When we moved to this house, I scoped out all the plants and trees in the yard, looking forward to taking care of them:   the amazing live oaks all over the place, a couple of pecan trees that are majestic but don’t seem to want to produce nuts, a redbud that has since died (sniffle), the ginormous red oak in the front yard, the (now ailing) flowering pear, the resilient Texas mountain laurels, several red yuccas that I love to watch bloom, silverado sage that forecasts the rain, a mimosa tree in the back with its fine pink puffy blooms… just to name a few…AND one tiny cactus that seemed to be too much in the shade.

It was small in the beginning.  Monte mowed over it accidentally way back when, after which I staked it out with a ring of limestone.  But now after 9 (!) years and much thinning of the small forest under which it sat, it has sunlight, and has thrived.   And I am happy to see two buds on it this year!   The first one opened today.  I’m enjoying my flowering prickly pear cactus.  Perhaps this is the yellow rose of Texas?