Myrtillocactus geometrizans cristata, turning blue/purple from the winter cold. This is what gives them their common name/nickname, “Blue Myrtle” cactus.
It was much more green when I got it in October. The seasonal color changes that occur with this plant are beautiful!
Interested!
Enduring the cold rain throughout the English winter months, looking at your pictures from the desert is always uplifting. It’s like a micro holiday for me.
Congratulations on your first cilantro harvest!
Not my best photo by any stretch, they only bloom at night so it had to be in the kitchen lighting - but oh well.
Conophytum ficiforme blooming!
Apologies for a double post, but I got a better photo yesterday evening when they first opened up but it was still a bit light out
So they close each day and then reopen?
Yep. Open in the evening, and then close up in the AM. Do this for 4 or 5 days and then they fizzle out
I still can’t believe how fragrant these little flowers are. They’re dime-sized at most but you can smell them as soon as you walk into my greenhouse.
What do they smell like?
Tough question! Describing smells is hard.
The best I can do (and I’m not trying to be a smartass!) is that they’re very floral 
I am SO excited for this one. When I first ever heard of conophytum (saw a photo online), it was this species. Conophytum Wittebergense. Been hoping to find them since. They’re highly sought-after. Well yesterday, I found a cluster for sale 
More than I generally like to spend on a single plant, especially one I’m a little more weary of killing - but it was an immediate “hell yes” when I saw it. So Merry Christmas to me.
Her sister, conophytum ficiforme, has erupted with additional flowers.
Not new, had it a bit over a year - but my obregonia denegrii was looking good.
Finally, a look at my first euphorbia ammak, which is/was one of the very first plants I got upon moving to AZ - it was a gift from a friend.
Wanted to show how you can see the growth lines - below the first red line is where it was when I got it, middle section was year 1 growing season, top section is from this past growing season which seems to be coming to a close as winter rolls in.
I also plucked off a dead leaf - new growth has leaves which eventually dry up and fall off once growth ends - and wanted to show the caustic sap that euphorbias contain. Think I’ve written about it before - irritating to the skin, potential to permanently blind the eyes. This is one of the main differences from cacti, which of course store water inside.
Seasonal Fun Fact: Poinsettia, a popular Christmastime plant, is actually a euphorbia.
Beautiful Christmas present you got yourself 
Picked up some clearance flower bouquets at the grocery store, picked out the flowers that were dying, and arranged the rest. Luckily I already have some lovely vases.
Beautiful arrangement 
Thank you! I love arranging flowers!
What’s that TARDIS doing in the background?
good question! There is a massage table set up in the dining rooom and it’s covered by a long TARDIS blanket.
Rainy, gloomy Friday in the desert - done with work until the new year!
Went to stock up on cactus potting mix from where I used to work - the in-house mix is the best stuff I’ve ever used. Wasn’t supposed to get plants but I’ve played this silly game so many times.
Haworthia Retusa “White Ghost”
Not particularly rare or expensive, I’ve just been on the lookout for a healthy, good-looking specimen at the right price for a while. Today was the day.
Then the unexpected:
Dinteranthus wilmotianus
I had never heard of/seen these until today. In the mesembs family, so it’s a relative of lithops, conophytum, pleiospilos - “living stone” type succulents, which I’ve posted several examples of. I really wanted to just leave it to the haworthia, but these were too cool to pass up.
The last picture looks like it’s watching and judging me… Very creepy but cool.
It gives me these vibes
Watch your back. And don’t leave the boys unattended around it for a while.
