I can’t resist. It’s another day and another night blooming cereus flower greeted the dawn. Ready for her close-up, she insisted on a profile…
¡Muy buenos días a todos!
Posts Tagged ‘garden’
Serious profile, cereusly
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on June 1, 2016| 2 Comments »
Garden gift
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on May 30, 2016| 6 Comments »
A couple of mornings ago, as I made my terrace rounds wishing my plants a “muy buenos días,” I found my cereus had bloomed during the night. A gift from the garden…
By noon it was a shriveled skeleton of itself. The flower may have been fleeting, but it was a lasting gift of beauty amid the unrelenting, energy-sapping heat and the daily ordeal of navigating Oaxaca’s blockades, marches, and a zócalo covered in tents. In the two days since, my step has been a little lighter and my tolerance to life’s circumstantial complexities a little higher.
Mi piña
Posted in Agriculture, Casita Colibrí, Flora, Food, Gardens, tagged food, fruit, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, piña, pineapple on April 28, 2016| 2 Comments »
Remember the pineapple growing in my rooftop container garden? Upon returning from a week-long magical mystery trip (more about that to come) last night, I discovered mi piña was more than ready to harvest.
The fragrance beckons… breakfast tomorrow!!!
Cactus flower
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged cactus, flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, opuntia microdasys, photographs, photos on April 17, 2016| 2 Comments »
How could I have missed three flowers on my night blooming cereus a few nights ago??? I don’t know, but I did. However, yesterday afternoon…
My opuntia microdasys surprised and delighted me!
Pineapple grows on my terrace
Posted in Agriculture, Casita Colibrí, Flora, Food, Gardens, History, Travel & Tourism, tagged fruit, garden, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, piña, pineapple on November 26, 2015| 4 Comments »
A year and a half ago, I cut off the top of a pineapple (piña, en español), stuck it in a ten inch pot in full sun, watered it very occasionally during the dry season, and it actually began to grow. This member of the Bromeliaceae family is thought to have originated in the area between southern Brazil and Paraguay and spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Reaching Mexico, it was cultivated by the Mayas and Aztecs. Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese conquerors took it across the pond, and the rest is history. No surprise, as the fruit (which resembles a pine cone — hence the name) is sweet, succulent, and ridiculously easy to grow!
A symbol of home: warmth, welcome, friendship and hospitality. — The Welcoming Pineapple
Grown in the Papaloapan region of Oaxaca, the pineapple has inspired elaborate embroidery designs and the crowd-pleasing Flor de Piña dance. What’s not to love?!
Speaking of critters…
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Flora, tagged Casita Colibrí, caterpillar, flowers, garden, hibiscus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on October 9, 2015| 11 Comments »
When I moved to the new and improved Casita Colibrí two and a half years ago, there was a sorry looking hibiscus in a huge green clay pot (probably from Atzompa) on the balcony. It was obvious the plant had been water deprived for quite some time. I made it my mission to bring it back to life and this year it has rewarded my efforts with a continuous procession of peachy pink flowers.
However, yesterday I noticed it was playing host to a caterpillar having comida.
I looked in the aforementioned, Butterflies and Moths book, but it doesn’t provide many caterpillar stage photos with which to identify this incredibly decorative guy/gal and, after a couple of pages of Google images, I gave up. However, I did learn enough to know those flower-like hairs ringing its body probably sting like nettles, so I’ve kept my distance. Anyone have any ideas as to my fuzzy friend’s identity?
Stages of life
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, tagged cactus, Casita Colibrí, Dragon fruit, flowers, fruit, garden, Hylocereus undatus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Pitahaya on September 2, 2015| 6 Comments »
Opening the door onto my terrace this morning, I was greeted with more pitahaya flowers glowing in the morning light. In the background, rain drops glistened on unripened fruit, as their dry spent flowers continued to cling to the fruit of their late night labor.
Behind the chain link fence, one of my ripe Dragon Fruit is so close and yet so far.
However, there is more to come; blossoms preparing to burst open — for just one night.
From tenacious roots and branches of my previous post to fleeting flowers to long ripening fruit; such is the life of the pitahaya.
Roots or Rapunzel?
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science and Nature, tagged cactus, Casita Colibrí, flora, garden, Hylocereus undatus, J.R.R. Tolkien quote, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Pitahaya, roots on August 29, 2015| 12 Comments »
One of the apartments in this higgledy piggledy complex is being readied for a new occupant. Opening the door to begin the job, Luci was greeted with an unexpected wall hanging.
She ran upstairs, laughing and calling me to come down and see what she had discovered. Hmmm… Rapunzel’s tresses? If so, like everyone else suffering Oaxaca’s hard water, she needs to start using a good hair-conditioner.
Of course, closer inspection revealed it to be the roots of something. A tree, perhaps? But, there are no trees in the vicinity and, in reality, it seemed to be coming from my terrace. I dashed upstairs, as Luci came outside to stand and point to where the fibrous cascade seemed to be coming from. 
Yikes, on the west wall, the culprit was exposed; the roots of one of my pitahaya had grown into the concrete!!!
Alas, the pitahaya’s tenacity could not be allowed to continue; the garden shears came out and the problem was nipped at its root. The same was done below, leaving golden tresses lying on the ground waiting to be swept away.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Chrysler Building in my garden
Posted in Buildings, Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged Casita Colibrí, garden, Kalanchoe luciae, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, succulents on August 26, 2015| 10 Comments »
My friend G called this succulent, the Chrysler Building. Anyone who has seen the original, or photos of it, in New York City can understand why.
This Kalanchoe luciae is one of the great, great, great… grandchildren of the original plantlet G had given me six years ago when I first moved to Oaxaca.
Last night in B&W
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Gardens, tagged cactus, Casita Colibrí, Dragon fruit, flowers, garden, Hylocereus undatus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Pitahaya on July 30, 2015| 2 Comments »
Late last night, twelve buds on my pitahaya burst open; my favorite the cluster of four at the top of the eight foot tall chain link fence.
Alas, now, less than twenty hours after their night-blooming show began, they are no more. Hopefully, the brilliant white flowers with their sweet scent attracted the desired pollinators, Dragon Fruit will begin forming at the base of the blossoms, the fruit will ripen to a blush red, and be ready to pick in 45 days (más o menos).
Mother Nature’s easel
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged African Tulip trees, Árbol de tulipán, Flame Trees, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on July 17, 2015| 4 Comments »
Late yesterday afternoon, before the rains came, the African tulip tree in full blush against a sky drained of color…
Half and Half on Mother Nature’s easel in Oaxaca.
Flowers so sweet…
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science and Nature, tagged Flor de mayo, flowers, frangipani, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plumeria, popular travel destinations on July 1, 2015| 2 Comments »
The rainy season transforms the Plumeria (aka, Frangipani) in my rooftop garden. Large lush leaves sprout from naked stalks and flowers materialize, perfuming the terrace with the heady scent of the tropics. Ahhh…
“And all of us with our closed eyes smelled the frangipani blossoms in the big rectangles of open wall, flowers so sweet they conjure up sin or heaven, depending on which way you are headed.” — Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
Late bloomers
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, tagged Azucenas, Cereus, flowers, garden, Mexico, night blooming flowers, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Pitahaya on June 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »
… of the night flowering variety. During the hours of darkness, they brighten the terrace with their brilliant white and perfume the air with their sweet scent.
Pitahaya
Cereus
Azucenas
A fleeting gift for the senses, by morning they gone.
Cactus flowers for Mother’s Day
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Flora, Gardens, Holidays, tagged cactus, Día de la Madre, Echinopsis eyriesii, flowers, garden, Mexico, Mother's Day, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on May 10, 2015| 5 Comments »
Yesterday, on the terrace of my neighbor, his Echinopsis eyriesii was putting on quite a show…
Listening to the Putamayo World Music Hour’s tribute to mothers and sending mothers everywhere wishes for peace, justice, love, and much joy.
And, the librarian in me can’t resist adding a couple of Mother’s Day reference sources:
- Zinn Education Project, the origins of Mother’s Day
- BajaInsider, Mother’s Day in Mexico
¡Feliz día de la madre!
Cereus in Oaxaca
Posted in Flora, Gardens, Science and Nature, tagged Casita Colibrí, flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants on April 13, 2015| 8 Comments »
I came out one morning to find buds had appeared on my night-blooming cereus.
April 5, 2015
As the days and nights passed, the blossoms grew and swelled.
April 12, 2015
After only a week, flowers burst open for only a night.
April 13, 2015
Cereusly, I love my garden!
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