What's blooming

This is what has been happening inside, a gift for a grandson's birthday.

This is what is happening outside.

As the temperatures in Arizona inch up towards daily triple digits, we are pulling petunias, stock, pansies, Icelandic poppies, and snap dragons.  We are replacing them with vinca, the only annual that makes it through the summer..  Thank goodness vinca comes in lots of colors.  I also have some Mediterranean trailing vinca starts going in the greenhouse which we will move to our baskets at the end of May.

So what is blooming now.  The sunflowers which Glen planted from seed the end of February.

They've been a real hit in the neighborhood and I've noticed a photo session or two.

We may not have apple or cherry blossoms, but we do have palo verde trees.  They provide clouds of bright yellow.  There are also plenty of lavender blooms on the jacaranda trees.

The hibiscus are also blooming.

And the jasmine are filling the air with scent.  At the front door a gardenia bush is blooming and scenting.

You prefer chocolate?  Take a walk past the driveway early in the day for a whiff from the chocolate plants.  The geraniums are hanging in there for a bit longer.  Notice those bright green sweet potato vines in the background.  We cut them back each fall and when the temperature is right, ie., over 90 degrees, up they come again growing like mad all summer.

The hollyhocks are still blooming.

As are the roses on the rose arbor.  All of it, except for the vinca and sweet potato vines, will soon be in survival mode as we all pant our way through an Arizona summer.