Hot, hot, hot

We are getting a taste of what it's like to live in Arizona year-round with hot temps in the summertime.

But it's only mid-April! And already the temps have been in the 90s (mid- to high 90s) and this weekend and through early next week - 100 and 102 degrees.

Whew!

We will return to Minnesota the end of April and might think about leaving early except they just had snow in Minnesota. Snow!  Schools were closed in Chisholm, north of where we live, due to blowing snow and ice.

It's a crazy weather year, for sure.

Our little tabletop cactus is blooming, proving nothing stops a cactus from forging ahead on schedule.

Most of the ground cacti have finished blossoming now. But the trees have flowered and are full of pink and red blooms. So beautiful lining the roads as you drive down the street.

Snowbirds have returned to their summer homes now, and it appears we are among the last holdouts to leave. It's awfully quiet on our street.

So another week or so and we'll pack the Jeep, load Catrina, the cat, into the back seat and start our 2,000-mile journey home, saying goodbye to Arizona and its heat, and eagerly await the sight of our children and grandchildren's smiling faces.

That's the thought that keeps us going mile after mile to our home destination.

First blooms

It is spring in Mesa and the cactus are in bloom. Nothing out of the ordinary. It happens every year.

But this year our very own Prickly Pear cactus burst open with blooms and I felt like I had given birth.

When we moved in last year, our little yard was bereft of any landscaping at all. No plants, flowers, bushes or trees of any kind.

So we got busy and planted an agave plant, a Prickly Pear cactus, a barrel cactus, and a fourth plant whose species escapes me.  Prickly Pears bare beautiful flower blossoms of varying colors, but you usually see shades of pink or rose.

These are the first blossoms from my neighbor's Prickly Pear.

When we arrived back to our winter home this year, we noticed our baby Prickly Pear had doubled in size. We were excited to see our new plantings had survived and looked healthy, despite being totally ignored by our six-month absence.

What a remarkable plant these cacti are. If they can flourish in the desert with blistering sun and no rain, I guess we shouldn't have been so surprised that they made it through the summer in our front yard.

Then recently we started to notice buds. Closed up tight, but definitely buds. We wondered if this year our little Prickly Pear would actually blossom. And, if so, what color? We assumed pink but we didn't see the pinkish tinge at the tip of the bud, as in our neighbor's plant.

Then one day, I peeked out the window in the early morning and had to go running outside in my pajamas to double check.

Two blossoms!

I could hardly contain myself. And they were YELLOW! 

Though certainly not rare, we have not seen another Prickly Pear with yellow flowers anywhere in our park.

Passers-by have stopped to look so we think they agree that our little Prickly Pear is beautiful. And we're like proud new parents watching people admire our little baby plant.

Aren't life's little treasures just the best?

Easter beauty

One of the highlights of our Easters when I was growing up was a trip to the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul, Minnesota.  As children, wearing our new patent leather shoes and Easter bonnets, we looked forward to it. A family of eight, I'm sure my Dad was happy that a tour for all of us only cost a free-will donation.

One room of the large, beautiful greenhouse was dedicated to lilies. Another had a stream with lily pads and beautiful orchids, gardenia and tropical flowers. The exhibits changed with the seasons, but always featured plants in full bloom.

Aaah, the sweet fragrance from those fresh blooms. I can smell it yet.

Yesterday's Easter Sunday offered a similar treat when we toured the Boyce Thompson arboretum in Superior, Arizona, a pleasant half-hour drive for us.

What awaited us there was the true beauty of the desert: Trails of exquisite flowering cacti, and a greenhouse with rare species of endangered plants from all over the world. An Australian walkabout. A children's horticultural garden. A hummingbird and butterfly garden.

An afternoon of beauty and pure pleasure, with blue skies and a spring breeze offered another delightful Easter treasure.

Cactus flowers have a mild fragrance, but there were flowering bushes and trees as well. The breeze allowed their perfumes to waft through the trails and was most enjoyable.

This tangled cactus in the Chihuahuan desert is unique.



The children's garden for climbing, touching and smelling
is full of surprises to "tickle the senses."



The Australian walkabout



Over 300 species of cacti and succulents
are displayed throughout the gardens.



Prickly pear in bloom

I love tea roses. They have always been my favorite flower, especially white ones.

Roses were first developed and grown in Europe, I learned, and the tea rose originates from China.

This gorgeous tea rose tree grows in the arboretum's Heritage Rose Garden.  Yellow, pink, white and red roses perfumed the area around it.

We didn't think we had the stamina (sorry to say) for the rugged, higher trail climb. But it looked inviting and worth getting in shape for hiking. The trail follows the cliff side through the Upper Sonoran natural area.

Can you see the steps leading up to the trail?

Perhaps this will become a new tradition: an Easter visit to the arboretum, much like our traditional tour of the Como conservatory.

That's definitely worth the anticipation.

Desert in bloom

It is spring in Arizona. 

The birds are chirping away and we even have little ones in a nest in our patio drainpipe.

And all around our park, you see the cacti in bloom. They are very beautiful and colorful. Here are some for you to enjoy as you await spring in your corner of the world.



Bees were pollinating all around these flowers



Pincushion cactus

Perhaps because I am a stitcher, my favorite cactus is the Pincushion cactus.



Barrel cactus flowers always grow at the top of
the plant. Fruits become fleshy and often juicy
when mature, but are not usually considered edible. The pulp is used to make candy.

Barrel cactus in full bloom




This cactus
is loaded with very delicate flowers with a mild scent, similar to a tulip.
 
But you have to sniff carefully!
 
 

This Prickly Pear cactus is loaded with buds
waiting to blossom into yellow, delicate flowers.

A "furry" looking cactus with red star-shaped flowers

 

Below is another Prickly Pear cactus.  The nectar from the Prickly Pear makes wonderful jelly, very popular in grocery stores and gift shops in the southwest.

 

But this one is unusual in that its "blooms" look (and feel) like wood.

 

 

Here is a "fish-eye" view of the blooms:

 

 

 

I hope spring comes soon to your area, bringing with it the welcome buds on the trees, green grass, tulips, crocus and daffodils.

 

And ah, yes, the fragrances!