Thursday, May 19, 2016

Still a Mystery

I mentioned my mystery Hesperaloe a few times in the past. It was sold only as "Giant". I could tell that was a Hesperaloe, but what kind? 
I knew it was not the common Red Yucca, Yucca parviflora, so asked the staff at the nursery and they said it was a Giant Red Yucca. Not really knowing if that response was correct, I bought the plant anyway because I liked the structure of the plant with thick filaments curling off the sides of the leafs. 

This is how the plant looked when I bought it in late 2012. I searched the internet and decided it was probably Hesperaloe funifera. I would just need to wait until it bloomed to confirm its identification.

Well, this year it finally bloomed and the flowers are white. I had to zoom in on the flowers because they are blooming about 8 feet above the ground.

I should have said were blooming 8 feet above the ground because flower stalk fell over the next day.

It looks like the hail that hit in mid-March damaged and weakened the stalk enough that it collapsed.

The good news is that the flowers are still blooming and they are much easier to see. 

I noticed that the flowers open at night and close in the morning. Could this be the night blooming Hesperaloe nocturna? I thought so until I did some internet searching. Hesperaloe nocturna does not have stiff, upright leaves like my plant. My plant looks most like Hesperaloe funifera. The thing that keeps me from making a firm ID is that I cannot find any references that Hesperaloe funifera is a night bloomer. Maybe there is another variety that I do not know about?

The mystery continues.


Saturday, May 7, 2016

Celebrating World Naked Gardening Day

World Naked Gardening Day (slight caution with the link) is the first Saturday in May and is a time to garden as nature intended. So, I will be out in the garden today wearing my gloves and doing a few chores. 

Today is also the next to the last day of National Wildflower Week. With all this exposed skin, I am too busy swatting mosquitoes to take pictures of all of the wildflowers in my garden, but I was able to get a picture of a columbine and milkweed.

Enjoy your garden and the wildflowers today and every day, how ever you may choose.