Scenes from a Bike Ride: GINORMOUS agave blossom!

Patrick & I have been toolin' around our neighborhood quite a bit lately on our fun new bikes! I snapped these pics on one of our rides over Memorial Day weekend. Look at the flower on that thing - it's sooo tall!

This is an Agave Americana, more commonly called a Century Plant. They're very common in these parts. We have several at our house, but none of them are anywhere near this big!

Fun fact: Agave is in the same family as asparagus, Asparagaceae. I can totally see the family resemblance!

Gorgeous sunflowers are blooming all over the place right now, too! They're so summery & cheerful.


So where were we heading on that particularly lovely morning?

To our neighborhood coffee shop, Corona Cafe! It's love at first sip.

P.s.
Our bikes are Raleigh Specials, if you're curious. They are great bikes if you want something simple with a retro flair - we love 'em! If you're an Austinite, check out The Peddler; that's where we bought them. It's a great bike shop where everyone is super-helpful & friendly.

Do you bike? Know of any great trails or destinations in Austin we should check out?

What's Growin' On: Orange Leopard Print Cannas

Ok, so "Leopard Print" is not the official name of these Cannas, but don't they remind you of some crazy spotted animal? They do for me. I love their bright colors! I also love how little garden bugs are always sneaking into my shots - I was totally unaware of that bug at the bottom right when snapping this.

I just love Cannas so much. They have really pretty striated leaves, often much more colorful than these, with purple & reddish hues. The buds are interesting & pretty enough themselves, and then...

they burst forth with a colorful explosion like this! This bunch behind our pond is the first of our Cannas to bloom, but we have several more varieties in another bed, which we affectionately refer to as Cannanarama. Hopefully I will have pics of those flowers to share soon!

What's Growin' On: Happy Cacti

Well, lookee here! This little cactus (which was labeled "assorted cacti" or something equally vague, so I don't know what it's called) has been a mystery to us ever since I transplanted it directly into the ground last summer. Patrick thought it was dead, but I've been optimistic because I thought it was getting bigger. I was doubtful of the little plant's health however, because of the way its flesh started turning purple (anybody know if that's normal?). But judging by this big yellow bloom that appeared yesterday, I'd guess it's doing just fine. The two grayish, fuzzy things underneath the bloom are 2 more flower buds! Pretty exciting.

Also exciting is the abundance of new growth on this Prickly Pear. We had a bunch of cactus cuttings that we got from my parents' house down in Houston last year, but most of them froze. This one's a trooper, though!