Crazy Pods, Tropical Africa, & Exotic Tennessee

Crazy pods (about the size of a date) the form at the base of the shriveled flowers on the cactus out front that has white hair and other features of the "Old Man" cactus but is not an "Old Man." I forget the accurate title right now.


Purple Fountain Grass flower.


This bushy, bushy large bush has been a mystery since I moved here. Hummingbirds love it more than anything else, and when I was researching the Geraniums, I found an image that finally led me to an identification: Acanthus — supposedly a rare kind from tropical Africa. It had gotten leggy, so I pruned it back last fall. Now it's thicker, more shapely, and blooming profusely. (This is a view of its cone-shaped blossom from above.)


Statice flowers before they really open. Once open, they're more blue-violet and white, but I love this color combination, too. Three Statice are recent additions to the front yard along the corner near the driveway entrance. They're drought and heat tolerant, of course.


I take off for Tennessee tomorrow, so next time I post, it should be a little different, exotic in the way Tennessee has become a bit exotic for me now.