Stretching the limits!

Some times we have to stretch to grow just like plants do when they sprout from seed and push through the soil and stretch for the suns warmth and moisture of the morning dew.
When we look at nature we can see so much of Gods plan for us in how nature grows, thrives and survives.  When we stretch ourselves beyond what we see our limits to be we need to rely on God to give us strength and courage to reach out of the dark soils of our lives and push forth stretching for the goodness and warmth of our Fathers love and care.
Today was a stretching day for me as I went with a friend to a town I had never been to before and a big stretch to be in a car for so long. But the day was so pretty. It was warm and sunny all day and the drive was great. I know that God gave me courage and peace. As we drove back home I felt peace were there used to be anxiety and panic.  The hills are rolling with green grasses and grains. The wheat field are coming to life and the songs of the spring birds was in the air.

When we got to the town we were heading to we went to Home Depot (a store we dont have were I live). It is a huge store and it was almost overwheming when I walked inside..but the feeling was an overwhelming joy to be there and know that the next place I was heading was the garden center..LOL :)
I cant walk into a store like that without looking in the garden center. And of course I could not go home empty handed. I found a wonderful 6 inch pot of Donkey tail succulent.

A couple fairly nice Titinaopsis. They were way over watered so I gave them new dry soil when I got home.

And a cute Echeveria aphrodite

All in all it was such a great trip..for the new plants that i had so much fun picking out...but most of all for Gods love, courage, and protection. Thank  you my Lord for a job well done!

Aloe parvula...Gods gift today :)

Today as I was looking at some of the Haworthias I noticed something so very delightful about a small aloe I have.  I looked for months of an aloe parvula and I finally found one about a month or so ago. In fact i got 2 small plants of it. To my sweet delight today i see a bloom stock starting on one of them! I am so thrilled, this is such a precious little aloe no more then about 2 maybe 3 inches across and about as tall. Its in a very cute tiny vase. I know that some times we just need these wonderful surprises to brighten our day and encourage us in our journey in this life and I think God knows just when to send us a special gift to say "chin up and enjoy the journey".

Seed, pods and plants..gotta love them!

Tonight I am going to start writing in my blog again..I have not written in a long time and I feel its time to start it up again. A lot has been happening in my plant room over the winter but the most wonderful part has been seeing the changes come as the seasons change. As we get near to spring A lot of the haworthias and aloes have come into bloom. The haworthias have been blooming for about 2 months now and the aloes started about 3 weeks ago. I have tried my hand at some cross pollinating of haworthias and aloes...it will be interesting to see if any of it takes and produces seed pods.

This is one of the crosses I did. Haworthia variegata and Aloe pink blush.

Another cross I did just for fun is these 2. H. tortousa and Aloe dorian black.

It has been a lot of fun pollinating differant haworthias and aloes. I did get a good number of seeds from the haworthias...H. lime green gave me 5 pods and a few seeds, the pods were very small. H. venosa ssp tessellata gave me several pods with a good amount of seeds but the all time winner was H,tortousa with 8 pods and lots of seeds.

The splender of variegation!

Its been a long time since I have written in this blog, in fact i had forgotten about it. But having recieved a couple comments on my adenium post made me think about writing again.
One of the most fascinating things in the world of succulent plants to me is variegated plants! I am head over heals for variegated succulents. So i wanted to share with you a couple that i have.  There is so much character in the designs of variegation and no 2 are ever alike.  Its so fascinating to watch a variegated succulent give offsets also because you never know what the (pups) will look like. Some make have as much or more variegation as the mother plant while others have little to no varigation at all.  A good example of that is my Aloe Brevifolia variegata.....

As you can see there are 2 nice size offsets and wile the green one looks much like the mother plant with very mild variegation...the yellow pup is an exceptional plant with incredible variegation. i found out today that this yellow pup is actually a bit rare.
Another nice variegated plant I have is Haworthia cuspidata variegata. This plant has 3 very small pups that look like they will have nice variegation but time will tell as they grow and become large enough to see exactly what color they have.

Another type of succulent i really admire in the variegated form is Crassula ovata "hummels sunset". (Jade cultivar).
Mine is just starting to get some nice colors on the leaf edge and towards the middle of the leaf. this cultivar of Jade changes with the seasons. It colors up the best in fall and spring were it gets that cool night and warm days.

Creations trusts God unconditionally

I have watch my Passiflora Incarnata plant all winter in my backyard. It has fought to stay alive and even grow during the cold hard winter months. This plant that should be dormant or even dead by now has remained constant in its fight to stay alive and push forward in its life. Last week we had an ice storm here for 3 days, everything was covered in thick layers of ice and the temps were well below freezing. My P. Incarnata plant was sure not to survive this fridged weather and I was certain as I walked outside today that I would find remnants of a very dead plant that lost its struggle. However, my ways are not Gods ways and my thoughts are not Gods thought..so much higher is His thoughts and ways then mine. As I approached my Incarnata plant I was so amazed at what I saw. Though battered and worn by the elements that have come against it, the leaves were shrivels, the tendrils curled and the stems barely hanging on to the fence....but the stems remained strong and the roots are firmly planted deep in the mulch that protects them. There is life still in the P.Incarnata, it has not lost the battle and it has not given up the fight!  If God be for it who can be against it?

The storms of life will come there is no doute, but the real question is when they do will we stand strong even though thick ice covers us and tries to choke the very life out of us or will we stand tall, strong and unwavering knowing that God will be our strength, courage and wisdom? Like this Siberia weeping pea tree covered in ice, yet it does not fall under the weight of its affliction, God sustains it and will carry it through the winter hardship of its life to a time when it will flourish again..but in the meantime its trust is in God unconditionally for its survival.

Or will we be trapped in a cage of our own fears, insecurities, hurts and emotions? Will we lie dormant like the tulip bulbs in this barrel protected by a fencing of wire letting nothing in?

We have choices to make in the hard, cold, desperate times of our lives. The times when it seems like we are so alone, so rejected by the world...so abandoned by those who are supposed to love us. We can choose to stay stuck in that cage of isolation, fear, and aloneness....or we can break forth trusting that God has a plan and purpose for our lives, that He will not leave us were we are at but will help us and comfort us and bring new life to us.

That as the season of harship passes we can rejoice in His great love knowing that He has once again walked with us and even carried us when we needed it. That His promise to never leave us nor forsake us has stood the test of time. And we can look around and even though we may feel alone like we are a single leaf in a world of chaos and conflict.....

Indeed there is beauty among us and we are not alone as there are many that feel as we do. We can reach out with the love of God and help others to grow and flourish in their world of chaos and hardships. We can be the hands and feet of Jesus, the heart of God that helps others to know they are not alone, and that they too can make it through the storms of life and come out bigger and better then ever.

So as the winter rolls on and we continue to fight our way through the battles of life with our hand in His, letting Him guide us in all truth and wisdom..let us not forget to bloom right were we are planted!

Hibernating with our creator God

Today is extremely cold here! It is about 20 degrees right now and has been in the teens most the time for the last couple days. Winter has most definitely set in here in the Oregon desert valley. I decided to take a short walk to the end of my street to the field by the river and take  few pictures of the landscape. The shimmer of the heavy frost covered by a very light snow dusting is just beautiful.It is like some one took a bunch of silver glitter and covered the landscape. As cold as it is the beauty of the snow and ice gives a calm peaceful feeling, a feeling of rest and contentment. Maybe that is because when it is cold like this we tend to enjoy a nice cup of hot tea or coffee and a warm cuddly blanket. And if you are fortunate enough to have a dear mate to snuggle with all the better:)
  For may people winter time can bring on the blues and make us feel closed in but we can choose to see winter in another light, a time of reflection on Gods goodness and all that He has done in our lives through the year. In this time of winter (dormancy) many animals and plants are sleeping and regenerating their bodies and restoring all they had lost during the year and replenishing for the new year to come. In some ways we can do the same, we may not sleep through the winter like a bear or go dormant like a tulip...but we can take time to (hibernate) with God and reflect on the year, what He has brought us through, what He has blessed us with, what He has taught us, and how He has touched the lives of those we have been praying for. The animals and the plants do not ask if they should hibernate or go dormant for the winter they just do so naturally by design from their creator, how much more should we spend time with our creator to reflect and rest. The new year will bring new journeys for us all, I pray we will all place our hand in His and take the journey together. Happy hibernating!

Defying the odds!

Well as I was out walking around my yard today I had to go back and get my camera....All around me is the dead remains of summers plants and the leaves of the huge oak cover the flower beds..BUT, out of the woodwork comes this one plant that is defying the law of nature. It is freezing cold here as you can see by the ice I am holding in my hand from the bucket in my backyard. Yet this PASSIFLORA is still alive and climbing on the fence and one of the dormant lilac trees! To my knowledge I do not have any species of passiflora that should be able to survive in freezing cold 20s weather!

This passie is actually from some seed I tossed out there in summer of 2010 that came up this year in mid summer. And it is apparently VERY hardy, I wish I knew what it is. I am tempted to try to take cuttings but I think they would just die when I brought them into my heated house. I am just marveled at how hardy this one passie is though.