Beautiful, Sunny Las Vegas!

I'm back! My vacation (a trip to Las Vegas for the Electric Daisy Carnival) was a blast. I saw some of my favorite bands live, I learned about the culture of Vegas and desert life, and I got a bit of a tan. But more importantly, I saw a lot of neat plants. We spent quite a bit of time roaming the Strip, and I didn't get to bring my camera for those outings, but I did see a few plants of note.

This is my first view of Las Vegas, taken as soon as we got out of the airport. Already I saw how different the landscape would be from that of my home. By the way, that sign said "LIMO PARKING ONLY." You don't see that much in Missouri.

This is less of a shot of the desert than a mere oddity. This baby rubber plant (which looks like it might be a cutting) was growing right outside the door of our hotel. It seems to be tolerating the heat just fine.

Palm trees are also not common to the Midwest, so it was neat to see them everywhere in Vegas. This one is going to have some trouble when it gets tall enough to hit the overhang.

There were several Lantana plants around Vegas as well. These are present but uncommon in the Midwest, but they obviously can deal with the desert as well. The amount of money in Sin City doesn't hurt, since it has a tremendous water bill but doesn't care.

I believe this bush is a cycad, closely related to pine trees.

I really liked the burnt orange bark on this tree. It definitely belongs in the desert.

These agaves might be the first I've ever seen in person. They're certainly the largest. Seriously, these guys were about four feet tall.

Another palm for your enjoyment. To me it looks rather silly sprouting out of this bush, but what do I know.

These are Opuntia! There are a few cacti like this in the Midwest, but never this big (with the exception of the Eastern Prickly Pear). I wanted to chow down when I saw these, but that would be stealing from the hotel (or the Havana CigarBar), and I didn't have the proper equipment anyway.

More Lantana. These come in some great colors. I was looking them up on the Web one time and saw a picture of a cluster of blooms that faded from pastel pink to bright yellow. This individual is more like a sunset blend.

 

A close-up of the Opuntia.

I can't readily identify this cactus. Cylindropuntia, perhaps? Either way, it's new to me, and I always love discovering new plants.

This palm was the tallest around our hotel. Also, note the completely cloudless sky. It stayed like that almost all week. In addition, George Wallace is a popular dude. We saw his face all around town.

This photograph highlights a peculiarity I was very interested in: these are rosemary bushes. Rosemary grows well in dry soil, so it makes sense that they could thrive in the desert, but these suckers are everywhere! It's great! You walk down the Strip, pass by a fancy restaurant, and all the while you're smelling rosemary because the sidewalk is lined with these bushes. It really improves the overall ambiance of the place. Whoever had that idea was a thinker.

Note the grass here. Note my comment above about Vegas's water bill. I can't even imagine how many zeros are on that thing.

 

I'm not familiar with this bush either. Any ideas on what it is?

A similar bush.

There are a few more sights from Las Vegas that I'd like to share, but that will have to wait. Also, I know this post is really late, but the Internet at my house has been problematic (to say the least). Fortunately, a new company has set up Internet, and it seems to be working better. Hopefully this will not be a problem in the future. Thanks for reading.

Next post: Las Vegas at night.

Plant Collection: Scott's House Part 2

I take a lot of pictures when it comes to plants, so I've broken down my trip to Scott's house into two posts to keep my post sizes reasonable. This is the second edition of plants owned by Scott's parents.

This is a foliage plant with which I am not familiar. It seems to be going crazy on its perch, which is good to see.

Let it look deep into your soul.

Next is some variety of arrowhead vine (possibly Syngonium podophyllum). Fun fact: this plant is poisonous to marsupials. Keep your wallabies away!

This big guy is a rubber plant (Ficus elastica: yes, that ficus). I had one of these when I was little. They make good additions to one's home, as long as one has room. Variegated varieties are fun too.

The blue ribbon suggests that this plant has had some balancing problems. It looks like it might topple over at any minute. Luckily, rubber plants can be pruned easily and at any time of year. (Maybe I should offer to prune this baby for Scott's parents and take a cutting...)

 

 After I photographed the rubber plant, I went outside. When I did so, I was sad to see a Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) in the yard. while the plant does have decorative flowers, they smell horrible, and this tree is so invasive that citizens are prohibited from planting it. At least it's nice to look at.

 

 

For happier news, look no further than the redbud tree, which is also flowering about this time. These are Missouri natives, and sometimes you drive through forests that look entirely pink because of them. Unfortunately, most redbuds only live 20-25 years because of disease problems (although the university has one that's at least twice that age). That said, there were some great-looking ones around Scott's neighborhood.

 

 

Here's another redbud tree! Note: this is not Scott's house. It's just nearby. Also, you can see in this picture the pods that these trees produce. Yes, they are legumes. Hooray for nitrogen fixation!

 

 

These trees are just beginning to bloom--they get much fuller as the days go on, though the blooms only last a week or two each year. Here's a close-up on those flowers.

 

 

That's it for my spring adventures at Scott's place! Are Bradford pears a problem where you live? Do you enjoy the short-lived bliss of redbud season? What kinds of houseplants do you enjoy?

 

Next post: green glory from around the grounds.

Plant Collection: Scott's House Part 1

This weekend I went to Scott's house for some R&R. His parents like having plants around, and they have quite a few (so many that they will consume two posts). They have a lot of windows, which helps. I photographed them to show them off. You'll even get to see an old friend!

The first plants to catch my eye were these aloes (seemingly Aloe vera). These plants are young, but they look great. Maybe you can see the window setup in some of the pictures--the kitchen has a 3-sided window, which makes this a very plant-friendly spot.

Next was one of the few flowering plants in the house, an African violet (genus Saintpaulia). We have these at the greenhouse. They're a pain to water, and they don't look very good (they're intensely fragile). This one seems to be thriving, though. Apparently the family has had this one for something like ten years, which is impressive. I would lose my patience with this plant, though it is pretty.

This plant caught my eye because it used to be mine! Sadly, the day this picture was taken was its last, as moving it inside managed to snap the stem. At least it spent its last few days outside, and at least I got to see it one last time. Also, note the flower buds forming. It did a lot better than I ever expected.

The biggest plant enjoying this kitchen window was a nice, big schefflera. I'm no schefflera identification expert, but if I had to guess, I'd say this is Schefflera arboricola because of its smallish, spread out leaflets. Personally, I like that form better than some of the larger-leaved species.

What houseplant collection would be complete without some devil's ivy (Epipremnum aureum)? This particular individual has striking variegation, which I like. I'm not normally into devil's ivy (also known as golden pothos, for some reason), but the whitish leaves are nice. I would be willing to care for a variegated specimen like this. As this is ivy, it will climb up the walls and vine around your belongings. I have mixed feelings about this, but if it became a problem, I could just cut it back.

Also on this (sizeable) countertop was a small ficus tree. These do fairly well at the greenhouse, but it's apparent that this one gets a little more love.

Moving on to another windowsill, here's a plant that I cannot even begin to identify. It is a spineless succulent, maybe a cactus. That's about all I have determined, so I haven't narrowed down much of anything. It's nice to look at, though.

Now here's something you don't see every day in the Midwest--columnar cacti. These little dudes look like they're faring very well. I would like some cacti of this general type someday (for more details, see my post on my dream succulents and cacti).

Next is another cactus: the Christmas cactus (I believe this one is Schlumbergera bridgesii). These are always nice plants to have around. We had one of these when I was small.

And here's another one, only in bloom! This cactus might be Epiphyllum x buckleyi. It seems odd, but Christmas cacti can belong to three different species in two genera. I've never seen such a peach-colored blossom on a Christmas cactus. It's a nice change of pace.

What are your thoughts on finnicky plants? Which of these kinds of plants would you take in, if given the chance?

Next post: the rest of the plants in and around Scott's house.