Cactus Blog - Page 10 of 214

Agave Questions, Answered

Posted July 28, 2017 10:13 am & filed under .

Maryann with the Marin Independent Journal wants to know about all the agaves blooming all at once all over Marin. Interesting!

I read that the American agaves really do die after blooming – but live on through their offspring. Is that so?

Yes, if they’ve had the offspring by then. Also, the giant bloom stalks are filled with hundreds of blooms which can be pollinated and develop seed and spread thousands of seed in every direction.

Do you know how long the current blooms will last?

It can take 4-6 months for the full bloom cycle

Could the large number of blooms be attributed to the heavy rains we witnessed this year?

It can be because they were popular to plant 25-30 years ago, or it can be caused by stress as well, which can be the aftermath of the drought, and even the heavy rains this winter.

If they really make mezcal from the plant, can I do that at home? 😉

It would be difficult, to say the least. Once they’ve bloomed it’s too late, but if you want to make mezcal from an agave you need to cut all those giant spiny leaves off and harvest just the heart of the plant. That’s a lot of work!

Summer Cactus Flower

Posted July 27, 2017 1:02 pm & filed under .

A vibrant pink cactus flower blooms in sunlight, surrounded by spiny green stems and blurred foliage in the background.

It’s a cholla in full bloom! Well, it’s a single cholla flower. At least! Maybe I could zoom out and we’d see if there are more flowers.

And it’s a California native cactus too.

Cylindropuntia fulgida

Chain-Fruit Cholla, Boxing glove Cholla

Origin: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Baja California

Medium height tree cholla, to 6ft tall. Flowers in summer.

Hardy to 5F.

We Made Best of the East Bay!

Posted July 20, 2017 5:10 pm & filed under .

A smiling man wearing a cap and sleeveless shirt proudly points to a cactus tattoo on his upper arm while standing next to a tall cactus in an outdoor garden center.

Finally!

Best Place for Learning How to Grow Designer Succulents

Cactus Jungle Nursery and Garden

If your green thumb is nonexistent, but you still want to try your hand at growing beautiful plants, there is hope. In this lush nursery of both cacti and succulents, you’ll find low-maintenance plants of every color, height, and even texture — from the furry to the prickly. Glass terrariums dangle from the inside of the nursery’s shop, along with a collection of garden soaps and sparkling amethyst clusters, which can be placed outside or in one’s home. For the beginner botanist, terrarium-making classes are held monthly, where you’ll learn to craft a DIY miniature plant environment out of sand, succulents, and animal sculptures. There are numerous terrariums to choose from, including those made of both hand-blown and recycled glass. And the finished product can be easily used as a creative birthday gift for a friend or family member. Cactus Jungle also offers garden design and installation services, if you’ve been thinking about turning that shoddy front yard into something more similar to vibrant, tropical rainforest. Chances are, you can discover some type of plant suitable for your home here, whether or not you have the gardening experience to go with it. 1509 Fourth St, Berkeley, CactusJungle.com. (Cassandra Vogel)

The Universe is Big

Posted July 17, 2017 4:04 pm & filed under .

How big? Let’s ask the good folks at the Onion.

Did You Know? pic.twitter.com/jQ0BaF3V4Y

— The Onion (@TheOnion) July 17, 2017

They Get Venus Flytrap Questions

Posted July 17, 2017 6:27 am & filed under .

It takes a lot of patience to answer some questions, sometimes…, like this one that the Straight Dope got about…

Venus Flytraps from Space!!

So there’s that.

Dear Straight Dope:

I checked your archive and I couldn’t find anything about this, so I thought I’d ask you. Years ago I remember reading that scientists were extremely vexed about the evolutionary appearance of Venus flytraps. The article I read said that the little evil-looking plants simply appeared some time in our planet’s history without any apparent relatives, and the creepiest thing is that their (very small) native area is right in the middle of where a meteor hit the earth years ago. Is this true? It sounds very “Little Shop of Horrors” to me. Additionally, how do the plants “know” when an insect is in their maws? I didn’t think plants had nerves. I patiently await your reply.

— Tim

SDStaff Doug replies:

There are no scientists puzzled about the Venus flytrap, only “scientists.” The VFT is the only member of its genus, Dionaea, but it has several relatives in the genus Drosera, which also happen to be carnivorous plants, known as “sundews.” Together, these two genera make up the plant family Droseraceae. Sundews occur all over the world, while the VFT is limited to bogs throughout North and South Carolina — and, despite any X-Files episodes to the contrary, neither of the Carolinas used to be a meteor crater….

Read the rest of the answer here.

Echeveria Garden

Posted July 13, 2017 9:57 am & filed under .

A large succulent plant with thick, pointed green leaves and tall stalks topped with clusters of small purple flowers growing in a mulched garden bed beside a street.

That’s a beautiful Echeveria subrigida in full bloom!

Dowling Pl, Berkeley

Dasylirion Bloomstalk

Posted July 11, 2017 11:19 am & filed under .

Good morning –

We purchased the plant next to my son in this photo from you about 2+ years ago.

I cannot recall the name of it – but note it is now producing a giant shoot or blossom that is about 10 feet tall.

What can you tell me about this – I have heard that the plant will die once this shoot blooms?

Thank you for your time –
Kevin

Kevin,

That is a Dasylirion wheeleri, known as the Desert Spoon, from Northern Mexico. They do not die after blooming – you’re thinking of the Agaves – same Plant Family, but different plants!

The giant bloom stalk will produce lots of flowers which will be very attractive to the bees.

Enjoy!

Peter

Succulent Cake

Posted July 7, 2017 5:10 pm & filed under .

A round cake decorated with intricate buttercream flowers and succulents in vibrant colors, sitting on a white cake stand atop a wooden surface.

This looks delicious!

Succulent Cake by Iven Kawi.

Photo: instagram.com/ivenoven/

via Avantgardens

Montana Sends a Cactus Photo

Posted June 27, 2017 11:11 am & filed under .

Hi!
Could you tell me the name of this cactus? It’s a very small, low-growing, spreading, clumping one with fine spines and orange flowers.

Thanks in advance,
Montana

Montana,

That little cactus is Rebutia fiebrigii.

Peter

Giant White San Pedro Flowers

Posted June 26, 2017 6:02 am & filed under .

A tall green cactus with large, white, blooming flowers growing outdoors next to a wooden wall, with leafy plants in the background.

Echinopsis pachanoi

And here’s a closeup of the biggest one!

Pterocactus tuberosus

Posted June 21, 2017 4:34 pm & filed under .

A close-up of a yellow cactus flower blooming on a brown, spiky stem, with a blurred indoor background featuring shelves and various objects.

Ben’s weird caudiciform opuntioid is blooming!

Pterocactus tuberosus

Thanks for sharing, Ben!

Hopefully we’ll have some available by fall. We can all hope.

61 Cactus Blooms

Posted June 21, 2017 7:51 am & filed under .

Large white cactus flowers bloom in clusters on a 61 Cactus in a garden, surrounded by various succulents and greenery, with a potted plant and patio visible in the background.

Dominic sends along this San Pedro photo. Wow! The bees must be going nuts!

I bought this San Pedro cactus from you many years ago. It has bloomed a few times with only a few flowers. This year we got 61 flowers from it!

Tokidoki Special Edition

Posted June 20, 2017 1:52 pm & filed under .

A boxed Tokidoki Unicorno Love set with two unicorn figurines, one rainbow-colored and labeled “Love,” and the other white with a rainbow mane. The packaging is colorful with hearts, stars, and Love text.

It’s the Tokidoki Unicorno Pride Special Edition – It’s a 2-pack!

We sell a lot of the Tokidoki toys, mostly the Cactus Friends and the Unicornos (also spiky!) since we are a spiky kind of nursery kind of place. And now they’ve released a Pride Special Edition?!? And we are in the middle of Pride season here in SF!?!

Awesome. And we have them…

San Francisco Succulents

Posted June 19, 2017 8:30 am & filed under .

A planter box filled with various succulents, featuring a large, textured red and green succulent surrounded by smaller green succulents and white flowers, set against a light-colored wall and siding.

It’s a caruncled Echeveria hybrid

Post St, San Francisco

Roland Shares a Cactus Bloom

Posted June 18, 2017 5:08 pm & filed under .

A small potted cactus with four blooming pink flowers, placed on a wooden surface. The cactus is in a square gray pot filled with brown soil.

Gymnocalycium Rotundulum I bought from you guys a couple of years ago. Its first time having multiple blooms.

Wow!

Easter Lily Cactus

Posted June 16, 2017 8:26 am & filed under .

A small potted cactus with several large, pale pink and white flowers in full bloom, surrounded by rocks and other cacti in the background.

Echinopsis oxygona

Origin: South America

Description: Forms clumps. Stems are variable – 2-10″ diameter; spines are variable, not always present. Large tubular showy flowers range from pinkish white to lavender, sometimes light red.

Temperature: Hardy to 20F

Full Sun to Part Sun

Giant Cactus Flower

Posted June 10, 2017 4:13 am & filed under .

A close-up of a large pink cactus flower in full bloom, with yellow stamens at the center and pointy petals radiating outward. The cactus stems and blurred greenery are visible in the background.

Echinopsis x “Tropical Pink”

Vintage Cactus

Posted June 9, 2017 10:26 am & filed under .

From National Geographic, it’s a Vintage Saguaro!

Desert landscape with a tall vintage saguaro cactus, green shrubs, and bright orange wildflowers blooming under a deep blue sky. Mazatzal, Arizona

National Geographic | February 1974

via Vintage National Geographic

Pincushion Protea, Berkeley

Posted June 8, 2017 11:04 am & filed under .

Close-up of a vibrant orange and red pincushion protea flower with long, thin petals, surrounded by green leaves, with a blurred street and trees in the background.

Leucospermum “Scarlet Ribbons”
Common Name: Nodding Pincushion

Origin: South Africa

Description: Evergreen Shrub

Medium sized shrub with serrated leaves and red tips. Gorgeous multicolored pincushion flowers in yellow, orange, pink, and scarlet. Tolerates a wider range of soils than most Leucospermums.

Temperature: Hardy to 25-30F

Sun: Full Sun
Water: Low
Size: 5ft

A Cactus Blooms in El Cerrito

Posted June 2, 2017 11:38 am & filed under .

An Echinopsis denudata photo sent in by David in El Cerrito.

Several potted cacti, including one with a tall stem bearing dramatic blooms, are displayed on an El Cerrito patio with a wooden fence and trellis in the background. Thanks, David!

Crassula pubescens ssp. rattrayi

Posted May 26, 2017 10:22 am & filed under .

Small green and reddish Crassula pubescens succulent plants are growing in individual pots arranged closely together in a nursery or greenhouse setting, with more succulents visible in the background.

Crassula pubescens ssp. rattrayi

Common Name: Red Carpet
Origin: South Africa
Description: Forms a carpet of lightly fuzzy leaves, green in shade and bright red in full sun. Afternoon shade needed in inland locations.
Temperature: Hardy to 25F

California Beavertail Cactus

Posted May 24, 2017 1:09 pm & filed under .

A vibrant pink cactus flower blooms on a green prickly cactus in a pot, surrounded by buds and sandy soil. Other potted plants are visible in the blurred background.

Opuntia basilaris

Classic blue cactus from the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Very low water, can handle high heat and winter cold if dry. Pink flowers. Loads of small glochids, very few spines. Will get 2 to 3 feet tall and spread 6 to 8 feet wide over time. Pads were used medicinally.

Temperature: Hardy to 0F if very dry

Another Cute Mesemb

Posted May 22, 2017 2:19 pm & filed under .

A close-up of a succulent plant with thick, green leaves and a single blooming purple flower with a yellow center, set in a pot filled with small brown pebbles.

Smooth skin, not knobbly.

Gibbeum dispar

Knobbly Mesembs

Posted May 20, 2017 10:09 am & filed under .

Cute South African succulents in the Mesemb Family, also known as the Iceplant Family, also known as the Living Stone Family. Indeed! To be clear the actual family name is Aizoaceae, Sub-Family Ruschioideae. And yet they’re called Mesembs because at some point in the past the family was called Mesembryanthemaceae. And some will dispute the current family name anyway, and insist these all belong under Ficoidaceae instead. Don’t get me started!

A close-up of the rare succulent Aloinopsis schooneesii, featuring bumpy, pebble-like leaves and a single small yellow daisy-like flower. The softly blurred background shimmers with circular light spots. Aloinopsis schooneesii

Small dense clumps of speckled blue-green leaves sit on large tuberous roots, which can be esposed over time to form an unusual bonsai. Yellow flowers in spring.

A close-up of a Titanopsis calcarea, a living stone succulent with thick, bumpy greenish-gray leaves, featuring a single bright yellow daisy-like flower blooming on one side. The background is softly blurred. Titanopsis calcarea

Small clumper forms dense mats of thick open leaves. Winter-growing, keep dry in summer. Grows in limestone strewn areas.

Ceropegia Flower Just Starting to Open

Posted May 12, 2017 12:02 pm & filed under .

Close-up of a unique, tubular flower with spotted and striped patterns in shades of red and cream, standing upright in a greenhouse filled with blurred plants in the background.

Ceropegia serpentina is one of the strangest succulents with a basically bare stem that travels in weird directions. Until it blooms. Here it is just starting to open. And there are more than a dozen more buds still to come!

Stapeliads for everyone!

Carrion Flowers

Posted May 9, 2017 4:35 pm & filed under .

A close-up of a star-shaped cactus flower with pointed petals, red and yellow speckled patterns, and spiky green succulent leaves in the background. The flower is in a pot on a wooden surface.

These are among the stinkiest carrion flowers ever!

Orbea lutea ssp vaga

Rachel Sends Echeveria Flowers

Posted May 5, 2017 10:47 am & filed under .

I’m not sure who writes these monthly emails, but you’re awesome. Keep ’em coming! Love the pictures and hilarious descriptions. 🙂 If I didn’t already have too many succulents I’d be over there today buying more <3

-rachel