Cactus and Succulents for ya!!

I went over to the college garden the other day and found cactus in bloom, some multi-colored Crown of Thorns, Stapeliad in bloom, and how about this plant that has green and yellow on the top of the leaves, and the undersides are blood red!!! It was I.D.'d for me by the one and only Mr. Subjective over at Plants Are The Strangest People, as Excoecaria cochinchinensis. One of the common names is "Chinese croton". Thankyou so much, Mr. S!! This plant is really cool for a little blood red Halloween touch too, don't you agree???

Interesting info on the hybrid Thai Crown of Thorns

I was sitting here this morning before heading out to work, reading my July-August Cactus and Succulent Journal, and I came across an article with information about the hybrid Euphorbia Milii, sometimes referred to as a Thai Crown of Thorns. The flowers are larger on these. It's funny, but when I bought my recent plant at Home Depot, I only thought "Wow, this is so beautiful", not even realizing how large the flowers were, until Aiyana mentioned it! I'm a little slow. I didn't even stop to say, "Hey, I'm not normally attracted to those thorny, thin stalked, tiny flowered buggers, but hey...look at this cool one"!!! LOL.
Anyway, today at Wanapluk, I found out a little more information! Click on their name to read the article!

Succulent color!

I went over to Moms for the first time today after getting home from our little trip, and found this large pot of portulaca, or purslane in full bloom, and just mounded up so gorgeously! The flowers grow at the ends of the stems. and they come in an array of bright, beautiful colors; purple, scarlet, yellow and pink are just a few. There are both single- and double-flowered varieties. I stole a picture when Mom wasn't looking! LOL. I love this hot pink variety of bloom.

AND...I had forgotten all about this Crown of Thorns, or Euphorbia milii I bought the day before I left...which I found still covered with these pretty white-green flowers. I really like this color just because it is so odd to see (I think) as opposed to the red or pink blooms. E. milii has flowers that are small, subtended by a pair of conspicuous petal-like bracts, variably red, pink or white, up to 12 mm wide.
What are your favorite colors?

And I leave you with these beautiful words and thoughts:

"Who can estimate the elevating and refining influences and moral value
of flowers with all their graceful forms, bewitching shades and combinations
of colors and exquisitely varied perfumes? These silent influences are
unconsciously felt even by those who do not appreciate them consciously
and thus with better and still better fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables and
flowers, will the earth be transformed, man's thought refined, and turned
from the base destructive forces into nobler production. One which will
lift him to high planes of action toward the happy day when the Creator
of all this beautiful work is more acknowledged and loved, and where man
shall offer his brother man, not bullets and bayonets, but richer grains,
better fruit and fairer flowers from the bounty of this earth."

- Father George Schoener (1864 -1941)