Cactus Blog 

Feed for the cattle?

A paper by John Kang’ara and Josiah Gitari, animal nutritionists at KARI, concludes that Opuntia species — the prickly pear or paddle cacti — have extreme tolerance to drought and remain succulent and easily digestible even in times of extreme water shortages, which makes them an excellent source of water and nutrition in harsh conditions.

They found that during a severe drought in 2008–2009, farmers who fed their cattle the cactus paddles (the large, leaf-like parts) lost none of their cattle to drought.

Meanwhile, some farmers, such as the Masai pastoralists in Laikipia North refused to use the cactus as feed and even pleaded with the government to eradicate what they consider to be an invading weed.

I remember reading about in Australia how certain very spiny opuntia escaped and naturalized, and the cattle would eat them during drought and be harmed by the spines. I guess you need a low-spine variety for cattle, or remove the spines yourself before feeding them.

It isn’t anytime soon, so I wouldn’t get too excited. Plus, they don’t have the money to hold the festival yet, so maybe you want to contribute?

But most of all, it’s in Santa Cruz!

First Cactus Festival set for November

The first annual Cactus Festival, to be called the Festival del Nopal, is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 21 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. The event is designed to honor the prickly pear cactus, a staple of Latin American people that appears on the Mexican flag.

The Santa Cruz City Council agreed unanimously Tuesday to sponsor the festival in name only, declining a request to give $7,000 to the event during a time of fiscal restraint. But council members said they would support fundraising efforts for the event, which is being organized by the Viva Ozava! Guelaguetza Planning Committee, whose annual celebrations have drawn more than several thousand visitors to Harbor High’s football field.

Ticket prices are expected to be $10 for adults and $8 for children. Anyone interested in volunteering or fundraising for the Cactus Festival can contact Councilman Tony Madrigal.

I would like to also honor the nopal. I wonder what I would get if Cactus Jungle helped to sponsor this festival? More nopal recipes to share on the blog? A taste of a really delicious prickly pear pie? Cuttings from rare and unusual Opuntia?

Come back in November and let’s find out together!

Judy W. sends along these photos of a cactus she got from us, that was about to bloom – and then did!

Almost open

Later that night

By dawn, it’s fully open! Cereus spegazinni

Aloe Soup

Can you plant a roof with sedums and sempervivums and other green roof succulents AND still have room for solar panel? Well, they’re doing the research in Oregon, and the picture seems to imply they’ve already reached an answer.

Heather Noddings/Portland State Vanguard
Eco-roofs: Eco-roofs are being studied at PSU through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Derby Street

Very nice large Agave medio-picta with a pretty nice Opuntia ficus-indica that probably has lots of fruit every year. And a bonus California fuchsia (Epilobium) in bloom at the bottom of the photo.

I added the beginnings of a Houseplants page, including orchids and terrariums, to the website.

I don’t really know exactly what to do with the page, but it’s a start.

Any ideas? (And don’t give me no Martha Stewart)

Mabel Street

Gorgeous large Aeonium “Schwartzkopf” in summer-dormant mode, with a Crassula ovata and some Echeveria too.

Now it turns out that Martha Stewart has been all about the round presentation of succulents all along. Her succulent triangle this summer at her Connecticut home turns out to be the exception, and not the rule. Who knew she could be so fickle?

Making beautiful terrariums is a perfect way to bring the outside indoors during the winter months.

So finally we agree, Martha and I. That is a beautiful terrarium, and it sure would spice up your winter months. And I’m not just talking about those of you kind readers who live in Iowa. We’re having winter right now here in California (brrr…) and I like them!

Just be careful watering succulents in a terrarium, since there isn’t proper drainage.

Bonar St.

I see 3 types of Aeoniums and a bunch of smaller Echeverias too.

OK, so we have discovered that Martha Stewart has determined that succulents should be arranged in a triangle; that you don’t cross Martha Stewart; and that succulents arranged in a semi-circle, while attractive, are just plain wrong.

So why is Martha Stewart’s own website featuring succulents arranged in a circle – or 2 semi-circles if you prefer!

And she even admits this in the body of the text!

Special thanks to Simply Succulents for providing round wreaths.

Round! Now what am I to think?

And the local news is there to cover it.

Carlie Barnhart’s flowering agave plant (Agave utahensis) is blooming for its first and only time in the middle of her cactus patch in Cooke Canyon. (Barb Owens/Daily Record)

If the local news covered every agave bloom in Berkeley…. Oh the articles they would have.

What would Martha think?

According to Martha Stewart, quoted in the post directly below this one, you’re supposed to lay out your succulents in a triangle.

What I remembered is her cacti and succulent garden for its size, plant diversity and very personal design. To provide good drainage, a must-have for cacti, Sandy built a semicircle mound, added several large, attractive and locally purchased rocks to help keep the soil in place, and with little previous knowledge of cacti varieties, set out to collect the plants that would be set into the garden alongside the indoor-grown cacti from her previous home in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Oh no! They went with a Semicircle!

And I absolutely fell in love with several types (of tropical plants), such as cycads, agaves and aloes….

I suggest a visit to a great tropical garden such as… the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Arranging succulents in a triangle, with the tall plants in back and the little ones in front, lets each plant how off its unique form and texture. (Photo: Richard Felber)

Interesting how certain she is that succulents look best in a triangle. Hmmm.

A cactus grower wins an award and makes the news in Derbyshire, UK.

Brian Fearn watering his huge stock of plants

Receiving the award from Alan Titchmarsh

This month he was given his first official recognition for the research he has carried out for more than 50 years.

At the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, in London, he received the Brickell Award 2010 for excellence in plant conservation, following his study of the plant genus Lithops, commonly known as “flowering stones”.

Brian, of Old Hackney Lane, was presented with the prize by gardener and television presenter Alan Titchmarsh.

Sweet! Can we get an award for our 10 years worth of trying to plant cactus in Berkeley clay?

Parker Street

When Jaxx came to visit.

The crew sends another photo from Wednesday’s install job. I see yuccas and agaves, too.

Photo by Ian Simmons

Curtis St. garden with both cactus and succulents.

I found a pie recipe. I don’t vouch for it, though, since it also has pineapple in it.

Prickly Pear Pineapple Delight
1 graham cracker pie crust, chilled
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
scant 1 cup honey
2 cups prickly pear juice*
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup whipped topping

Seems pretty basic.

I still haven’t found a cactus desert pie, but I did find this tropical medley.

Ingredients
2 cactus pears, peeled
6 cups assorted fresh fruit (sliced kiwi, sliced carambola, whole or sliced strawberries, orange sections, banana chunks, quartered figs, cubed mango, sliced guava, and/or sliced papaya)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Seems like it could be delicious. As usual, click through for the instructions.

I wonder what I should blog today? Another photo of a cactus in bloom? Another echeveria mixed pot?

No!

Google has been very kind to me this morning, and so I would like to share with you my most recent google find – “cactus pie.” Brownsville Baby has the recipe.

YOU’LL NEED
Yield: 6 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
¼ teaspoons salt
1 cup prepared nopales, diced
2 tablespoons queso anejo crumbled

Seems like a savory pie. Later I’ll try to find a sweet cactus pie. Click through for the instructions.

I see from this cell phone shot that the crew has had a very busy day today installing a cactus garden.

Photo by Ian Simmons

The Citroen Cactus Car looks like it is finally going to come to market, and they’re creating a whole new brand for it, although the name is secret right now. Sweet!

I’m gonna throw out a guess here – they’re going to call it the Jouiellet Cactus.

From the Corvallis Gazette Times we find out the truth of this claim.

A prickly pear cactus at Oregon State University bloomed this year. The flowers, which lasted only about a day each, were at their peak earlier this month. (Photo contributed by Jim Weldon)

Pretty! Well, I’ll be. A cactus does grow in Oregon.

Or does it…???

Now that I look at it, there’s no proof in the photo itself. Do we trust the Oregon State Beavers to give us the straight story on the growth of cactus in Oregon? Do they even have a horticulture department? These are the question that I respectfully demand answers to before I will accept this claim that a cactus grows in Oregon.

Oh, and this too.

The craze hits Fullerton with the Giant Succulent and Cactus show co-hosted by the Orange County Cactus and Succulent Society and Fullerton Arboretum.

This is the show to find the odd species. This is the show to ask the odd questions. This is the largest show ever according to the press release. And no pinching — you’re going to have to pay for your picks. Show starts Friday, July 23–25. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m daily.

The courtyard of Nancy Field’s Laguna Woods home features a vertically mounted succulent pole.
SAM GANGWER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Hope to see you there. Well, not really; I hate OC. But I’m sure the show will be great.

If you can’t plant a green roof, it turns out, painting your roof white is a pretty good step.

via Having White Roofs Would Save the U.S. $735 Million per Year | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World.

What is it about the Australians and their succulents? They are as creative as can be when it comes to displaying them artfully for the local newspaper photographer.

Hawthorn East’s Bill Meaklim takes us on a tour of his succulent garden.

A lizard on the plants. Pictures: JOSIE HAYDEN

Lizards and succulents do make a nice pair. In this case the plant is a graptoveria. Anyone know what lizard this is?