This and that, mid-May 2026

I take photos in the garden virtually every day to document what’s going on. Many of these images don’t fit into specific categories, but they’re still worth showing. That’s why I have these occasional “This and that” posts. They’re the perfect vehicles for pictures that might otherwise remain unseen.

Let’s get started with some cactus photos.

Lophocereus schottii ‘Woolly Rhino’ seen from above

Cardon (Pachycereus pringlei) seen from above

My creeping devil (Stenocereus eruca) in the box Kyle made for me in August 2024. It’s doubled in size since then and has made a few offsets.

I recently entered it in the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society Show. It won an Award of Excellence, which netted me $25 to spend at the event.

The first wave of cactus flowers is always the best (see this post), but there’s been a nonstop succession since mid-April. I’ll have a separate post so these photos are just teasers:

Parodia mammulosa var. roseolutea, probably my favorite cactus flower outside of echinopsis/trichocereus

Especially pretty when sidelit by the sun

Gymnocalycium horridispinum subs. achirasense (what a mouthful) with a surprisingly large flower

A promise of things to come

This is the Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ stem that broke off and fell over recently (see post). I replanted it, and it’s already pushing a new flower.

Other succulent flowers, some unexpected:

Lewisia cotyledon, finally flowering — profusely, too. These are succulents native to the high mountains of northern California and southern Oregon where they grow in full sun. I’ve had trouble with these in the past. Now I know that in our climate they really need shade in the afternoon — and, in general, do better when ignored.

Dyckia choristaminea

Dyckia choristaminea flowers may not be showy...

...but they’re cheerful in their own way

Aloe season is behind us. Still, not a week has gone by without at least one aloe in flower. That’s what I love about that genus: There are aloes that flower at any time of year.

Aloe schoelleri, a cliff dweller from Eritrea in East Africa

Its flowers aren’t flashy like some, but I think they’re very elegant

This one was grown from open-pollinated Aloe schoelleri seed at John Miller’s garden in Oakland

The rosette itself looks very much like A. schoelleri, but the flowers are subtly different...

...especially the color, so probably a hybrid. Still, a very attractive plant.

Aloe pseudorubroviolacea right behind the Aloe schoelleri aff. above

These Aloe pseudorubroviolacea flowers are so nectar-rich, there’s sugary stuff all over the leaves

Aloe tomentosa has fuzzy white flowers...

...which I’m crazy about. This year, my older plant (this one) has two inflorescences, and a slightly younger plant on the other side of the sidewalk bed is flowering for the first time

The genus Gasteria (“gaster” is Greek for stomach) is named thusly because its flowers look like little stomachs...or like socks on a clothesline

Agave ‘Sierra Azul’ (Agave cerulata × kristenii) looking cool

Agave parryi and dogweed (Thymophylla pentachaeta) in the sidewalk bed

Mexican tulip poppies (Hunnemannia fumariifolia) reseeding liberally all over the front yard. I’m on board with that.

I’ve removed most of my ‘White Linen’ California poppies because they were getting too gangly...

...but there are a few stragglers, which I’m enjoying immensely

The poppies currently stealing the show are these pink Shirley poppies...

...which I grew from seed...

...given to me by Kyle last fall

Some of the best color in the garden right now comes from penstemons, like this Penstemon ‘Shadow Mountain’...

...and Penstemon ‘Red Rocks’

This pale-yellow buckwheat (Eriogonum nudum) is the kind of plant that is easily overlooked, but it does exactly what I was hoping it would do: soften the edge of the rock border

The same goes for this Cotula lineariloba aka big yellow moon flower

Corner of the L-shaped sidewalk bed...

...featuring sundrops (yellow), catmint (blue), and Shirley poppies (pink)

My most recent planting is the blue Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis var. argentea) towards the back

It was in a 5-gallon can, but it’s still small, and will remain small for years to come

And finally, a spectacular inflorescence at the UC Davis Arboretum, Nolina nelsonii. It towers over me like a mass of yellow tumbleweed. It’s one of my favorite sights in late spring, but one I’ll never get to experience in my own garden because the plant is simply too large.

With hot weather on the way (hello, 90s, here we come), things are likely to change fast.

© Gerhard Bock, 2026. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.