John West 3/22/26 John West 3/22/26

Dianthus Delight.

A liberal Greek translation of the genus title “Dianthus” is flower of the gods. I thought it referred to the two prominent twirly bits sticking up.

John West 3/20/26 John West 3/20/26

Euphorbia Milii buds and bud launchers.

Studying plants for a bit of fun is one thing, plants surviving in my care long enough is another.

John West 3/19/26 John West 3/19/26

Seven days in the life of Osteospermum 3D.

John West 1/12/26 John West 1/12/26

One bud emerging, another starting to open and a developing composite flower head.

John West 12/23/25 John West 12/23/25

I’m not the Demogorgon, I’m a pretty Cotyledon flower. No pretence with this plant. Work clothes on, covered in waxy dust.

John West 12/19/25 John West 12/19/25

Soft green leaves. Deep flowers ensure insects will rattle around the interior for a bit before moving on. Nature always has a plan.

John West 12/4/25 John West 12/4/25

The small peanut cactus, centre stage, throws out a huge number of beautiful red blooms. It ran out of steam after a couple of weeks.

John West 11/29/25 John West 11/29/25

Echinocerius Reichenbachii cacti throw out large flowers for their size.

They require little attention and thrive happily on my small deck in Kumeu.