Some of the absolute best photos of 2014!

Howdy folks!

It's taken me forever to get these photos back, but here they are, courtesy of Duane Rogers!

In the mid-point of the growing season here in Corpus Christi, I had a good friend and neighbor use his camera to take some photos of the flowers here in my garden this year.  Today I got them back. I'm posting them here for all to see, since I imagine that there are many of you that need a little bit of spring right now.

Spring is actually sneaking up on us pretty quick now here in the TX coastal bend and starting seedlings indoors should start at the start of February.  It's coming pretty quick!!  I'll start posting to the blog here again shortly after that.

Yellow Gladiola

Enjoy the photos!!

Glads are fun and come back every year.  I've had an assortment of glads planted in a pot for three years now.  They keep coming back, but the only ones that have ever bloomed for me are the yellow ones.

Blue Plumbago

The Blue Plumbago (left) seems to be becoming a ground cover rather than the bushy, shrublike plant that I wanted it to be.   I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the way that it is shaped and pruned.  I have NO knowledge in how that is supposed to be done though, so it does pretty much what it wants to do.  I do trim it from time to time to keep it growing within the confines of the bed where I have it planted though

The Cape Honeysuckle (right) isn't doing as well as I would like it to be doing. It was grown from a cutting and did very well originally but we've had several litters of kittens brought up in the fields behind the apartment here and they have played in this until it's become this broken and busted plant.  I think perhaps that I will transplant it into something larger in the spring and pray that it becomes a bit happier.  I still think that the flowers are lovely though!

I now have five of these plants.  As I told you all when it happened, the kittens broke FIVE branches off of this and I attempted, successfully, to root them all.  While they are all still small and are right now suffering the effects of a stressful winter, they are coming along just fine.

Desert Bird of Paradise

Now in it's third year in the backyard garden, The "Desert Bird of Paradise" (left) experienced it's first year of seeding!  Anyone who wants any can let me know.  I realized I've offered seeds before here for my Purple Datura to people, but the seeds molded.  Since I could not be sure that they were viable or not, I didn't send them out.  Since these seeds don't even drop until they have fully dried out, I've had no trouble with that with these.  Let me know if you want to try some!

Red Impatiens

If you ever come down to the Coastal Bend you'll notice that this flower is just about everywhere.  They aren't always in this color, but the flowers are all over the place.  They are called Impatiens (right).  I don't know what it is about this environment, but Impatiens grow like weeds here.  They reseed often, and it seems that all of the seeds are perfectly viable.  In my garden, they are almost a menace!!  Still, they are pretty and I can never seem to get enough color.  If they were any other color than red, I'd probably have to pull them.

Crown of Thorns

To the left we see my "Crown of Thorns" plant.  It was a gift to me from my partner Dana's boss, Bunny.  Since the day she gave it to  me a year and a half ago it has continuously bloomed for me, one stem after the next, with no dormancies at all.  it's incredible.  I really treasure it with it's lip shaped flowers and it's long, spikey stem.  I'm hoping someday I can make another cutting from it to fill the pot a bit better.  

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana--Orange

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana (right) has become a prolific plant in my garden, and lucky for me it's mostly in pots.  The other Kalanchoe's are running rampant in the ground, while this one, a favorite amongst florists and shoppes, is growing in six or seven different pots in the backyard.  All of these are just now beginning their blooming cycle as well, so I'm going to have quite the show coming up here in January!!!  Looking forward to it, and I will provide lots more photos when that happens.

Beach Spider Lily

My favorite, and perhaps the most exotic of the plants growing in my backyard garden this year is the fickle "Beach Spider Lily", also known by an incorrect name I've used in the past, "The Resurrection Lily".  It's fairly common here, but REQUIRES full sun to bloom every year.  So, if your trees grow over the area where these are planted, you can quickly be just out of luck.  I've discovered that they do well being moved, but require a full year before they bloom again.  Their blossoms are fragrant and exotic.  I just love them.  I get the feeling that they would not do well as a cut flower though.  

Indian Blanket

Indian Blanket (right) is a perennial staple here in South Texas.  It grows like a weed and is actually considered a weed by many.  It's seeds, however, are packaged by the major seed companies and it is marketed as an annual in many parts of the country.  Personally, I find the weed delightful as it comes in many variations upon it's simplisti Red, Yellow, and Orange theme.  Some flowers are Yellow with splashes of red, Some are red with splashes of yellow...  You just never know what you are going to get with these.

This spring I will attempt another wildflower post here on the backard garden page.  I've discovered a great many different flowers in our immediate area that I haven't, as of yet, posted here.  I'm looking forward to sharing them.

I'm REALLY looking forward to next year.  I have three Plumeria trees that have yet to bloom, and according to all the experts they should have all three bloomed before now.  I'm goin to go the extra mile next spring and make sure that they give me the display that I have been waiting so patiently for!!  Stay tuned for the next season of Blondmyk's Backyard Garden!!  

Have a great winter!

Winding down into Fall...

Well, I fell as though I just got started doing my blog again here and we are starting to wind down the growing season.  I've done some fun things this year, some not so fun, and a lot of busy work to get things back in order since my come back from the diabetic doldrums that hit me so hard earlier this year.  I've also done some "not so smart" things, like the one I'm about to show you here.

About two weeks ago, I acquired some seeds from an Orange "Pride of Barbados" tree.
 I've always wanted to have one of these beautiful trees to go along with my yellow one.  There is just one problem.  The plant that I've been calling "Yellow Pride of Barbados" isn't a variety of "Pride of Barbados" at all.  It's actually known as a "Desert Bird of Paradise" plant.  The entire time I've been doing this blog, I've been giving it the wrong name.

Last of the Desert Bird of Paradise blossoms

In my exitement of procuring these "Pride of Barbados" seeds though, I let my zeal for having them get the better of me and I went ahead and planted the seeds.  Now they have sprouted!!  When I first realized they were coming up I was so very excited, but now I'm feeling trepidation.  What on earth was I thinking when I planted tree seedlings in October????  How am I going to keep these poor babies alive all through the winter when I don't even have heat in my apartment?

Well, I'm not sure, but you all know me and it will be a really cold day in hell when I just let a plant die because I was too stupid to plant it during the right season.  I am so looking forward to showing you all what this "Dwarf Poinciana" looks like, so I will just have to find a way to make it happen.  This is one of my absolute favorites of all desert growing, flowering trees and a MUST HAVE in my backyard.  

Orange Dwarf Poinciana seedlings-aka Pride of Barbados

These "Pride of Barbados (Dwarf Poinciana) seeds have to be some of the easiest seeds to start out of any seed I've ever planted.  All I did to get them going was to nick each individual seed very slightly with a razor blade and stick them under about 1" of soil.  I think that I probably should have used less soil to cover the seeds, but I find that a little deeper seems to make for stronger stalks when things do come up.

The whole concept of "Nicking" seeds tends to freak some people out--scare them.  Many wonder "why would I want to cut into my seed?' or "wouldn't that hurt the seed?"  Well, I guess that yes, it could hurt the seed, but you have to understand that you don't really want to cut the seeds, but rather just the outer casing of the seeds.  Inside the case there is sometimes green stuff and if you cut too deep you actually could hurt it, but if you know what your intentions are, why you are doing it, and trust that you have a grasp on the situation then you'll be fine.  KNOW that you are only going to cut the seed case and that's exactly what you will do.  The idea behind it is that you want to get water into the case to soften it up and to provide the water and nourishment to make the seed start faster.  It works!  Don't be afraid to try it.  Most times you have more than one seed, so if you make a monster mistake it's not a huge loss.

I've really not had much else going on in the garden as of late.  Fall, for me, is a time of basic clean up and preparation for winter.  I use this time to transplant whatever needs to be changed.  This week found new homes for a lot of plants that grew immensely over the past season.  My baby yellow plumeria, my old man cactus, and my Alligator Aloe plant all were moved into larger pots this week.  I also transplanted my conglomerate of 10 Pony Tail Palms (In one clump!) into 6 individual pots, leaving one pot with the 4 most mature palms together.  I hear that those plants are prized in clump plantings, but ten in one?  What a waste.

I have a surprise coming up.  We decided to plant a specific vegetable for fall harvest this year and it's doing marvelously.  We're growing Acorn Squash, and I have an upcoming post started that I will finish in the next day or so.  Keep your eyes open for it!

Until next time, Ciao, and Happy Gardening!

Succulents in the Garden--Part Two of Two.

During my last post I listed a bunch of Succulents that are currently calling "Mike's Apartment Backyard Garden" their home.  Today I'd like to finish off in the same vein.  There are still a few more things that haven't been discussed growing here right now.  Some of those things aren't quite as pleasant as the things I've been talking about in prior posts.

Gold Tooth Aloe potted with other succulents

Aloe Nobilis--Also known as "Gold Tooth Aloe", this specimen is easy to grow from Zone 9b on south, and can survive as an indoor plant further north when grown in a SE Window.  It is a sun lover--requiring little water (once a week at most--maybe twice during a HOT summer) and is extremely decorative and desirable all by itself or in a cactus type garden, much like I use it in my garden.  While not known as a medicinal plant like Aloe Vera, it is collected and prized more for it's lovely stalks of red flowers that attract hummingbirds in the mid to late spring.

Just discovered a new pup--now we DO need
a new home for this one!

 I used standard "Miracle Grow Cactus, Palm and Succulent Mix" for the little garden that I planted this in.  I set it in an area of the garden where it gets about 6 hours of sun daily, and the rest of the day in shade.  Those parts of the yard are difficult to find though, so you'll have to experiment for yourself to find a sun/shade mix that works well for your Aloe if you choose to buy this variety.  I'm lucky to have the shade of a 40 year old Juniper to use!

 I sure wish I had a photo to show you all what this looks like in bloom.  I do not have one though, as this particular plant has yet to bloom for me.  I suspect it will here in the next year.  Obviously, the little one that I have here (Okay, not so little at 7" tall) isn't particularly thrilled with it's current living arrangement.  The Haworthia has decided that it's taking over the pot and my poor Gold Tooth Aloe is leaning away from it in apparent desperation.  I think it's time to give him a new home, perhaps even by himself.

Well, that was the last of the actual favorable succulents here.  Now we need to discuss a variety of plants that can be quite aggressive and even invasive in outdoor gardens.  These varieties of succulents are known as Kalanchoe's and are currently one of the banes of my existence.

KALANCHOE

Kalanchoe comes in a myriad of varieties.  I've read that there are hundreds of varieties of this demon weed!  It IS a succulent and complies with the descriptive thicker, juicier leaves as is with other of the genus.  The leaves also appear to be wax coated and quite decorative and are, in their own ways, very endearing due to their ease of growth and their pretty flowers in the spring.  You may even be excited by the fact that it breeds easily, and even thrilled  at the idea of having lots of neat little plants (due to the insane reproductive nature of many varieties of Kalanchoe).  Don't be fooled.  It can become a bit overwhelming when the plants have been around for a while.

Not unlike Lily of the Valley, Bamboo, or even the hundred varieties of Mint, Kalanchoe is a dangerous plant with the potential to take over your entire garden area.  It is INVASIVE--so plant it sparingly if you are planting it into the ground directly, and be very cautious even when you are planting it in pots, as it can escape the boundaries that limit it's pot with ease.  If I can avoid it, I most likely will avoid all contact with any variety of this plant in the future, but for now I'm going to try to enjoy it, and share with you all my experiences and what all I've learned from my encounters with it.  Please take note of the dangers to wildlife and pets that I have learned over the past few months in relation to each of the three types that are currently growing in the garden.

Four of my five pots of Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana--all from the
one plant given to my mother in 2012.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana-- (From Wikipedia) " Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a glabrous,^[11] bushy, evergreen and perennial succulent plant which (in 2–5 years)^[13] can reach an ultimate height of between 30–45 cm (12-18 in.)^[4] and an ultimate spread of between 10–50 cm (4-20 in.).^[13] K. blossfeldiana has a round habit and a moderate plant density; its growth rate has been described as 'slow'.^[2] The plant has green,^[13] shiny and textured glossy foliage^[4] which stays green all year round.^[13]The scallop-edged and ovate leaves leaves are arranged in an opposite/subopposite fashion, are simple in type with crenate margins and an oblong shape.^[2] The arrangement of the veins in a leaf (venation) can be absent or very hard to see; the leaf blades are 5–10 cm. (2-4 in.) long.^[2] K. blossfeldiana flowers in late autumn to early winter; each flower has four petals and can be one of a wide variety of colours, from the dark reds and pinks to oranges, golds and whites.^[4] The infloresences are born by peduncles which are higher up than the leaves and are terminal in nature.^[14]

Parts of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana are poisonous if ingested."

Closer shot--this will be replaced when I have a photo of plant
in flower.

When my Mom moved into the nursing home in October of 2012 she was often visited by the resident chaplain.  On one of his visits, he brought her one of these really pretty little plants and she delighted at the beautiful orange blossoms that it had on it.  While it was there I made sure it was given the best of care and it bloomed for the ENTIRE time (Eight full months) that she stayed in hospice care there. Everytime she would look at it her face would light up and she would tell me how pretty it looked, and it really did.  For that alone it will remain one of my very favorite plants.

After Mom passed in May of 2013, I took it home where it oddly began a very southward journey, to it's near death, in fact.  It quit blooming within a month after being here, and then after several months I noticed that the basic stalks of the plant were drying out and becoming brittle and hollow.  Knowing a bit about the species, I began plucking the living portions of the plant off, dipping them in rooting hormone and finally sticking them back into fresh potting soil.  The result is that I now have about six of these babies, although as of yet none of them have bloomed.  I will keep everyone posted on this.

Notice the reddish underside of the leaves.  It lines the leaf
edges as well, making for decorative foliage.

It's not such a bad thing that they havent' bloomed.  The foliage alone is actually very pretty on this Kalanchoe, being dark green on the top with reddish tinged tipps and lighter colored under leaves.  It IS decorative, even when the plant is not in bloom.  Right now I have all six of mine growing out of doors, a testament to the hardiness of this variety, the least aggressive of my Kalanchoe varieties.

These plants are often sold in stores during the autumn and winter months and I'll bet you'll even find one of them here in your local grocery store within the next 30 days if you look.

Kalanchoe Fedtschenko Variegata--(From Wikipedia) "Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi is a low-growing, frost-tender perennial succulent that prefers dry, open ground. It grows to 10–12 inches (25–30 cm) as an untidy, low, rounded herb. The stems are round, smooth and lax with visible leaf scars, often bending to touch the ground where they produce roots and a new plant. Leaves are simple, fleshy, alternate, blue-green and oval or obovate with fine scalloped edges, the edges may turn pink or red under strong sunlight or drought conditions. The tubular flowers are carried in corymbs, often multi-layered in good conditions. Each flower has a short calyx edged with delta-shaped segments, the calyx is shorter than the tubular corolla. The corolla is an orange/coral/apricot colour. The flowers hang down.^[6]
Commonly called ‘Lavender Scallops’ from the shape and colour of its leaves. It has few pests but may be susceptible to mealy bug or occasionally scale insects."

My partners boss gave me the original cuttings that I currently have of this plant.  I'd say that there were approximately 15 of them when I first got them.  They were ragged, beaten, flattened, and I didn't think that they were going to make it.  Oh boy was I wrong!!  Not only did it survive, it thrived.  I planted them in pots using good potting soil and was rewarded the following spring for my efforts with these beautiful orange, bell shaped flowers that hung like little chandaliers...how delightful!  

One of the two PIECES of this plant that I gave my Neighbor.
See how this one has spread...trying to take over!

But after they bloomed and the flowers died off, the plants didn't die back or become dormant.  In fact, they continued to grow until the plants fell out of the pots and began rooting into the actual sandy Texas soil.  These plants took over their pots and killed off the other Caladiums and annuals that I had planted in the pots with them, thus giving me a decided apathy toward the plant.  

The place in the Front yard where this Kalanchoe
variety spilled over and out of the pot--rooting
 itself into the grounddirectly.

Since it IS pretty in the spring when it blooms, I've decided to leave it to it's own devices in pots in the front yard where it's become rather bedraggled looking.  I've given pieces of it to neighbors (before I realized the hazards of it) and it's also growing wildly in their backyard now as well, unhindered she she chose to plant it in the ground.  Whether this monster will attempt to take over or not remains to be seen, but if it tries, it will have a formidable foe to contend with...the final variety of Kalanchoe currently invading the Backyard garden...Kalanchoe Delagoensis.

A K Delagoensis, or "Mother of Millions" plant
planted in ground in Blondmyk's Backyard
Garden

Kalanchoe Houghtonii--Aka 'The Chandelier Plant" or "Mother of Millions."-- (from Wikipedia)-- "Bryophyllum delagoense is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. In common with the other members of thegenus Bryophyllum, B. delagoense is notable for vegetatively growing small plantlets on the fringes of its leaves, leading to its common name mother of millions. Chandelier plant is an alternative common name.

The plant's capability for vegetative reproduction, its drought tolerance, and its popularity as a garden plant, have allowed the plant to become an invasive weed in places such as eastern Australia and many Pacific islands. In the Neotropics it even gets pollinated by hummingbirds on occasion.^[2]  As well as displacing native plants, B. delagoense is also unwelcome because it contains bufadienolide cardiac glycosides^[3] which can cause cardiac poisoning, particularly in grazing animals.^[4] During 1997, 125 head of cattle died after eating mother-of-millions on a travelling stock reserve near Moree, NSW.^[5]

Potted example of "Mother of Millions"

Because of the toxicity of this species and its hybrids, and especially of the flowers, it has been declared a noxious weed in many locations worldwide."

**Update--3/31/2015** --Since my original post of this plant I have been made aware of a possible misclassification/ID of this variety of Kalanchoe.  Apparently, this could well be a cross of Kalanchoe Delagoensis and Kalanchoe Diagremontiana. These two natural Kalanchoes have hybridized in the wild and have created a new variety that is named Kalanchoe Houghtonii.  This information comes to me from a plant aficionado that we will call "Frankie".  I thank you, Frankie, for bringing this to my attention.  It seems that this is a very common identification problem, as I checked multiple sources and spoke to several people for the original identification of this plant.***  

Given to me as a plantlet directly off of one of the leaves of my neighbors plant, I originally delighted in this varieties speed of growth and ingenious methods of reproduction.  Each and every leaf has the capability of producing 20-30 plants and when you top that off with the seeds that it produces at the end of it's life cycle, this single plant can be considered the plant worlds answer to the cockroach--IF YOU HAVE ONE, YOU HAVE MILLIONS OF THEM.

Weird "Woody" stems, great for
floral arrangements!

The up side of this is that the plant is quite beautiful in a rugged, desert landscape sort of way.  It's leaves are cupped, fat, and waxy like other succulents, with saw tooth jagged points on them (not sharp) that each produce what appears to be a tiny leaf.  Each of those tiny leaves are, in reality, a new plant developing.

An example of the invasive nature of "Mother
of Millions" plant. Once the plantlets on the
leaves hit the ground, you have a bed
of them started.

It can grow up to six to seven feet tall (in my experience) and often becomes so heavy that it collapses on itself or falls over.  That doesn't deter it from progressing though.  The stalks produce new roots in the sides that hit the ground, and the plant again begins to reach for the sun,  as shown in the photo provided above.  The ones we've had collapse here in the garden have also produced some really interesting shaped "woody" structures, also shown here in the photos.

Even potted this plant can multiply and kill any groupings
you may combine with it in a pot.  Here you see it with a
trailing purple Wandering Jew being virtually devoured.

At the end of it's life cycle it will produce a giant, umbrella shaped cap of the some of the most beautiful bell shaped flowers you'll ever see (thus the name Chandalier Plant) that will last for several months in the proper climate (I will produce photo when one comes available of blooms).  Down here in Corpus Christi, the last one i saw lasted for 4 months in bloom and was quite spectacular.  Of course, each of these blooms also produces seeds, thus providing the plant yet ANOTHER chance of propagation.

Well, here I end the rather LONG postings on Succulents growing in the Backyard Garden.  I hope you've taken some sort of wisdom from this, especially regarding Kalanchoe varieties.  Don't let these deter you from planting other succulents in the garden though, as Kalanchoe is only ONE variety of succulent.  Most varieties are even more beautiful and have no invasive tendencies al all!  Almost all of them grow with ease and with very little care...the perfect plants for the person on the go.

Until next time--HAPPY GARDENING EVERYONE!

Addendum--5-2015

I promised that I would show some photos of these "Mother of Millions" Kalanchoes when they went to bloom and I'm back to keep my promise.  Here are the blooms.  Is it any wonder why it's also called the "Chandelier Plant"?

Enjoy!!

Succulents in Mike's Apartment Garden--Part One

In the past, I've not been a huge fan of succulents and it was not until I moved here to Corpus Christi that I began showing any kind of interest in them at all.  Coming from Iowa, my concenration had been to grow big, showy flowers with brilliant colors...especially Lilies.  Stargazer Lilies and Casablanca Lilies were my passions, with other hybridized Oriental Lilies following right on the heels of these larger, more fragrant varieties.  With such spectacular sprays of color in my past, who would have thought that short, fat, spiny succulents would attract my interest. ever?

It truly pays to have an open mind when it comes to plants.  While many succulents are rather homely plants, the CAN produce some of the most intricate and beautiful blossoms.  Take a look on "Google Images" sometime and have a look.  You'll be very surprised with the results.  

We have a couple of Aloe Vera in our arsenal here...just in case

Aloe Vera--Like most people, my new familiarity came from using Aloe Vera..aka Burn Plant.  These grow abundantly all over the US.  People use them by cutting off a leaf and squeezing the green juice out of the leaves.  It soothes all sorts of discomforts from Sunburn to regular burns and even insect bites.  We have a few of these potted up in the garden, as while my Mom was sick, we purchased several of them for in home use to treat her abrasions, bed sores, whatever little injuries that might crop up with a bed bound person.  After she passed away, we had all of these plants left over and I decided to take them in.  When they actually were transplanted into bigger pots and the plants got bigger I realized just what beautiful form and balance they had with their very long, spikey leaves.

Our largest and cleanest specimen.  It's having
pups right now so will have to be repotted soon.

Experience has been a cruel teacher with these.  My first two Aloe Vera (pictured above) both have received nasty sunburns, which are visible on the plants that you see in the pots.  Oddly, the damage created by sunburn never seems to go away.  You can see it on the close ups of these two.  The reddish areas of the plant are the sunburned areas.

Nowadays I do not leave these guys in the full Texas heat without benefit of the shade thrown by larger plants.  While they are a big "sun-lover" I think it's best that they get at least a little shade, especially during the extreme sunny parts of the day.  I don't know if the actual HEAT is a factor, but I think that sun exposure, while important, needs to be regulated to a degree.  Unfortunately, these babies have never bloomed for me, so I'm unable to share that experience with you.  Perhaps it will happen later this season, or next year.  It may wait to happen until I put it in the ground, which is coming soon.

At this same time that I was learning the value of Aloe Vera, A woman who lived across the apartment complex with me who was being evicted.  On the day she left, she gave me her plants. One of those is our next  Feature...The Blue Agave.

Blue Agave--Also known as the "Century Plant" the Blue Agave is a native to Mexico, where the leaves and core of the plant are used to make various drinks like Tequila and a milky white drink known as Pulque.  The nectar of the plant can also be collected and used as a fructose based sugar substitute, but be warned...it's very sweet and prolonged use can cause ones body to quit reacting to the Insulin it produces (Insulin resistance), creating a sort of diabetic state.

To the left of the Nopale Cactus is my original "Mother"
Blue Agave.  She's still a baby, in Agave years.

Lucky for me, it's very very difficult to do ANY of these things with the plant, otherwise I would have vats of Pulque cooking and Barrels of wannabe Tequila aging in the backyard!  Heck...Mexico even has the name "Tequila" locked down and it can NOT be used by any product made outside of the basic tequila making provinces in Mexico, and they HAVE been known to sue people for using any name with a Tequila type reference in it.

Mother's first pup, now doing quite well in his
own right!

There is an ease in growing these plants though.  They require very little or even no care.  VERY drought resistant, they also have a built in defense system to deter Deer, cats, or just about any mammalian pest that might attempt to interfere with them.  They tout long leaves with dangerously spiked tips.  The edges of the leaves are serrated, so just brushing up against the side of a leaf COULD be a life threatening situation depending on where one gets cut!  These plants don't seem to be susceptible to very many bug issues either.  Basically, you just plant them and let them handle the rest themselves.

A few more Agave pups growing in the garden.

When you plant a Blue Agave, make sure you give it a LOT of space and make sure it's a permanent home for them as they get very large and leafy and weigh an awful lot when they get into adulthood.  The decision to move one should not be taken lightly as the roots spread out and you could wind up digging up your yard with the decision of a landscape change.

Like all other plants they're main objective is to breed and die, and they spend their lives building up enough sugar in their cores to sprout a 12 ft or larger flower stalk at the end of their life cycle (sometimes over 20 years!) that produces flowers and seeds to sow future generations.  That's not the only means it has of reproduction though.  All through it's life it will throw out shoots with baby "pups" around it's sides. Each of these pups will become a new plant given enough time to root and become independent from the mother plant.  Right now, Blondmyk's Apartment Garden has 6 Blue Agave in total, and I've sold about three of the pups that the mother plant produced...the original one given to me by my evicted neighbor.

IN FRONT--Haworthia Cooperi set alongside a California Gold
Toothed Aloe--all hoping for a bigger pot soon!

Haworthia--Another backyard succulent, I'll be honest in not knowing the variety.  I believe it to be Haworthia Cooperi, but I could be wrong.  It comes from South African grassy/desert climates and overall it's not terribly difficult to grow.  Don't buy it for it's flowers, as they aren't anything to write home about even though it does bloom in the spring.  Keep the plant for diversity reasons or to fill out a succulent or cacti pot.  Consider it a cool sort of ground cover.  The leaves of this plant are chubby and full of liquid and if viewed in the light they tend to look like little emeralds sticking out of the dirt.  It's a very cool looking plant and very fun to have around.

Crocodile Aloe with pup on side

Crocodile Plant--Also a type of Aloe known as Aloe Brevifolia.  This is a very fat leaved variety of Aloe that grows and reproduces via clumping around the mother plant...much like Agave, but tighter and closer to the mother.  The name is appropriate as each pair of leaves resemble the jaws of a crocodile opening up to grab it's prey.  This plant is INCREDIBLY tempermental when it comes to water, so water it sparingly.  Just this spring I lost a massive specimen when I wasn't paying attention to rainfall and allowed regular waterings continue in addition to the rainfall.  It's painful to watch it die too as it was so large and the death was long and drawn out, much like it's growing cycle.  Luckily, I was able to salvage ONE of the pups from that one and it's now just starting to take off in a pot of it's own.  My hope is to get it into a good sized bowl of other cactus and succulents, a big wide bowl of a cactus garden.  I love this plant.  It ads a variety of fun to the Backyard garden.

Soap Aloe--Love the Geometry, the curves of the leaves.

Soap Aloe--  As you can see, there are Millions of types of Aloe living in today's world.  My final speciman for today is "Soap Aloe".  This one has been a real bear for me to identify, and to be honest I cannot tell you where it came from!  I have acquired a lot of plants over the past five years and I thought I had a pretty good memory of where they all came from, but this one eludes me...lol!  It IS a pretty plant though and in the spring it produces a flower--a six inch stalk sporting about a dozen plus beautiful creme and orange bells that don't really open up a whole lot.  I keep it because I find it beautiful, and I find the geometry of the plant adds character to my cactus area of the garden--even if it IS in a pot.

When growing aloe or any kind of succulent, it's wise to have a sandy, fast draining soil.  I recommend using the "Miracle Grow Cactus and Succulent" soil, but probably any soil would work if mixed with a high concentration of perlite and/or gravel.  The important thing is that the soil drain quickly.  I tend to take my "Miracle Grow" and add pea gravel, or a lot of smaller rocks to the mix in order to provide a rocky, high draining material for the succulents to grow in .  I imagine a high dose of perlite added to the soil would do the same.

While I realize it was a little lengthy, I do hope you enjoyed todays trip through Blondmyk's Apartment Backyard Garden--Succulent portion.  Hopefully you gleaned something from it that you can take and put to use.  Until my next entry--HAPPY GARDENING!!