Thursday, January 18. 2007
They Get Questions
From the Contra Costa Times:
Walnut Creek's Ruth Bancroft, a national authority on drought-resistant gardening, shares her knowledge with Times readers twice a month.
Q: I visited the Ruth Bancroft Garden last spring and was inspired by the amazing variety of cactus plants and their colorful blooms, so I planted a small cactus garden of my own. The plants have done well, but at this time of year the garden looks drab and there are no flowers to be seen. What kinds of cactus bloom in winter to add some color?
A It is true that few kinds of cactus come into flower in the winter months. Some people feel that the dramatic forms of the plants have sufficient visual interest to make a cactus garden appealing even in winter, and this appeal can be enhanced by including plants with different forms and textures in your garden. For example, plants with shaggy white hair contrast nicely with others that have shiny green bodies or bluish ones; smooth columns offer a counterpoint to spiny barrels; fine golden spines on one plant might set off the heavy red fish-hook spines on another.
Another possibility is to include cacti in your garden with colorful fruits that remain over a long period. Many prickly-pears have showy fruits that persist through the fall and into winter, and these may be red, purple, orange or yellow, depending on the kind. Some barrel cacti also have bright yellow fruits that remain on the plant all through the winter.
There are even a few kinds of cacti, such as Neoporterias from Chile and some types of Mammillarias from Mexico, which produce flowers in winter, though these tend to be species with relatively small flowers.
Q: I visited the Ruth Bancroft Garden last spring and was inspired by the amazing variety of cactus plants and their colorful blooms, so I planted a small cactus garden of my own. The plants have done well, but at this time of year the garden looks drab and there are no flowers to be seen. What kinds of cactus bloom in winter to add some color?
A It is true that few kinds of cactus come into flower in the winter months. Some people feel that the dramatic forms of the plants have sufficient visual interest to make a cactus garden appealing even in winter, and this appeal can be enhanced by including plants with different forms and textures in your garden. For example, plants with shaggy white hair contrast nicely with others that have shiny green bodies or bluish ones; smooth columns offer a counterpoint to spiny barrels; fine golden spines on one plant might set off the heavy red fish-hook spines on another.
Another possibility is to include cacti in your garden with colorful fruits that remain over a long period. Many prickly-pears have showy fruits that persist through the fall and into winter, and these may be red, purple, orange or yellow, depending on the kind. Some barrel cacti also have bright yellow fruits that remain on the plant all through the winter.
There are even a few kinds of cacti, such as Neoporterias from Chile and some types of Mammillarias from Mexico, which produce flowers in winter, though these tend to be species with relatively small flowers.
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