Hello from Houston, Texas, Zone 9A! Spring is here in full effect and I’m really digging the sunshine. Tomorrow is April first so I’m going to include what plants flowered for me in March and what is budding or close to blooming in April. I’m also including some other notes on growth and dormancy. I keep my plants outdoors in pots and in the ground. There’s a lot happening right now…
Succulents: Graptoveria Fred Ives; Graptopetalum paraguayense; Sedum adolphii ‘Firestorm’; Sedum mexicana; Kalanchoes humilis, Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri ‘Donkey Ears’; Aloe maculata; Haworthias: retusa, venosa subs. tessellata, and viscosa; Ledebouria socialis ‘Silver Squill’; Stapelia grandiflora
Cacti: Parodia/Notocactus buiningii, Mammillaria spinosissima ssp pilcayensis, Mammillaria surculosa, Mamillaria melanocentra, and one more I haven’t ID’d yet…looks like a Rebutia.
Budding: Haworthias: retusa, venosa subs. tessellata, and viscosa; Gymnocalyciums mihanovichii and baldianum; Chamaelobivia ‘Devon Maid’; Notocactus/Parodia uebelmannianus; Echinopsis subdenudata; Echinocereus reichenbachii (waiting for flower to verify ID); Senecio Raindrops, my main Aloe maculata
Growth notes: Aloe humilis is making offsets; Euphorbia milli is awake and putting out a lot of new leaves; Jatropha berlandieri is out of dormancy and growing a nice new green stem with a few little leaves; fast growth on Hylocereus, Opuntia tuna
Notes on my other plants: A big 3-headed Amaryllis ‘Rio Negro’ surprised me in the backyard! I didn’t plant it and we’ve lived here two summers already. In late February I started seeds of Scotch Bonnets, Teaspoon tomatoes, and some other chilies, and they’re all doing well- a few more weeks before they’ll go in the ground. I also put a couple tomato plants in the ground and they’re really filling out.
The Monstera deliciosa that froze in the ground is coming back to life as well as several other plants I didn’t expect to see again.
I have been hacking back the crazy dead Bougainvillea all month to get it under control. It will be back with a vengeance and I’m using the space it’s in for veggies and stuff so I have to conquer and tames those beasts now.
