March 1st ...Equals the start ...of Spring, 2025

[Silas_Sancona]

With the start of a new month comes the start of a new season ..defined by the only way of defining the seasons that matters,  Meteorologically..

Final month of " winter " spent well above average, + our first official 90s for 2025, ..a month early,  = plenty of stuff awakening from their winter naps in the yards ..and beyond...


Hippeastrum " Stargazer, Minerva,  ..or .... " right at peak bloom, while inflo #2 produced by this plant gets ready to open..



Solanum houstonii



Calliandra eriophylla..




Echinocereus coccineus  ..or triglochidatus.. flowering  ..One of the two planted in the yard at least..





..Ahead of the Beavertails and specimen these offsets came from at the old house too..  






Seed started Coral Honeysuckle i thought i'd killed after yanking last fall..




White Veined Pipevine  ** Not pictured ** Native Pipevine, A. watsonii is already starting to flower..




Clitoria mariana  peeking out of the soil about 4 weeks ahead of schedule..




Caliche Globemallow




Though it has thrown around a few sporadic flowers, Erythrostemon palmeri is already reloaded with buds..




While a few in the neighborhood are just starting to show any color, looks like the TX Mtn Laurel will beat the Sweet Acacia across the street to the stage this year..















The pale - flowered specimen....







Orange Tecoma cultivar.




 

[Silas_Sancona]

Tis 'also  the season for getting spring projects completed before the dawn of " Nuke Season " begins to illuminate the eastern horizon in a couple months  ..if not earlier this year...


Slightly raised, gravel- filled beds separating the block wall from the back lawn looks much nicer than letting the lawn take up all the space..

As mentioned before, specific Canna / summer flowering annual stuff will fill these beds..








In this particular section, left the level of gravel placed in the block holes a little lower compared to other areas ( ...Where i filled the holes to the top ) ..Because this part of the yard stays shaded and moist in winter,  even one as dry as this year apparently ...and the bottom of all the blocks placed here aren't open, ..thus being able to retain some water, ...or at least allow water to slowly drain,  considering another experiment with native Fern spores here next winter..  May stick some Yerba Mansa offsets in a few of the holes too.

Still undecided on whether or not the corner ..behind the log.. will be good enough for throwing a Hedychium in there, or still too hot / sunny..



Now that it is enclosed, need to get / mix in  a couple bags of compost ..and get what Tomatoes / Peppers  Mex. Oregano ( Lippia gravolens ) / Basil will go in there planted.  Italian Long pepper planted 2 years ago? ...awakening to Spring,  #3.. 

Hiding under the 5-6" of block buried below the soil line lies another 8-10" of hardwire cloth around the entire edge of the bed which should deter the furry menace.  

* Hopefully *




Next area to be done.. Don't think the yard would look right if i didn't do this section.





Since i'm pretty sure i'll have gravel left after i complete the final two sections of raised beds along the back wall,  will likely fill in this area around the base of the Ficus, after i lay down hardwire cloth to keep the furry menace out..  For whatever reason, Bermuda ..which grows everywhere else, will not fill in under here. Would look nicer with a defined, slightly raised bed around it anyway..

Thing in the pot in front of the Ficus is a zone 13 Bursera sp native to a small area of Oaxaca along the Pacific coast of Mexico ..






Extra driveway space filled in..  Head off it is a 3ft wide raised bed ..so anyone parking there doesn't hit the block wall separating the front and back yards..




Random " add in " spots to the sidewalk beds.. 




Aside from spreading the mounds of older rocked moved from a different spot, only things i need to add to the " main " bed out there are the two Plumeria i'm planting, the " summer flowering " cacti, and a pair of Colorado Four-o-Clocks ( Mirabilis multiflora )..

Next fall, i tackle installing 16-18" barrier below the scalloped edging ( if i don't decide to move it to the sidewalk edge / replace w/ block.. )  to keep the Bermuda out..





 

[Silas_Sancona]

Aside from Spring flowers and Spring projects,  Spring is always a great time for resuming hunting for stuff on the " hit " lists..

Figures that while on a mission to add another Tomato,  i'd find something on one of those lists..

In this case, a " Jungle Cacti " that has been ..on the list.. for years..   It really should be an easy find, but ..for whatever reason, hasn't been,  up until recently.  I hadn't intended to look around again until later  but size of these specimens = couldn't pass on the opportunity.

Epiphyllum * Formally Selenicereus * chrysocardium ..The most exotic looking of the " Fishbone / Ric Rac " - Type Epiphyllums..







On a humorous,  -and somewhat disappointing-   side note,   Tag on all of these on the shelf where found were labeled as a ....Philodendron.. 🤣  ..Could not be any further from one of those..

Funny ..and sad.. that the nursery these came from ( Well known whole seller in S. Cal. ) didn't catch a very obvious faux pas  ...before the plants were distributed. 


..Now to find a larger pot / spot outside where it won't get thrashed by the sun / heat..  ...And get it out of the  grower's Peat Moss Trash..

[Silas_Sancona]

Awakenings  ...and small things..

- Progress -

Bonellia * Formally Jacquinia * macrocarpa ssp. pungens  specimen in recovery  ..Gettin' there..




- Small Stuff -

Portulaca suffrutescens



Asclepias subulata ..and Acaciella angustissima  ...Who will win the " it's getting crowded " game..





- More Plumeria waking up -


JJ Chablis



Kimo



Mardi Gras,  the big one..



** Not Pictured ** Need another week or two to be sure but very possible Divine will flower on at least 2 of her tips this year..



Desert Willow






...Speaking of which..   W/ the successful germination of seed, ..Yes, even one is a win..   it is confirmed that any seed produced on X Chitalpa  aren't always sterile..  Will try more later..






Uncarina peltata  ..stirring..   Adenium are also showing their first signs of waking up..





Reverse of fall color,  new leaves on Coulteria ** Formally Caesalpinia **  platyloba seedlings showing off some color as they emerge..



...Same idea on Erythrostemon ( Formally Caesalpinia ) palmeri..   Since the leaves on it are much smaller,  tougher to notice the color of emergent foliage..



Like clock work, Echinocereus reichenbachii  v. albispinus  budding up..  Will this be the year -any- of the Stoney Creek Echinoceri start flowering??

[Silas_Sancona]

Near peak Mtn Laurel, some at least...





















As the Sweet Acacia start to awaken..

[Tracy]

Despite signs of spring coming it is still winter here.  Nights are cold still and water temps in the ocean have dropped to their lowest in 2025.  Ocean temps definitely correlate to on land conditions in this area.  We are still awaiting spring.   Old timers in the area have always warned that early March is still a risky time for overnight lows that can be records for the year.

Signs of spring were apparent on.my walk.  A neighbor's Macrozamia has some cones beginning to emerge. 

[Silas_Sancona]

A little color between  spring storms...

Blackfoot Daisy.. 



Erythrostemon palmeri



Glandularia gooddingii



Sphaeralcea laxa



Aristiolochia watsonii



Late Desert Bluebells, and Calliandra eriophylla





...Another sure sign of Spring ..The return of Anthophora californica



 

[Silas_Sancona]

Some 2nd place < Astronomical > Spring color  ...and other things..



Hippeastrum X " Red Lion "  ...No doubt about this one.




Hippe X Minerva ..or Stargazer  ...or ...whatever.. Note the developing seedpod on the 1st stalk in the background. Pretty sure this was the flower i'd dusted w/ pollen from " not Red Lion ".




Hippe X White seedpods starting to open..  One of the seedpods could be a successful cross between it and the " not Red Lion " that was the first to flower. Other two pods i simply transferred pollen between open flowers on that stalk.  Harvested this pod and another roughly about a day from opening to see if harvest timing makes a difference in how seed germinates. Both are in pots..



Seed from the final pod will be floated since that is another way to germinate Hippeastrum seed.




Late Lupinus sparsiflorus



Only Lupinus nanus  that managed to pop this year..




Lupinus texanus  look like they were saved by the recent rains and are getting ready to flower..



Calliandra eriophylla  ..the darker pink one.. ( Flowers on the other are much paler ) 






Aloe in a nearby park..









Sphaeraleca ambigua, dark pink form..





S. ambigua,  lighter pink form, and Encelia farinosa




Water Lilies, ( ..Probably Nymphaea X " Colorado "  ) budding up.. Probably in bloom within the next week or two.



Neltuma glandulosa also starting to awaken. will probably be bright green by the end of next week.



One ..of the numerous neighborhood Hong Kong Orchids in bloom atm..






1st check on a some Plumeria i'd stumbled upon  while street - viewing near a local mall. ..some of the bigger / older specimens in the neighborhood.






Same neighborhood =  .....Possibly... the largest Delonix regia  i've come across anywhere in Phoenix..  MUCH taller than any of the others i've documented nearby or seen in other people's yards, mirroring some i'd see around my old neighborhood in Bradenton / Sarasota.  Another " found on street view " specimen.




Eyes definitely on this one as we gear up for flowering season..  Very curious how the owner managed to get their specimen as large as it is.. dense tree cover surrounding it might play a part.


In contrast, other Royal P.  2 doors up from the big one appears to have been nipped by January's 2 week chill spell. Green on it, so it should be fine. Burn is simply cosmetic.





Young'ins a' poppin...


Delonix r.    ...from the neighborhood  tree..   An additional 2 dozen down atm from seed i'd collected in Fl. back in 2015..




Last of the D. pumila i had.. Unlike last year's batch, these appear to be sprouting successfully..




Senna purpusii



Senna hirsuta




...Waiting to see exactly what these are..  Sold as Lysiphyllum hookeri  when bought ..back in 2017.. but not quite sure that is what i got.. While technically not a Bauhinia sp., Leaves on Lysiphyllum are supposed to resemble other " Orchid trees "..



Speaking of Bauhinia  ..some B. lunaroides ,  gifted by a reptile..




Malvaviscus arborescens v. drummondii..  Test batch of seed produced by my specimen.



A very rare Hoffmannseggia  i've been trying to get past the initial germination stage for about 5 years..  Fingers crossed..


 

[Mazat]

On 2.3.2025 at 07:21, Silas_Sancona said:

Dies ist auch die Jahreszeit, um Frühlingsprojekte fertigzustellen, bevor in ein paar Monaten die Morgendämmerung der „Nuke-Saison“ den östlichen Horizont erhellt, wenn nicht sogar schon früher in diesem Jahr.


Leicht erhöhte, mit Kies gefüllte Beete, die die Mauer aus Steinen vom hinteren Rasen trennen, sehen viel schöner aus, als wenn der Rasen den ganzen Platz einnimmt.

Wie bereits erwähnt, werden diese Beete mit bestimmten Canna- und im Sommer blühenden einjährigen Pflanzen gefüllt. In diesem speziellen Abschnitt habe ich den Kiespegel in den Löchern der Blöcke etwas niedriger gelassen als in anderen Bereichen (… wo ich die Löcher bis zum Rand gefüllt habe). Denn dieser Teil des Hofs bleibt im Winter schattig und feucht, selbst in einem so trockenen Winter wie dieses Jahr … und die Unterseite aller hier platzierten Blöcke ist nicht offen, … sodass etwas Wasser zurückgehalten werden kann … oder das Wasser zumindest langsam abfließen kann, da ich im nächsten Winter ein weiteres Experiment mit einheimischen Farnsporen in Betracht ziehe. Vielleicht stecke ich auch ein paar Yerba-Mansa-Ableger in einige der Löcher. Bin mir noch nicht sicher, ob die Ecke hinter dem Baumstamm gut genug ist, um ein Hedychium hineinzuwerfen, oder ob es immer noch zu heiß/sonnig ist. Jetzt, wo sie umzäunt ist, muss ich ein paar Säcke Kompost besorgen/untermischen und mir überlegen, welche Tomaten/Paprika, mexikanischen Oregano ( Lippia gravolens )/Basilikum dort eingepflanzt werden sollen. Italienischer Langer Pfeffer vor 2 Jahren gepflanzt? ...Erwachen zum Frühling, Nr. 3.  Unter dem 12–15 cm dicken Block, der unter der Erdoberfläche vergraben ist, verbergen sich weitere 20–25 cm Drahtgeflecht um die gesamte Beetkante, das die pelzige Plage abschrecken sollte.  















 

*Hoffentlich* Nächster Bereich. Ich glaube nicht, dass der Garten ohne diesen Abschnitt gut aussehen würde. Da ich mir ziemlich sicher bin, dass nach der Fertigstellung der letzten beiden Abschnitte der Hochbeete entlang der Rückwand noch Kies übrig sein wird, werde ich diesen Bereich um den Ficusfuß herum wahrscheinlich auffüllen, nachdem ich Drahtgeflecht ausgelegt habe, um die pelzige Plage fernzuhalten. Aus irgendeinem Grund wird Bermudagras, das überall sonst wächst, hier unten nicht auffüllen. Würde sowieso schöner aussehen mit einem abgegrenzten, leicht erhöhten Beet drumherum.. Das Ding im Topf vor dem Ficus ist eine Bursera sp. der Zone 13, die in einem kleinen Gebiet von Oaxaca an der Pazifikküste Mexikos heimisch ist.. Zusätzlicher Platz in der Einfahrt ist aufgefüllt.. Davor ist ein 3 Fuß breites Hochbeet ... damit niemand, der dort parkt, gegen die Mauer aus Steinblöcken stößt, die den Vorgarten vom Hinterhof trennt.. Zufällige „Zusatzstellen“ für die Beete am Gehweg..  Abgesehen davon, dass ich die Hügel aus älterem Steingut, das ich von einer anderen Stelle gebracht habe, verteilt habe, muss ich dem „Hauptbeet“ da draußen nur die beiden Plumeria hinzufügen, die ich pflanze, die „im Sommer blühenden“ Kakteen und ein Paar Wunderblumen ( Mirabilis multiflora ).. Nächsten Herbst werde ich eine 16–18 Zoll hohe Barriere unterhalb der gezackten Kante installieren (wenn ich mich nicht dazu entscheide, sie an den Gehwegrand zu versetzen/durch Steinblöcke zu ersetzen ...), um das Bermudagras draußen zu halten.





































 

looks excellent and is even more effective thanks to this subdivision.

Wonderful🤗😀

[Mazat]

On 10.3.2025 at 00:49, Silas_Sancona said:

In der Nähe des Gipfels des Mount Laurel, zumindest einige ... Während die Duftakazie zu erwachen beginnt ...

Great 🤗 

[Rivera]

Tellima grandiflora, locally native. I now have many plants, as the two small gift plants I received from a friend have seeded themselves prolifically and their offspring have also matured. It surprised me that they not only germinated and grew in moist shady situations, but also in dry sunny spots and even on porous concrete that was adequately moist.

Alyogyne huegelii, two varieties, one in a pot and the smaller plant in the ground.

Fragaria chiloensis with a hybrid Dudleya above and to the left. The strawberry plant does set numerous small fruits every year.

Closeup of same Dudleya sending up peduncles but not blooming yet

Dudleya pachyphytum, no flowers but this large rosette just bifurcated.

Lobelia aguana, vigorous and awesome

Dudleya hassei with Clivia in the background. I'm not drawn to the variegated selections of Agave bracteosa, but next to the Dudleya is an awesomely compact cultivated variety of the species that first originated at Rancho Soledad. Of course, a rodent gnawed off this plant's first pup.

Clivia

My favorite amongst them

Armeria maritima, with poppies and miner's lettuce behind it in the second photo

The racoons wiped out our fall crop of passion fruit. I netted the few remaining fruits late in the season, which overwintered and are ripe now.

Guatemalan selection of Spanish moss

Another Guatemalan epiphyte, Disocactus eichlamii

Dendromecon harfordii forming buds with our most beautiful invasive plant behind it. I remove Calla lilies from most of the yard, but I've allowed a couple clumps to remain.

[Mazat]

On 10.3.2025 at 03:12, Tracy said:

Trotz der Frühlingsboten ist hier noch Winter. Die Nächte sind immer noch kalt, und die Wassertemperaturen im Meer sind auf den niedrigsten Stand seit 2025 gefallen. Die Meerestemperaturen korrelieren eindeutig mit den Landtemperaturen in dieser Region. Wir warten immer noch auf den Frühling. Alteingesessene in der Region haben immer gewarnt, dass Anfang März immer noch ein Risiko für nächtliche Tiefsttemperaturen besteht, die Rekordwerte für das Jahr erreichen können.

Auf meinem Spaziergang waren die ersten Anzeichen des Frühlings zu sehen. An der Macrozamia eines Nachbarn treiben die ersten Zapfen aus. 

Here also cold in the morning 30.2 degrees fahrenheit thursday and yesterday and max in the day 66,38 degrees fahrenheit and 68.8 degrees fahrenheit.

[Mazat]

11 minutes ago, Rivera said:

Tellima grandiflora, heimisch. Ich habe mittlerweile viele Pflanzen, da die beiden kleinen Pflanzen, die ich von einem Freund geschenkt bekommen habe, sich zahlreich ausgesät haben und ihre Nachkommen ebenfalls herangewachsen sind. Zu meiner Überraschung keimten und wuchsen sie nicht nur an feuchten, schattigen Standorten, sondern auch an trockenen, sonnigen Stellen und sogar auf ausreichend feuchtem Porenbeton.

Alyogyne huegelii, zwei Sorten, eine im Topf und die kleinere Pflanze im Boden.

Fragaria chiloensis mit einer Dudleya-Hybride oben links. Die Erdbeerpflanze trägt jedes Jahr zahlreiche kleine Früchte.

Nahaufnahme derselben Dudleya, die Blütenstiele aussendet, aber noch nicht blüht

Dudleya pachyphytum, keine Blüten, aber diese große, einfach gegabelte Rosette.

Lobelia aguana, kräftig und beeindruckend

Dudleya hassei mit Clivia im Hintergrund. Die bunten Sorten der Agave bracteosa gefallen mir nicht, aber neben der Dudleya steht eine unglaublich kompakte Kulturvarietät der ursprünglich auf Rancho Soledad vorkommenden Art. Natürlich hat ein Nagetier den ersten Ableger dieser Pflanze abgenagt.

Clivia

Mein Favorit unter ihnen

Armeria maritima, dahinter Mohn und Winterportulak auf dem zweiten Foto

Die Waschbären haben unsere Passionsfruchternte im Herbst vernichtet. Die wenigen verbliebenen Früchte habe ich gegen Ende der Saison mit einem Netz eingesammelt. Sie haben den Winter überstanden und sind jetzt reif.

Guatemaltekische Auswahl an Spanischem Moos

Ein weiterer guatemaltekischer Epiphyt, Disocactus eichlamii

Dendromecon harfordii bildet Knospen, dahinter unsere schönste invasive Pflanze. Ich habe Calla-Lilien aus dem größten Teil des Gartens entfernt, aber ein paar Büschel habe ich stehen gelassen.

those little cheeky bears 

[Rivera]

3 hours ago, Mazat said:

those little cheeky bears 

Yes, ever the rascals they are.

[Silas_Sancona]

More  Bauhinia X blakeana bliss..









March    ...Of the New World Acacias...

Vachellia rigidula - Blackbush Acacia.  Nice 'Rhaads







Vachellia schaffneri  - Twisted Acacia / Huizachie Chino









Vachellia farnesiana - Sweet Acacia





Mariosousa heterophylla * Formally M. willardiana *   Palo Blanco





As the Palo Verde begin rehearsal before heading to the stage..  Parkinsonia florida  always being the first to get the show going....