Apple Tree, First Fruit!

Check out the first fruit of my 3-in-1 apple tree! Apple blossoms appeared just 2-1/2 months ago. It’s still not clear which variety of apple this is since I purchased this tree sapling on clearance and it had 5 variety tags on it instead of 3. I’m sure the resulting fruit will be delicious!

CONSUMER ALERT UPDATE:  Apple seeds are highly toxic if ingested. For more information, please visit: http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/Tox-COM.htm

Cooper’s Hawk

I photographed this terribly impressive hawk (Accipiter cooperii) as I was preparing breakfast. Looking out my kitchen window, perched atop one of the branches of a Chinese flame tree on my parkway, I quickly snapped this photo from my digital camera. It had flown away when I looked up again seconds later.

The image is not the clearest, unfortunately, but if you click on it, you can get a better view of its plump chest with dark brown barring, white throat, and its banded tail. It feeds on other birds and small animals.

I try my best to have my camera near so that I may capture images like this. This is the first time that I’ve noticed (and memorialized) this visitor to my home. As an aside, even though my tree has shed most of its leaves, it proved to be a nice, albeit temporary, rest stop for this hawk!

For more information about this bird, check out this outstanding website (which also has sound and video of the Cooper’s hawk): http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/id

Jalapeno Peppers in the Winter!

It’s a very happy holiday season when jalapeno peppers are here! They look like a string of Christmas lights! Started from seed and residing in a container, my jalapeno pepper plant has lasted for about a year now, though it may have to be transplanted into its own container since its roommate, the mother of pearl or ghost plant is looking to take over!

Nagami Kumquat Tree Sapling: Maturing Fruits

My Nagami kumquat tree sapling is thriving. Check out the nicely maturing fruits dotting my very petite tree, not yet orange, but certainly not the dark green when they first emerged.  Kumquats for the winter? Yes, indeed!

Gardenia Veitchii

Also known as Gardenia jasminoides ‘Veitchii‘, I purchased yesterday three of the last remaining small plants from a local gardening center. The soil in the containers was very dry so I rushed home, dug holes, planted them, and soaked the soil. I’ll be doing the same again within the hour.

I’ve not had success in the past growing gardenias, but I felt the time was right to try again, as I’ve always enjoyed their beauty and fragrance.

I don’t think I ever really “give up” on a plant because it dies the first (or more) time I attempt to grow it. When I revisit past “difficult” plants, I make note to perhaps plant them next time in a different part of the garden, where the sun or shade is different, water on a different schedule, feed them with different plant food, etc. I’ve experienced my share of plant deaths, even with plants known to thrive in my area, so it does sometimes require a bit of trial and error to know what will help my plant to thrive in my location, specifically,  in my own garden.

Waltham Butternut Squash Vine, Fruiting

It’s just two days after Thanksgiving, but I’d forgotten to say my “thanks” for my bountiful container garden! Started from seed, this Waltham butternut squash vine has been fruiting these past few weeks. The squash blossoms are very impressive. I have a few other Waltham butternut squash vines fruiting as well, growing in other containers in my back yard. The only task that I’ve had so far is to make sure that my vines get enough air circulation, to reduce the chances of powdery mildew (see my previous posts on this topic).

As the vines grow longer and longer (and hopefully dotted with more squashes), I will likely prop up the vine (and off the ground) on upside down, empty 5-gallon containers.

Eggplant, in Flower

Check out the lovely purplish-colored flower on one of my Black Beauty eggplants! These flowers signal that the eggplant fruits themselves will be arriving. I’ve had only leaves up until this point, so am very happy about this development! For more information about eggplant, check out this informative site:

http://ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/0203/eggplant.html

Silverado Rose in My Autumn Garden

Certainly there are many pink-colored roses, but the Silverado rose has a color that echoes the Spring season to me, so vibrant and also very fragrant, a truly wonderful member of my backyard garden, especially in the autumn and winter months!

Succulent Garden with Wildflowers!

It’s been about two months since I planted my succulent garden and sprinkled wildflower seeds around it. The seeds have exploded with life, peacefully co-existing with the succulents. Over the next several weeks, more of these wildflower seedlings will be in flower, making for an even more dramatic display. I can’t wait!

Apple Tree Flower Blossoms!

My 3-in-1 apple tree sapling has produced flower blossoms. Oh, the shades of pink are simply too stunning to describe! As mentioned in my previous post, I started out with two of these 3-in-1 apple trees and the second one died, so I was not sure how the remaining sapling would do. From the looks of things, this tree seems to be doing well. Apples follow from the blossoms so I will keep my eye out for fruits. A very informative site for growing apple trees can be found here:  http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8301.html

CONSUMER ALERT UPDATE:  Apple seeds are highly toxic if ingested. For more information, please visit: http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/Tox-COM.htm