I have already posted a couple of long posts documenting my vegetable garden in two earlier #gardenjournal posts [My garden update](https://peakd.com/hive-120078/@sofs-su/my-garden-update-garden-journal) and [The value of growing food](https://peakd.com/hive-120078/@sofs-su/growing-food) so now its time to show you some of the cacti in my garden. Not just cacti, but cacti in bloom.
These coryphantha twins above compete with the waterlilies in my garden. People are so stunned when I tell them its my cactus in bloom. A couple of months ago I had a buyer come home asking for this cactus after she had seen some pictures of them in my blog. When I showed it to her she retracted and almost winced looking at the spines. I asked her if she liked roses and she answered in the positive. I told her if yo could handle the spines there could handle these easily as well. She had a rather silly smile on her face as she left.
Nature never ceases to amaze me. This photograph that I took sometime back in my garden is a testimony to that. This ferocactus cactus bloom reminds me of simplicity, purity and beauty of nature and its mild but sweet fragrance of the fragile beauty of life. This stunning blue banded bee (called the Amegilla zonata) never fails to remind me of the vivacity and energy that surrounds us.
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Three isn't a crowd. My heurinia zebrina is blooming like crazy. it has various names locally - doughnut plant, stars and stripes and God knows what. People call them by any name they like. These plants seem to be a favorite food for caterpillars. If I don't check on them one day they would have eaten so many of the stems b y then leaving the succulent scared for life.
I call this guy a hexagonal wonder. These cacti have been blooming every year for the last 7 years and I still look at them with the same wonder and awe each season. Caralluma umbellata blooms each summer without fail. The buds are hexagonal in shape and looks quite stunning on their own.
This leafy cactus blooms hardly stay open for a couple of hours. I had to visit my garden a few times to capture this image, but the flower was already closing up.
The peace and the joy that fills the heart while I am one with nature is indescribable. My camera is the tool to store and share these scene with those in far off lands who may never get to see them.
All images used in this post are the sole property of @sofs-su
Oh wow! These photographs are great and you write so well about your cactus! I definitely know what you mean about the sense of joy you feel in nature - I'm headed there now for a bit of green peace. Love these cactus blooms - truly gorgeous! Thanks so much for delighting me!
Glad you like them @riverflows . I find people have such a negative approach towards cacti. I try to promote these guys at every opportunity.
Thanks for stopping by with your kind words.
I love your amegilla bees. Ours have white stripes instead of blue
Wow I haven't seen amegilla bees with white bands before, I need to watch carefully now, maybe we have them here as well.
Thanks for stopping by @nikv. Much appreciated.
These are stunning! I love that hexagonal one in particular. And the blue bee! How cute. Nature truly is a wonder. 💚
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Thank you so much , yeah they are so stunning, the photo doesn't really do them justice.
Thanks for stopping by @plantstoplanks :D Happy gardening and #gardenjournal
Gorgeous!!! My goodness you are good at growing these.
I think that shape is a pentagon, not a hexagon. Five sides, right? Those are especially interesting. I love the patterns on the blossoms, would love some wallpaper featuring this flower.
And that bee! Truly stunning photo!
OH lol that is right why did I keep thinking six petaled? Hmm now its going to take time to change that mental image I have. True, they are not like the normal stapelias as these bloom in big bunch and looks like globe in full bloom.
Hmm.. its kind of particularly hard to get the amegilla bees in pictures as they never sit on any flower for long.
Thanks for stopping by @owasco
What gorgeous cacti and your photos are amazing. That Amegilla bee is so cute. Is it one of the ones that hover and dart side to side? We have mostly honey bees. Lovely hexagon wonder, here we call them Stapelias. I'll go check out your other garden posts too
Thank you @andrastia, yes this one won't sit in one place, it does have those quick darting movements.
Stapelias are huge star shaped, beautiful but smelly flowers. The caralluma umbellata is native to India and the plant looks very similar to the stapelia.
Spineless thick juicy stems with almost invisible leaves.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your interest very much.
Hi there @sofs-su that was awesome, your pictures are crystal clear and a pleasure to view.
That doughnut flower looked fake, it was so impressive. I can't tell you how many flowering cacti I have had over the years, not a one that has lasted very long, and only a handful that have ever bloomed for me. Yours are perfect.
Have a blessed and peaceful day. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you @farm-mom most of these are at least seven years old and they bloom regularly for me. I don't even have to do much, these are the easiest plants to care for. Maybe because I live in a hot tropical climate.
You too have a lovely day and a blessed week ahead.
Oh my your post is lovely but that Blue banded bee totally stole the limelight from your plants! Amazing. 💚🤗
Thank you @holisticmom yip, he is a show stealer :D and I love him for that :D