The Grand Tour

You'll never see this long a post here again, I promise you that. Everything is blooming, things I didn't even plant in the yard are blooming. It hasn't rained in over two weeks now, but we've had over nine inches in the past four months before that, and with mild temps and lots of sun, things are coming up everywhere.

First off, my current exercise in futility, putting the pergola together and bolting it to the underside of our deck. I'm starting fresh by flipping all of the 2x4s over, and that in itself has been an ordeal, as many of the screws are snapping off rather than coming completely up. Times will tell if this pergola will withstand a monsoon storm, I can't tell if the first eight bolts have really anchored it any better than when it was freestanding. Check back in July for that update.

And now the yard update.

The Valentine Emu bush is into it's second month of blooming, and it's going stronger than ever.

Here's a close up of a desert cassia.

Two more cassias, in fool bloom. Emily calls these the sneeze bushes. There's an orange tree somewhere in between the two of them.

A close up of one our pomegranates leafing out. This bush is beautiful every part of the year, from leafing out, to blooming, to fruiting, to turning golden yellow in the fall. And it's completely no maintenance, very heat tolerant.

Ah, calamonden, you will be mine very soon. My tea awaits you.

The globe mallow has started blooming in the last week. It's almost doubled in size from our winter rains and has taken over the top portion of our raised planter in the corner of the yard. Once it's done blooming, I'll be taking the hedge trimmers to it like nobody's business. But what beautiful flowers, this is about the only red bloomer I have, so I enjoy it thoroughly this time of year.

A california poppy, recently blooming. This was a seed back in November.

Our three leaf sumac coming out of dormancy. I'm hopeful that it will turn a bright red this fall, if I can limp it through the summer. Last summer didn't kill it, so I'm hopeful.

And finally, our little one enjoying the bulbs blooming on the south side of the house.