Backyard Activity

First, I wanted to show you our Yucca rostrata or Yucca thompsoniana. We planted it as a large plant 3 years ago. It bloomed the first year but didn't the second after surviving the Deep Freeze of Winter '06-'07. Now, the third year, it is blooming again. This display is only the beginning! This yucca blooms whoppers!

Yuccas are in the lily family or Liliaceae. They are a desert plant and this one is commonly called Beaked Yucca. It needs well-drained soil, full sun and very little water. It could reach up to 12 feet high. Mine is 6 feet high so far! If anyone can tell me why the ends of the "leaves" are brown, I would appreciate it. I was wondering if the heat from the block wall wasn't so good an influence. Or, could it be that it gets the wrong amount of water? Desert plants can be confusing to a Georgia girl. In the desert, the norm is less water and brown COULD mean there is too much water; in Georgia, the norm is more water and brown means not enough water!

This cactus is an Opuntia which is the largest cactus genus including prickly pear, cholla, bunny ears or this one called Indian Fig. We planted this one 3 years ago next to this rock wall hoping that the heat from the wall would give it a good home. It started out with only 3 pads. It grew rapidly the first summer then was hit with the Deep Freeze. Some of the pads were frozen and I cut them off. The plant is very hardy and it grew again. I like the shape it is in now but its shape will be different by the end of the summer. It is fast growing and makes its own choices as to where it will make new growth!

New pads begin as little red notches that can be found anywhere on an old pad, usually on the edge. Right now, my Indian Fig has around 10 new notches but, tomorrow, it could add a few more.

The notches grow quickly into new pads as seen here on the left side of the plant. I rarely water this plant. I know it wants water when it becomes limp. That doesn't happen very often. If it is overwatered, a few pads will become bloated and die off.

More blooms on the Powder Puff Cactus.