Hi Darla – Those flowers open and close in one day, like daylilies, and are so breathtaking! They are perfectly flat circles. Super dramatic! They just kill me! I had one when I started gardening, but it was ultimately just too wet for my dry garden. Boo. It can just live in my dream garden!

Hey Expat! (Jean to all you who are looking at the name on her comment – she’ll always be Expat to me!) Lantana is a controversial plant! I think, in addition to its crazy vigor, my main objection is the smell. It just rubs my fur backwards. I can’t believe you had to use a hatchet to control your lantana! And my warmest thoughts are with your dog – we know they ALL go to heaven!

Eoh mai, Tindrel – yew shuda bin theyer! It wuz jist goarjuss! Ah luuuvv Tixus!

Loree, even though being with the family was so great, I needed this little bit of time to keep my SANITY! Just a few minutes was all it took – and spotting that opuntia really helped! Getting a little bit of plant love under my belt gave me my second wind. It WAS a great walk! XO!

ESP, my pal! I must admit that I decided to take the Honeysuckle Lane stroll because as I was driving earlier that day, I saw that opuntia with the Pride of Barbados next to it, and of COURSE it reminded me of your garden! I was so blown away by the shape of the ‘Opuntia Tree’, and laughed out loud when I saw that the little rubbery spines DO look like little penguins! Can Cactus Man withstand the aggressive up-pruning? He HAs been looking a bit wan – but I am a fan of Cactus Man! I’m rooting for him!

I’m actually thinking of planting lantana in my hellstrip – the last frontier of my garden – now that I saw how successful it was on Honeysuckle Lane. But I wonder if it will be as luxurious as it is for y’all! I feel for your lantanas, blooming their little stinky hearts out, while you stand over them, clippers gnashing, giving them the hairy eyeball. But I understand. I feel that way about a certain helichrysum I know…

Oh, I am SO SORRY the Nanananabooboos made you suffer for the snafu that kept me from fulfilling my diplomatic duties! I will have to not only come bearing the gifts due them, I should also perform a ceremonial dance in their honor. I will go far to assure a peaceful visit to The Patch!

Until next!

Would you look at the size of that Opuntia! I wonder how old that is? We planted one in the ESP when we first moved in to the house some eight years ago. It has grown a lot (about 5ft) and I keep trying to trim it upward. Seeing your picture, I think I should be a little more aggressive with this “up-pruning” (now why did the cactus man just spring into my mind)!
I will have an opuntia “tree” one day.

I am with you on the lantana front. We had to remove so much of it when we first moved in, it was everywhere. I could not look at it again for years. I have now succumbed to three creeping lantanas which I like better for one of my “hot spots”. They do a pretty good job of filling in an area. They still get worried though, everytime I pause and look at them, clippers in hand.

Sounds like your Grandma-palooza was a great success.
Next time you HAVE to pop North into Austin. The N. tribe blew tiny reed darts at me all afternoon from deep inside my oriental grasses after learning you would not be visiting, and bearing gift “offerings”…it was so annoying!

ESP.

I love lantanas, it was the first plant I ever owned, and it bloomed in my college dorm window all the (bleak) Canadian winter so I have a soft spot. Plus I’ve seen how the butterfies love them, so more points to them.

We are so lucky to vicariously experience the gardens of other climates so easily now, by way of our garden blogger friends. Thanks, Germinatrix. Always enjoy going on walks with you!

ps: Grandma-palooza (classic)