Mammillaria Elongata (Cactus!)

The other day, I was surfing the world of garden blogs, following Jodi at Bloomingwriter's advice on improving your own blog and adding readership. One of her tips(great post by the way!) was to search out other blogs and leave comments. For me, I check my favorite ones and then look to see who they have on their list of favorites. From there you can end up in a whole other world. I have found blogs devoted to cooking, wine, crocheting, writing and reading. Most of which I thoroughly enjoy. But gardening and birding are my main passions and while I enjoy reading some of the others, I rarely leave comments on those sites. But I have found some wonderful new(to me anyway) places to visit and am learning so much from them.

All of this is a prelude to the fact that I found a picture of a cactus that looked a lot like one I have. I have never know a name for it and was intrigued that the pictured one was called Copper King. Could it be related to the one I have? So I left a comment on Water When Dry asking her. She very graciously answered and told me mine was probably a regular 'mammillaria elongata' Another question I had for her was how did she get hers to bloom. Mine has, usually in late February or early March, but it hadn't in a couple of years. She explained they were sometimes hard to get to bloom and were not reliable bloomers. Okay, I could understand that. I have trouble with house plants re-blooming, why should this cactus be any different? The next day, while watering the plants in my garden window, I decided the cactus could use a sip as I often don't water it for weeks at a time. What is that on it's spines, another moth, a piece of fuzz? I do get those things in that window and they do get hooked on the cactus spines. No It was a bud! Moving it carefully towards the front, I found several blooms and buds. It must be cactus envy!

If you are into native plants from other areas, check out Water When Dry. She has excellent pictures and descriptions of the southwest's plants.

I also found another sign of spring today. It is a day lily poking it's leaves through the much and leaves. Sorry, I don't remember the name...I've had it for years and was not in the habit of writing down the names. That has all changed this year as I have made a resolution to track everything in my new garden journal. Over at Prairie Rose's Garden, she has some very interesting resolutions for this year's gardening!

Our weather forecast calls for rain eight out of the next ten days, so very little actual gardening will get done. The temps are supposed to moderate in the mid-fifties though and that sounds wonderful. Almost spring like!