Project update

Thought I'd provide updates on some of the plant projects I've got going, some recently started and others that have been more long term.  The Hollywood apple has settled in nicely and is even showing some new growth, so I need to finish the espalier frame and prepare to start training the tree to the wire.  The Eureka Lemon tree has made a full recovery from the hard freeze in January and I've spent some time pruning it to improve its' shape.  Surprisingly, it has a handful of lemons on it, which is unexpected considering the freeze hit just as it was beginning to bloom.

It'll be a few more months before this can become lemonade.

In early May I planted some amaryllis 'Minerva' seeds and have had one successful sprout, which is now almost 6" tall and has two leaves.  I'm keeping it under the cloche until the daytime highs stay in the 80's to make sure it survives.

About a month ago I took a cutting from my elephant food plant, Portulaca afra, with the goal of turing it into a bonsai, and over the weekend I decided it had developed enough roots to pot it up.  Eventually, I'll get some moss to cover the exposed soil and place between the rocks, but for now, I think it looks nice enough to brag about just a little.

Two of the peppers I planted last month have already developed some mnature fruit.  The Fushimi has a sweetness tempered by a bit of acidity and should be nice in salads and salsas, while the Padron is sweet with just a bit of heat at the finish and should go well in salsas and egg dishes.

Fushimi

Padron

Another sunflower has bloomed and 9 out of 10 pumpkins seeds have sprouted and are already straining towards the sun, so I think I'll have to move the seed trays under a window.

Lastly, I've shown pictures of the flowers of Stapelia gigantea before when they're fully open or nearly so, but I don't think I've ever shown them as they progress from a tiny bud, barely noticeable, until they bloom in all their attention grabbing glory. Every day starting today, I'm going to take a picure of the two buds I found forming and then I'll post a timelapse video once they open.  I'll try to take the pictures as near to 24 hours apart as possible for consistency.

Can you see the two flower buds in this photo?