time but this year is fully white. 

The larkspur is from the hummingbird seed mix given to me by a neighbor, and that was REALLY beautiful! The larkspur blooming now sprouted last fall, and there are also some Four O'Clocks just starting to pop up.

We got 1" of rain a couple of days ago so I'm hoping more seeds are about to sprout because I know there are a LOT out there!

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.

Rock Garden Progression

UPDATE: 5/12/2022, Got 1" of rain two days ago.

UPDATE: 4/29/2022

Threadleaf Groundsel is blooming up a storm!

 

ORIGINAL: 4/23/2022

The rock garden was SO PRETTY last year that I'm going to do progression pictures this year so I can see how and when it changes over the season.

This year has been extremely dry and windy so far with no measureable rainfall since August and a dust storm yesterday with gusts over 70 mph. But still... the Threadleaf Groundsel is doing it's thing! Yarrow had some windburn, plus there are two that I recently dug up to share with mom, and they're still in recovery mode.

Threadleaf Groundsel

Spring Update

Threadleaf Groundsel

Pincushion Flower - Pink

Petite Knockout Rose - first bloom

Garlic

'Bridal Wreath' Spiraea

Larkspur

Red Yucca

Red yucca starting to form bloom spikes.

Early Days of Spring!

Did lots of work around the yard today since we're finally having some nice weather without all the WIND!

Planted sedum tiles along the front sidewalk. I bought two and broke them up into pieces. The bright green stuff is blooming! This area tends to be hot and dry in the summer although it is getting more and more shade as the Cedar Elm in the front yard gets bigger.

The flower bed in the front yard... I planted a packet of hummingbird seed mix here last year, and it was really pretty! There are a ton of seeds in here, but nothing much has sprouted with the drought conditions we've been having. The larkspur established last fall and is starting to bloom. Also, the ice plant looks good, and I added in some Grape Hyacinth today.

And the kitties helped me a lot in the front yard today...

In the backyard, I planted 3 Pincushion plants (Scabiosa; two purple, one pink). 

In and around the rock garden...

I transplanted some pink yarrow I got from one of my neighbors:

The Mexican Petunia are starting to sprout:

Threadleaf Groundsel overwintered (surprised!) and is starting to bloom!

Prickly Pear is putting on new growth:

'Moonshine' Yarrow is budding up:

Spiny Goldenweed also survived (also surprised!) and is bushing up:

And Cody helped me in the back yard... overlooking his kingdom!

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: