Wonderful Flowers of Pitaya Alias Dragon Fruit

The Pitaya flower is a cactus flower of the genus Hylocereus. Actually pitaya is the fruit. This fruit is known under the name dragon fruit too. These plants are native to Mexico and Central and South America. The fruits are eaten raw without skin, just the flesh inside. It has small seeds similar to kiwi. The taste of the fruit is mild sweet. There are three types of this cactus – Hylocereus undatus (red pitaya/red skin-white flesh), Hylocereus costaricensis (Costa Rica pitaya/red skin-red flesh) and Hylocereus megalanthus (yellow pitay/yellow skin-white flesh). The pitayas are good source of vitamin C, lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Photo Credit: Eran Finkle (CC BY 2.0)

The Wonderful Smell of Phlox Flowers in Summer

When someone say word summer you will imagine sun, watter, etc. For me, the first conjunction with the summer, is the smell of phlox flowers and apricots. There is about 67 different species of this flower out there. Some of them are few centimeters long and some are about one meter long. Which species you put into your garden depends on your preferences and the location but without a doubt phloxes should have permanent placement in your garden. Phlox can have purple, pink, violet, white or yellow color and should be planted on partial sun location with well-drained soil. Whichever species you choose, its smell is irresistible.

Photo credit: MorgueFile

Arizona Wild Cactus Flowers

The deserts has a its own beauty too. These are pictures of wonderful cactus plants and flowers that can be found in Arizona.