Cactus flowers & sweet peas

I know the picture is kind of bright (it is hard taking photos in our house at night), but isn't it cute? It made a lovely gift for a desert-living mom/grandma's birthday.

I almost never remember to start my sweet pea plants in September, and this year was no exception. Here we are in mid-October and they are just poking out of the pot. Oh well, they always seem to work fine even if they get a late start. I hope to get them into the ground soon.

Here are last years at mid-bloom on Easter Sunday. They smell so great and make such pretty little bouquets. I'm using these and trying out a different kind this year, one that claims to be more like a perennial. It even blooms all summer and tolerates drought. We'll see.