New Agave for the Death Valley Shack

This is an Agave schidigera "Shira ito no Ohi", right.......... nickname: Queen of the White Thread. I think I knew someone that did drag by that same nickname.
Love the coloring of the dark green with the white border and the silver like filament threads on the leaves. This will be an outstanding specimen when it grows larger up to 12", its in a 4" pot in this photograph. This plant takes full sun. USDA hardiness zone 9 to zone 10.

Agave ferox "Green Goblet"

Purchased an agave for the gardens this past Sunday at the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon plant sale. Agave ferox "Green Goblet", the meanest looking plant I have never seen. I thought the opuntias were Devil plants with their needles. This beautiful dark rich green plant which is about 9" wide by 7" has a single black spine on the end of each leaf that is about one inch long and there are these little spines that are on the sides of the leaves. Looks like an accident waiting to happen if it is not handled right. Trust me on that statement!

Native to eastern Mexico and reaches about 4' in height x 5' wide.

Drought tolerant and USDA hardiness zone 7b to zone 10.

This week in the Death Valley Shack

If I have said it once, I'm sure I'll say it again.
When it comes to flowers,
it is hard to beat a cactus in bloom.
This is a Lobivia famatimensis, native to mountainous Argentina at elevations of 9000', forms globular stems to 6" in height.
Can you believe that color.........
Note that a single flower is about the size of the plant. This cactus is about 4" wide and 5 1/2" tall. Unbelievable!

Beech Street Gardens Residence

Thought I would give you a look at two of the residence animals that live at Beech Street Gardens. This a photograph of the male (left) and female (right) frog that raised babies in the big water bowl in the back garden. This is the fourth year for tadpoles, but the second year that frogs are now doing the job themselves. They are native Pacific Treefrogs (Hyla regilla). Very charming to have, singing all the time and I mean all the time. Three, four, five o'clock in the morning, no sense of what time of day it is and they don't care. They had business to take care of. I have noticed that the slug population is not as big as it was, I'm sure they have helped with curving that situation. Check into raising native frogs in your area its a great way to pay back nature. The great thing about frogs is they take care of themselves.

Blooming in the Death Valley Shack

This a Notocactus magnificus or common name is the balloon cactus. One of the older plants in the greenhouse, but always a good bloomer.


Beautiful soft vivid yellow bloom. Last year this plant had four blooms at once.

Size of the cactus is about 6" x 7".

I forgot my Moonflower!

This morning on my way out of the house to go to work I noticed this huge flower bud in my Clematis and Morning Glory trellis. I could not remember planting anything else in that bed. Well, it donned on me earlier this evening after I arrived home that is was a Moonflower vine that I forgot I planted. My goodness, I looked at it later this evening and behold the Moonflower. STUNNING!!!!!!!! My Grandmother in Texas grew them all the time and I have not seen one since I was a kid. The flowers bring back great memories. The flowers are tightly closed buds during the day, opening in the evening and will close in the early morning. Sad thing is they are a one evening flower. If you have the chance to grow them.... you will fall in love. The flowers are about 4"-6" across, pure white and fragrant. USDA hardiness zone 9 to zone 11.