Summer has been hanging on tight, like a stubborn rash that won’t go away. Will it ever end?, that’s the Shakespearean question.
But even the persistent daytime heat can’t negate the fact that fall is close. You can tell by the light. The sun is lower in the sky, and the early evening glow is pure magic, almost making me forget the havoc this endless – and relentless – summer has wrought.
Here are some photos I took over the last few days to show you what I mean.
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| Small Dioon caputoi next to the bamboo in the front yard |
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| Agave ‘Blue Glow’ with Eriogonum nudum ‘Ella’s Yellow’ |
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| Hechtia argentea... |
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| ...and Dioon argenteum looking like liquid silver |
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| View of the larger succulent mound inside the front yard fence |
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| Yucca linearifolia bottom left |
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| Yucca queretaroensis × filifera towering over the smaller succulent mound |
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| Leucadendron ‘Jester’ and Yucca queretaroensis × filifera |
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| Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi, with Aloe lukeana top left and Ferocactus herrerae on the right |
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| Corten cactus planter in the front yard, with Cylindropuntia ramosissima in the middle, a spineless prostrate form grown from a cutting I collected west of Las Vegas |
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| On the edge of the front porch: Cyphostemma juttae (left), Cleistocactus strausii (center), Bromelia serra ‘Qué será’ |
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| No cactus is more beautiful backlit than Cleistocactus strausii |
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| Bromelia serra ‘Qué será’ is a favorite in spite of its wicked barbs |
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| Agave angustifolia ‘Woodrowii’ |
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| Agave angustifolia ‘Woodrowii’ |
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| Agave angustifolia ‘Woodrowii’ (left) and Parodia leninghausii |
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| Coryphantha retusa may be small, but it’s been a mighty good bloomer this summer |
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| And a small teaser of what I’ve been up to in the backyard: Agave petrophila (left), Hechtia epigyna (center right), and Agave ‘Baccarat’ top right in one of the new mounds I’ve been working on. |
Summer is continuing, as the
Wunderground weather forecast for this upcoming week shows:
© Gerhard Bock, 2024. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
I swooned over the Dioon argenteum and Yucca queretaroensis × filifera... and those temps! My god.
ReplyDeleteDioon argenteum had a big flush of leaves this summer. It's never looked this splendid.
DeleteNooo, not 100+ again in early Oct! Lots of great-looking plants despite summer judging from your photos. I remember when you were looking for that 'Woodrowii' agave, so glad you found it! Your E. horridus looks amazing, as does the 'TBG' agave, in fact so much resilience to admire -- including yours!
ReplyDeleteYep, 100°F. I still can't believe it.
DeleteI found the 'Woodrowii' at a mail-order nursery in Florida of all places!
Lovely photos Gerhard ! So true -the fall light can make us forget the harsh glare of summer. Hate those couple more bad days on the way this week -maybe that will be the end of it ? Your 'Blue Glow' looks way better than mine, lol. Waiting for some cooler temps to give it the heave-ho.
ReplyDeleteYour 'Blow Glow' had flowered, right? Yeah, time to dig it up and start fresh.
DeleteThe lovely light is some consolation for that nasty forecast! The inland valleys down my way are expecting similar temperatures this week but it looks like the morning marine layer may provide us a bit of protection along the coast. That's my hope anyway. Best wishes for getting through your stretch unscathed!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed you'll stay nice and cool. You've had your own share of high temps, and you're far less prepared for heat than we are.
DeleteYour garden is so beautiful backlit with the evening sun. I hate always being a "downer" but I just looked at Wunderground for Phoenix and it is going to be 108º until NEXT Monday. Also, with the sun coming at an angle now, it is burning the sides of especially the cacti. It's a nightmare. I am so sorry to keep harping on my temps here, but somehow it does make me feel a little better.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I hadn't considered that the lower angle of the sun will now cause damage to areas that had been spared before.
DeleteI check the weather for Phoenix often, mostly out of disbelief. You've been through hell and back these past couple of summers.
So many gorgeous shots, wow. I love Dioon argenteum, that barely looks real. The peak at your new mounded areas is great-can't wait to see it all! I just checked our Wednesday temp is now predicted 105°, that CAN'T be right.
ReplyDeleteDioon argenteum took 5+ years to get to this stage. Not a plant for the impatient!
DeleteLooks like your temps are even higher than here. This has *got* to be the last heat wave of the summer...
Similar situation here (S. Wisconsin), with summer holding on longer than normal. But of course our late summer temps are in the high 70s/low 80s, which is very pleasant. I'm not ready for the cold stuff yet, so it's all good. Your succulents are amazing, and your photos with the oblique light are stunning!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beth. I hope you'll get to enjoy more days with pleasant temps.
DeleteBeautiful light, ugly temperatures---well at least the light is good. We're forecast for a heat wave ourselves, but maxing out in the low 90's. 100+ in October? Phoenix temps? :( But the cycads and cacti are lovely anyway.
ReplyDeleteThis summer has worn me down. All I want is for fall to arrive so I can buy plants and fill the holes.
DeleteIt looks like you've created a perfect garden for those temperatures: everything in it thrives! (except, maybe, the gardener :-D)
ReplyDeleteI join the choir of admirers of Dioon argenteum and swoon. I couldn't make it happy in seattle, but I do love cycads of all kind.
Chavli
Yes, let's hope that's the last of the heat waves for a while. You all deserve a reprieve. Encephalartos horridus is looking particularly sculptural at that angle.
ReplyDelete