1 hour ago, Peter said:

Hey Nathan, here's my  Chilopsis 'Sweet Bubba' blooms yesterday.  It's still small and the blooms have been sparse so far.  How does Sweet Bubba do over there?  Is it floriferous?

Very..  though you might see a longer overall flowering season compared to here, especially as it matures.

Flowers from just about every new growth it pushes out each year.

 Nice, < ...or maybe not ,  > ....Depending on personal opinion  .. aspect about this cultivar is it doesn't form seeds..  For all the heaps of flowers produced each year / native bees attracted to them, never once seen a pod form on it. 

Fast grower,  esp if given a deep soak once weekly / every other week  this time of year.  Also sited where runoff from the roof collects when it rains.   

Grows fast enough  < ..mine so far at least, > that it gets kind of whip -y and i have to head it back a little, every so often to keep it's desired frame developing how i want it to.. 

Is flirting w/ the bottom of the roofline atm,  after being planted as a whippy,  approx. 5ft tall 3gal in '24. 

Laughs at full sun / plenty of west facing, reflected heat..  Mine is planted where it is blasted by sun, every day,  esp. this time of year, ..From about 10:30 - 11am,  until the sun sets. 

 

 " Slaughter Pink "  Blushing a bit in the heat.. 










J - 105 ..< Cat Calls >    Whata'  banger..     Crab Spider can skitter off to somewhere else though, lol..














TLD < Thornton Lemon Drop > opening in the heat.  Scent is exactly as you'd expect..  beautifully lemony.. 

















Note the difference between how it and Celadine < on the right > present their flowers.. Tons more flowers,  and tons more on 2 other branches,  to go. 




Cinnamon Swirl,  Not pictured,  on the way.   Appears, for the moment at least,  Divine will be late  ..or maybe skip a season??  ..this year.   Others?   ..we'll see. 


That said,  San Pedro Du Lac X?, on deck, next..  







Last of the Bougainvillea yanked      ..Good riddance 'ye thorny, out dated,  hort. atrocity  mess.. 

You don't die in vein however,  as your thorny, drying branches slung in various areas, and across sections of the block wall,  shall stab trespassing cat feet with erect enthusiasm as they try to enter the yard.. 






Large Leaf form of Calliandra haematocephala  replacement  adjusting nicely,  even thru the heat..  In time, it will properly block late afternoon sun beaming into the yard here  this time of year. 







Not pictured   ..While it weeps a bit during the hottest portion of the day right now,  tender -est bits n' pieces still plump,  rather than burnt and drying out  ..Plant itself looking normal after the sun sets  =  deep soakings are working as it settles in and starts initiating new root growth..



Compelled, ..and just for the heck -of -it,  ventured into 109F mid afternoon heat to put the tape measure to the R. P.  ..just to see where we're at as we enter the hottest / driest part of the year / await the arrival of the best time of the year < Monsoon Season >




Considering it has been ..roughly..  a year since it hit the dirt as a ~approx 8 -10" tall, 1gal,   a little over 4ft of growth,  after being planted,  last year,  + 15.6" of new growth added since  ..uhh, early / mid - March < new growth added so far this year,  above the section i'd painted to protect just before it woke up >  =  Not bad,  -at  -all.. 



Other than seed,  no way i'd pay money for one of these    ..or any other tree that grows as fast..  

 

Now that the top is just above the height of the stick next to it,  peeking over the back wall at the neighbors across the alley,   We'll see how much growth is added by the end of what could be a perfect summer /early fall growing season ahead.. 

Side note:   While it tries,  constantly,  all signs of side branching that try and form as the top moves upward are pinched.  I'll do this until the bottom of the top has cleared 7 - 8ft in height. 





 

May and June = Graduation Season ...So, in the spirit of the season, the first of this years' seedling grads moving from their com pots to 1gals.

In this case,  Bursera fageroides from my specimen.  While i didn't end up w/ as many as i'd hoped, 6 isn't bad for the inaugural batch. 



Already forming fat caudexes.






I'll hold on to them until i see flowers and know what sex ( ..es? ) they are. 


Pseudalbizia sinaloensis,  Another fast growing tree i'd never buy  ..bigger than a 1gal,  if i couldn't start from seed ..which this one is from   check - in - on as we head toward the start of Summer  ...and what will come next,   hopefully.. 

1st Picture is from Aug. 2024   ..approx a year or two? ( ..planted right after we'd moved here ) after i stuffed it in the ground as a whippy 2gal screaming to get out of it's pot. 




Mid May, 2026? =  Even if it is going through the gawky,  " early teenage phase,  growth -wise, atm,  pretty good progress, even compared to 2024.   Well on it's way to " Gold - trunked monster " status. 




We'll see how much growth it adds by October. 



Slaughter Pink and TLD shots,  for the heck of it.. 







Another means of sus -ing out the differences between the two  ...and other, yellow flowered " Celadine look - a - likes "

2 clear and parallel  leaf margin veins?  = real deal Celadine.



Single vein?  TLD.  




 

Mid May Hi -lights:


Surprise seed pods forming on the Yellow Adenium..  Who pollinated it? and could the timing have been such that it crossed w/ the bigger flowered specimen next to it? 



 ..Regardless,    First time i've ever seen pods  on any of my specimens and  will be the first time starting these from seed,  once they're ready.. 


Adenium X " Thai Purple Jade " ..the " named " half of that specimen..   starting to flower,  as this round of flowers on it's partner half start finishing up.. 









G. coulteri =  Gearing up for round #2   ..3 out of 4 of 'em at least.. 








Speaking of...  If handled right, afterwards,  appears these can transplant well   ...at an early age at least.



 Is the seedling that popped up in the front yard.  Moved because it will get wayy too big for that spot. 



Bursera microphylla v.  " Waterman Mtns form " ..The supposed, natural cross between it and B. fageroides from far S. AZ... starting to flower..  Tough to see but the flowers possess both male and female parts.. 




Some husky Hurcules at a local nursery..  Notice the cuts on these, which tells you  ...yes,   they can be cut up,  and re- rooted,  if necessary.. 







The lone survivor from the " Canna Experiment " last year..



..Speaking of.....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
 

..Casa de Lirio de Canna    ..Where Cannas look perfect..





So does their  Ficus benjamina   ..in picture #1.


..And the other one, next door. 



Tall, skinny lookin tree behind it? = the oldest Tamarind observed, that i'm aware of currently.


A few seedling thingzz:

..So, in an attempt to garner more attention form certain butterflies,  ..and to add something easy and big leaved into the yards,   i decided to throw some Cassia alata  down this year using what seed i had  ..that is 12+ years old.   

As you can see, one popped. 



Thinking the rest were probably bad since a few of the other seedlings in this trial batch konked out after germinating, i threw the rest in a pot put under the Ficus out back,  just to see what they'd do ..if anything..  

Well..   Some are germinating.  ...Go figure, lol.  

At the same time,  picked up fresher seed,  which  ..as you can see..  popped within a few days of sowing.. 




😂 🙃 ..I'm going to have a bunch of these for the yards  ..and to pass around.. 

More of these = more attention from the " target "  Sulphurs this year, hopefully, ...and those big leaves  = Not a bad thing i suppose. 



" Hot not so hot " Caribbean Pepper stand - ins starting to pop.. 

Sweet Bonnet




Aji Cachucha.   We'll see if these are the form that present purple tones on the fruit, or the standard, red / red -orange colored form..





" Arizona "  born and raised Royal Poinciana,   just about ready to graduate. 




 ..But, but..  they don't set seed here  ..as i was told.. 


..." expert " advise,  right?. 🤣 


>>>>>>>>   >>>>>>>>>>>>

Poinciana   ..Doing ( ...Or not doing.. ) Poinciana  things...




Even if they decide not to flower,  just stayin' green,  they're perfect.. 






Cassia fistula  flowering about 3 weeks ahead of normal, my neighbor's at least.   








  Flor de Mayo    ...Magnifica


Slaughter Pink:





TLD












Novelty,     nearing it's turn on stage..   Note the bright, Candy Pink color on the back side of the un - opened buds   ..which might make someone think they got the wrong / a mis- labeled   plant..    ..Just wait..




Narrow profile of the buds themselves = this is a Spider / Narrow - Petaled cultivar,  unlike TLD, J -105, and Celadine..





A couple stunners noted while picking up a second set of Coffee seedlings.


Not labeled, so the exact cultivar is questionable..   Regardless,  narrower petal profile of both / coloration of the flowers hints at potential  Kaukau Wilder parentage somewhere..  Loud Cat Call - worthy none the less.











While the colors are similar,  Jean / Jeanie Moragne typically has wider petals.   Same with Hot Embers, Leona Hoke, and Roscoe / Tropical Tangerine. 



Asclepias subulata    ... Because good people want Monarchs and Queens around, instead of extinct   ..because  Milkweeds..   ..are " messy " 





Milkweed haters  =  lowest of low IQ humans. 






 

On 5/18/2026 at 2:25 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Novelty,     nearing it's turn on stage..   Note the bright, Candy Pink color on the back side of the un - opened buds   ..which might make someone think they got the wrong / a mis- labeled   plant..       ..Just wait..

..Another hour our two perhaps..  😂

..Now i understand the " Barber Pole look " thoughts on opening buds.. 










Scent, even before the first flower fully opened, was quite strong,   ..and very distinct / tough to pin down..  Cinnamon and Peppermint, with hints of Honeysuckle and  ..maybe wintergreen?  ..Very different than any of the other Plumeria..

Look of the flowers reminds me of one of the Spider / Starfish - petaled cultivars, like  " Hawaiian Flag ",  or " Leela " .. Yellow, overall, like Celadine or TLD,  but with an obvious bright red pink edge and underside of the petal edges.. ( Very obvious when the flowers are turned over / lit from underneath )















Scent settles a bit after fully opening, but is still distinct.  Definitely worthy of it's cultivar names..



Randoms, of the others...

































Adenium " Purple Jade ",  the Chameleon..    Same plant,  but distinctly different look to newly opened and day old flowers.. 














Zephyranthes drummondii,  Take 2..

End of May / final days of Spring = ..More late Spring Flowers, Graduates, and some who are just starting to awaken, ...As summer arrives.

Plumeria X " Novelty " in full glory...





G. coulteri, round #2...


















Adenium x " Purple Jade "






Dyckia rariflora



Cochemiea grahamii



...and C. fraileana < in front >




Generic, rando summer color trial = Catharanthus roseus Tattoo series cultivar..



Spring 2026 =

Golden Shower Trees ( Cassia fistula ) flowering early ..Well, a couple weeks ahead of what seems usual since moving here..



..Not pictured but, Palo Verde nearby, some of them at least, are experiencing a second spring flowering cycle, which isn't all that common.

Not every Golden Shower flowers on time, every year though..




I spy another up and coming neighborhood D. regia..




.......................... Graduating class of 2026, Part 2.. ......................................................

Coffee seedlings freed of their com pots..






Most anyway.. Holdbacks here have a little further to go before they're ready..



4 Seniors + 5 -7 juniors = a lot of plants. 2 or 3 of the juniors will go to neighbors once they have graduated.


Delonix pumila




Delonix regia ...AZ produced seed < smallest, up front > Started in tubes < Second smallest, FL seed > Biggest / oldest < also from personally collected seed in FL > who needed to get into a bigger pot..




12+yr old Boswellia sacra ..Frankincense.. FINALLY getting repotted after surviving in a busted up pot it had been in for the last 3 or so years..

Hopefully it will now grow a little more and start flowering so i can determine what sex i have ( Boswellia =Typically Dioecious, like Bursera )







Coast Live Oak A tad hungry, otherwise doing pretty darn well, fully exposed to ...everything... outside, in the desert, thus far. We'll see how it handles Nuke Fest / Monsoon Season ahead.




A very special tree that shall remain anonymous to internet fisher -persons, awakening for the summer..









One of a couple things in the works this year..



....Onward, to the season of sun - drenched magic.. we go..

Springtime plumeria and vibrant color showing on the adjacent hibiscus. Both plants are commonly associated with the tropics or at least tropical gardens.