Blooming in the Garden Today

The wind has flattened most all the rock rose orchids! We've had wind for days now, along with temperatures in the 90s.

Sweet peas ready to be delivered to friends and relatives.

The pollen, stirred up by the wind, has really stirred up my allergies. Everyone seems to be suffering from the abundance of pollen this year. All this because we got much needed rain from November through February. A mixed blessing for sure.

This poppy, or rock rose, (who knows?) bloomed this morning. It was stunning among the deep purple rock rose orchids. The wind had been blowing so hard that the plants were flattened, so I thought I'd rescue this one. I picked it and a few more to enjoy, and they lasted about 45 minutes in the vase. They are definitely not cut flower material! The petals on the rest of them had already blown away, so these would have been lost anyway.

This cactus bloomed today. I think it's some species of Parodia, but Parodia usually don't clump, so I guess I'll just enjoy the gorgeous flowers without concern for its identity. The only one who cares is my sis, who always wants to know the genus and species in case she wants to get one too.