Moths on Pink Yarrow

I don't know what type of moths these are, but they're teeny-tiny (the size of my fingernail), and they LOVE my pink yarrow!

Desert Willow Seedlings

This is the first time I've started desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) from seed. I've had terrific success germinating them in 4" pots by spritzing them daily with water from a mister bottle and then keeping the pots covered with a clear, upside-down drip tray (to keep the soil moist but still allow sunlight in). The seeds should be planted shallow (just barely covered with soil) as they need sunlight to germinate.

The internet tells me to overwinter them indoors in pots the first year and then plant in the ground next spring. Supposedly the seeds lose viability rather quickly. I plucked these off of the tree (select brown pods that are dry and starting to split open) and seeded them the same day.

The seedlings below are from the tree in my back yard ('Bubba') which I got 20 years ago from Garden World in Abilene. They are still displaying their cotyledons and are just starting to grow their first true leaves. I've started four pots of these, and all germinated successfully in about one week.

Desert Willow seedlings

 

Desert Willow 'Bubba'

 These are the first seeds I started back in the summer, and these came from the tree over at the park which has more white in it than the tree in my back yard. August 10, 2022; pictured with two chocolate ghost pepper plants:

 

Transplanted into 1-gallon pot today:

Desert Willow transplanted into 1-gallon pot

Chocolate Ghost (Bhut Jolokia) Heirloom Peppers

I bought these seeds on clearance back in the summer and potted them up back in July which is a bit late to get production before it freezes in about a month from now. I'm going to overwinter them in pots and transplanted them up into 1 gallon pots today.

Pictured below with a dessert willow seedling:

Chocolate Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)

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.

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