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??