Cactus Blog 

The fruit is yet to come, if this flower was pollinated by bats, that is.

Cereus peruvianus

365 Days has finally found succulents, and it only took 11 months of the year. At least the clump of Echeveria is in full bloom.

Did you know that Echeveria elegans is from Mexico? All Echeverias are from Mexico, or maybe a little further south.

I see the giant Aloe ferox is in bloom, tons of buds about to open and all.

Overview after the break…. (more…)

They say it’s handmade, but I don’t care; it’s the boss.

Singapore Plants Lover has some delicate photos of a very bright orange irradiated Gymnocalycium graft. They seem to be very popular, and I understand they’re even more popular in Asia.

Here’s more info about them.

I find them to be unpleasant. Here’s a wikipedia photo to get you started, but go ahead and click through to the Singapore photos, too.

That looks like it’s been grafted onto a Hylocereus base. I wonder if the base can still produce delicious dragon fruit when grafted like that?

Don’t be digging these up, please, if you happen to find yourself in Brazil, as they are endangered. And listed in CITES so you’d be breaking all kinds of laws too. Discocactus placentiformis is a flattened globose cactus that is my favorite new cactus we’ve had in a while. I think I will take this one home.

Bettyl at Soaring through the World in Pictures has a very vibrant pink Oreocereus flower photo.

Los Angeles Guerrilla Gardeners from 89.3 KPCC on Vimeo.

It’s Hap’s latest creation, a small metal succulent wall panel.

And here we see Ian reaching into a twisty terrarium to plant little sempervivums in the far end for a customer. The glass was made by the customer’s brother. I hope they appreciate the effort Ian is putting in to this. It’s awesome.

Not to diss the doyen of design, but this is hideous.

That was a living Echeveria at one point. I wonder if it was Echeveria “Metallica”?

Miriam’s Ideas found the bestest thing ever at Goodwill. It’s a Ceramic Saguaro that she thinks must be a christmas tree since it has hooks on it. Take a look.

I wonder if it’s still available?

JM Succulents has found, or possibly made, a Crassula Christmas Tree. For some reason. And there are flocked berries on top too.

I do not approve. On the other hand, if you make one yourself, send me a photo and I’ll post it here on the blog. And if you can prove you actually made it, out of any succulents, I’ll send along to you a free water wand. Really. I will. I promise. This isn’t even a contest – just a challenge.

A CHALLENGE to YOU!

The Independent thinks it’s important enough for you to bring your succulents inside for the winter, they’ve made a feature out of it.

My grandma sounded very pleased on the phone earlier; she’d just persuaded my uncle to come round and collect her plants. Not all of them. Just the precious collection of succulent plants that sit in pots on her balcony – they are off to spend the cold spell in his greenhouse…. in the non-deserts of mid-Oxfordshire.

We have less of a frost problem in mid-west London, but the principle is still the same. My uncle takes away my grandma’s plants and bubble-wraps them for the winter; I run out and cover mine with newspaper when zero centigrade threatens.

That’s not so cold. There are plenty of succulents that can handle zero centigrade, and much lower too. The key is to keep them dry. So just leave them on the balcony as long as there is a balcony directly above yours for cover, or add a stylish umbrella. But if it starts getting colder, and you get a hard freeze, then maybe you should bring them inside. Especially if you have an uncle with a greenhouse.

I thought you should know the Proteas have been blooming. This is a very photogenic hybrid, with the vibrant colors and the giant cone flower nestled within the crown of luscious green leaves. I hope I’ve described it well.

Protea “Pink Ice”

Nursery Whippet

Those Japanese sure do have the monopoly on cute cactus products.

Apparently there’s an emerging market for cactus products grown in a cactus growing region of Japan. Apparently that region is the city of Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture.

Toshihiro Isaji, manager of the cactus shop Sabobase in Toriimatsu town, shows off a variety of products made from cactuses. Photo: CHUNICHI SHIMBUN

It’s all very delicious, I’m sure, but do they know how to cook it properly so that it doesn’t turn to mush? That’s the trick. So restaurants are starting to pick up the slack,

the unit price can be as expensive as ¥1,000, depending on the size

I like the T-shirt in the photo. I wonder where I can get one?

Savvy Scoop has the skinny on the succulent centerpieces.

Not the most colorful I’ve ever seen, but minimalism has it’s place too.

And here’s the best part, the written description is true!

Succulents have a lot going for them. First, succulent arrangements can be made long before the “day of.” If you’re doing your own wedding centerpieces, this can be a huge time-saving advantage. Secondly, they’re great gifts for your wedding guests to take home that will last for months to come. And finally, succulents are super easy to care for and eco-friendly, too!

All true. But if you really want the guests to have success with the succulents at home, I recommend pots with drainage holes in the bottom. White glass is sophisticated and all, yet not as easy.

This one is my favorite that we’ve made. It has a small lichen covered branch and a Tillandsia ionantha with a dash of sand on the bottom. So cute, it’s only 2″ tall.

My latest YouTube Instructional Video! Crucial information towards the end of the video, so be sure to watch all the way through.

The moms at The Stir on Cafe Mom are recommending succulent centerpieces for Thanksgiving this year as a low cost option. Good choice.

They have lots more pictures on their blog to go with that photo of silver vintage champagne glasses, although I do have to say those are some of the nicest silver vintage champagne glasses I’ve ever seen filled with succulents in my entire life. I also recommend leaving them in there for only a short while, since you don’t want to be drilling holes in the bottoms of those silver vintage champagne glasses, now do you?

I don’t know the species of this, and I can’t find any Puyas with such a yellow flower. Maybe it’s a different terrestrial bromeliad entirely, although the flower structure sure looks Puya-like.

Any ideas?

I made my prickly pear martini, did you? And if I may say so, its delicious.

My own recipe. This is the first recipe I have ever posted that I came up with myself. Usually, I forget to write these things down, and then forget what I did.

3/4oz. Grey Goose Vanille
3/4oz. Limoncello
1/2oz. Club Soda
1 Med. Puréed/Juiced Fresh Prickly Pear
1 Teaspoon Organic Blue Agave Syrup
2 Dashes Dry Vermouth

As this is a martini, you should probably mix it in a shaker with ice and serve it straight up.

…and seeing what’s inside.