I’m a star!
When my wise old grandmother (MWOG) gave me a poor section of her yard in 1966 to create my own little garden, I discovered cactus and succulents. Just six months after I started my garden, it was blooming with flowers.
The first flower to bloom was a succulent, a Stapelia.
I was so proud of it that I dragged MWOG out to see it.
She said, “You’re a star.”
Can you see why?
That’s the actual plant, although the picture is from 1977 at my first apartment in Houston after graduating from Texas A&M University. I had that plant up until 1993 when I moved to San Diego and left it behind in Texas.
I’ve never found that specific species of Stapelia again, but when I was in Palm Springs for a home inspection a few days ago, I found two of them:
On my way home from Palm Springs, I stopped at one of the North County plant nurseries and found a Stapelia for my back patio garden. This morning it bloomed:
So, whaddaya think? Was MWOG right? Am I a star?
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Posted on June 29, 2012, in Flora, Mother & Father Nature, My wise old grandmother, Photos and tagged stapelia flower pictures, stapelia plant pictures. Bookmark the permalink. 25 Comments.
Yep…
Yeah! The Stars are leading 1-0.
Yes you are!
“.”
Score: 2-0
Well good gosh! You helped it to bloom for heavens sake! That’s star enough. I believe that plants know when you like them. I have a Texas Ebony bonsia sp? that is almost 100 years old. I wont tell you when I got it but it was at my sisters nursery in Vero Beach, FL.I admired it and she gave it to me as a gift. It has been all across the US with me when ever I moved and always took the trip like a trooper. I will blog about it one day.
Please do! Your fans want to see it!
What an unusual beautiful plant and flower!
You certainly are.
Did you smell it! It smells like rotten meat because only flies pollinate these flowers. They are attracted by the smell.
Although they are called carrion flowers because of their supposed rotten flesh smell, I’ve never had a Stapelia that has a fragrance of any sort whatsoever.
The ones we had really were smelly and attracted flies
I keep buying non-blooming ones at the nurseries hoping that I’ll eventually get a smelly one, but no luck yet. Just beautiful star flowers.
Worthy of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
Absolutely!
Those are beautiful! love them.. i haven’t seen that kind in the plant nursery near my area.. i’m fond of any star-shaped object, i have a star pendant, star keyholderchains, star memo holder, star clips, my kitty is named STAR, and i am STARLIGHT. Love your post.
Yes…
I love Zoey the cool cat’s approvals
You’ve done your wise old grandmother justice. The garden shots are illustrious. The star shaped cactus is just lovely
Thank you for your kind words.
Those are pretty amazing. You are a star!!!
Of course
Stunning flower.
yep, she’s right, youre a star!
Yeppers! (Y)WOG was right… you are a star indeed
Blessings
ann
yeah, you’re a “star” me lad, a super nova in fact!