Cactus Blog 

The Echinopsis grandiflora hybrids are starting to bloom! This yellow one is called, or we call it, “Buttercup”. Because it’s yellow. Nice!

Leucadendron salignum “Jester”
Sunshine Conebush

Native to South Africa
Evergreen Shrub

Sun: Full Sun
Water: Low
Size: 4 to 5ft.

Dense, vigorous growing shrub with strongly, brightly, visibly variegated leaves. Red bracts are great for arrangements. Good for coastal gardens. Hardy to 25°F.

Helleborus “Love Bug”
Lenten Rose
 
Eurasian Hybrid
Evergreen Perennial

Sun: Part to Full Shade
Water: Moderate, drought tolerant
Size: 8″ to 12″

Dry shade. Pink buds and flowers in spring that age to a deep pink. Silvery green foliage. Hardy to below 0F.

Jason was enjoying a quiet whippet sunday on the blogs. Facebook! Friday Whippet Blogging! Instagram! Twitter! Tumblr! Everyone joins in on Jason’s private Sundays.

Euphorbia ambovombensis

Spring Terra Cotta Pottery Sale – March 21-31

30% off ALL Terra Cotta Pottery

Special Preview Sale
Friday March 20 9am – 5pm.

Cactus Jungle Nursery and Garden
1509 4th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 558-8650

Open 7 Days
9:00a – 5:00p Weekdays
10:00a – 5:00p Weekends

Special Dwarf Drosera as seen on our recent Australia trip. We hunted them down! They were near Sydney, in La Pelouse. Right here on the map. Nice!

Upcoming Classes:

Sat March 28, Terrarium Class

Sun April 19, Succulent Wall Panel Class

Sun May 17, Succulents Class

This yellow Delosperma is on 4th Street in Berkeley.

OK, so it’s in front of the store. Which store you ask? How can you ask that?!? It’s Cactus Jungle!

If you follow me on the instagrams you might see this same picture, but filtered. Very filtered.

Echeveria nodulosa

Subshrub to 2ft. with 5″ red- and green- leafed rosettes
 
Hardy to 25F 
Full Sun to Part Shade
Cactus Soil
Low Water

Dudleya traskiae – Santa Barbara Island Liveforever
 
 
California
 
Endangered. Endemic to Santa Barbara Island   of the Channel Islands NP. Protected under the Endangered Species Act. Flat chalky blue-green leaves. Small rosettes to 8″. Will form small tight clumps.
 
Hardy to 25F 
Sun, Light shade away from coast
Cactus Soil
Low Water

Page Street, Berkeley

That’s a lot of Anigozanthos in that front yard alongside a blue Agave. They sure do bloom a lot. Ironically I just got back from Australia and didn’t see any in bloom there. Just here in Berkeley.

Nice!

I’ve been out of touch but here you go with some nice South African Ice Plants.

Delosperma “Moonstone” has the pretty white flowers. Like a Moonstone! I don’t really know what a Moonstone is so I don’t really know. But sure!

Delosperma nubigenum is pretty even when it’s not in bloom! But those blooms…. When you see them….

And more… Many more.

Delosperma “Peridot”

Delosperma “Rosequartz”

Delosperma “Ruby”

Gorgeous giant plumeria tree (frangipani!) on the streets of Sydney, Australia!

Close up bloom photo. Flowers! It must be summer.

I saw some very classy Cactus Pajamas on sale here in Sydney, Australia. Nice! #notnice

It’s Gaura lindheimeri on the streets of Sydney. Australia!

Gaura lindheimeri – Appleblossom Grass
Native to California
Perennial

Sun: Full Sun
Water: Low
Size: 2-3 feet

Wispy, upright perennial. The stalkless leaves and flowers grow directly on the stems. White flowers with a hint of pink bloom in the spring through fall. Cut back flower stalks for repeat bloom.

Drosera dichrosepala enodes

Tiny carnivorous babies! The Pygmy Sundews might be big enough to sell by July! I just can’t wait. We can thank Anne for these exciting new species we’ll be carrying all thus year!

Hello Peter,

I’ve got a challenge for you with this Crown of Thorns plant. The plant is obviously not as healthy as it was when it was attached to the roots. I cut off the top because it had these weird growths on it. If I had to guess, I would call them galls. What do you think?

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

Uggh! It looks like a virus that is mutating the tissue. It should be disposed of right away. Sorry about that! The bottom parts of the plant may or may not be infected, so give it a chance, but if the stuff shows up then dispose.

Peter

Wow you are good! Thanks so much!

Here is a picture of some cactus I bought at the nursery. It’s labeled as “Penis Cactus” but it doesn’t look any of the pictures I found online!

Enjoy your day!

Lan

Lan,

My google search for “Penis Cactus” pulled up this page:

Trichocereus bridgesii forma mostruosa “inermis”
Clone A (The short joined type)
“The penis cactus”

And there you go!

Peter

Hi,
Bought plant year ago and you repotted. Plant is on balcony in Mission Bay SF. Watered 4-6 cups every 2 1/2 weeks; fertilized in Sept.

Lower leaves of plant gets soft and shrivels so I cut off. However, as plant grows, the lower leaves continue to get soft and shrivel; is this normal? Also, some of the leaves get these brown spots as you can see in the lower leaves in the photo. What is this? From water? In strong rain and wind over a number of days, I cover plant with a plastic bag; is this necessary?
Thank you for your help!
Mary

Mary,

Your Dudleya is looking great! All succulents lose bottom leaves, and Dudleyas are no exception. They do get the brown spots and if its on a bottom leaf that will be falling off soon then there’s nothing to worry about. On upper leaves the problem is that Dudleyas prefer not to have water sitting on them, so in the ground it is often best to plant them at an angle so the winter rains roll off. Not as possible in a pot, but generally a little water on top won’t hurt the plant more than the occasional spots. Or bring it under cover when we get those too-rare rains these days!

Peter

Here is another round of mystery cactus and succulents. My sister went to Ojai and went to a nursery there and brought back these wonderful plants for me.

Thanks so much Peter.

Lan

Lan,

The plants are…

Top row: Adromischus, probably a Crassula, and Ruschia

Bottom row: Sempervivum “Oddity”, crested Sempervivum and Austrocylindropuntia.

Nice!

Peter

We have this little plant sitting in my shop and my coworker and I have no idea what sort of succulent it might be! It has what looks like roots coming out from places on the stem (even from the little one) but they might not be roots?

Thank you!

Tea M. from California

Tea M.,
It’s a fuzzy little Kalanchoe, probably Kalanchoe tomentosa that is not getting enough light – it wants more light! They can get aerial roots coming off the stems so that when they fall over they will root from right there.

Peter

Hello there! So happy to have found your blog! I was wondering if you could identify these beauties for me? I took these at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA but there wasn’t a little card with its name.

The big green one is an Echeveria right? I’m not sure what kind though.
The flowers on the second photo were coming out of a plant (silly me I didn’t snap one of the plant with the flowers) but I cannot remember what it was called, any guesses?

Thank you in advance,
Nichole

Nichole,

The green one with the Ladybug is an Echeveria, possibly E. pumila.

The flower spray looks like a Crassula.

Peter

Hello,

Cactus Jungle Crew I bought a Dragon-fruit Cactus from you. It was in the green house. I wanna share a photo, one of your crew said to send a photo to see it in a happier place.

Blessings
Pasha

Thanks! Lots of nice new growth on it.

Peter

Mammilaria bombycina

And a bonus succulent flower photo!

Delosperma “Moonstone”

Grayson St, Berkeley
Aeoniums in a potted succulent garden.

Tea Tree

Plum Blossoms

Magnolia

Fourth Street, Berkeley
Delosperma

It’s right in front of Cactus Jungle!

It feels like summer.