Cactus Blog 

Crazy Australian flowers. So pink!

Hakea francisiana

Australia

Evergreen Shrub

Upright shrub with slender green leaves and pink-red blooms winter through spring. Needs very good drainage. Do not fertilize, except trace minerals.

Temperature: Hardy to 18F

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Low

Size: 8-15ft.

Aloe peglerae snake head bloom stalk starting to make its way up!

It’s Protea blooming season, so that’s a very good time of year. Right now! Blooming!

Protea “Rose Mink”

Common Name: Greyleaf Sugarbush
Origin: South Africa

P. laurifolia “Rose Mink”
Evergreen Shrub

Large pink flowers appear in mid-winter, with fine black and white hairs. grey-green leaves. Do not fertilize.

Temperature: Hardy to 25°F

Sun: Full Sun

Aloe ferox starting to bloom!

Origin: South Africa

Description: Single large toothy rosette on tall stalk, outdoor up to 8ft.

Temperature: Hardy to 20-25F

Full Sun to Part Sun

Erigeron glaucus, winter blooms, Crissy Field.

Cactus Jungle Berkeley and the greenhouse is nice and cozy! The sun is playing hide and seek today, but we have #dracaena and #bromeliads and #gemstones and #airplants and #houseplants and #rareplants all hanging out in the cozy greenhouse.

That is one supreme Echinocactus grusonii clump. It’s one plant! Practically a whole planet’s worth, I think. 🌏 🌐 🌍

Echinocactus grusonii

Come see our planet shaking Cactus at our Marin store now!

Mariposa St., San Francisco

That’s a nice Aloe marlothii hanging out in the Dogpatch. Nice? Just nice? No no sorry no, I meant awesome. Gorgeous. Fancy.

Aloe arborescens on 5th st in Berkeley has a nice big winter bloom stalk going for it.

It’s a sunny day so it’s an Aeonium “Sunburst” but unfortunately it’s in the shade. Could I have moved out to the sun for the picture? You would think so…. 🤔 😉

It’s not a starfish, not at all. It’s an aloe! Aloe castilloniae (can someone check my spelling, please?)

Tiny globular leaves and then, surprise! tiny pink flowers!

Tylecodon schaeferianus

It’s San Francisco’s latest Cactus garden up in the air at the Salesforce Park and that’s a San Pedro cactus and there’s an agave, oh and a yucca…. Nice!

Salesforce Park’s Tree Aloe garden is huge! Very urban. Nice!

Jason!

Dudleya “Frank Reinelt” is a coastal variety of D. caespitosa, so you know it will grow well for you, assuming you are coastal too, since we are the Bay Area, so named after the coastal feature that defines it.

Crassula columella

Peperomia prostrata in production! Coming soon! That’s the parent plant in bloom… I love peperomia bloom spikes!

Agave ocahui are astonishing, with a very vigorous terminal spine just
hanging out there. That red on the tips is painted on. I used the latest
in plant paint technology to individually get right up close to the
most dangerous spines around and very delicately hand paint just the
spines with no drips at all anywhere. So vibrant! You can wipe that
color off if you like, it just takes a little spit polish. Or wait for
the rains and the paint is actually made from succulent fertilizer so it
will run off into the ground and provide a really great fertilizer for
you this coming winter! This is what I do for you.

But just this one
plant. Not any of the others. If you want this one painted agave ask for
it at the store, and hopefully nobody has already bought it. It’s in
the back, so you’ll have to ask. I only told Jeremiah and Kel where it
is so you’ll have to ask for them. They know.

It’s blooming alright. Also known as Eve’s Needles.

Nice.

I think this is the list of plants to avoid if your pets are plant-eaters.

Browse Rover’s list of poisonous plants below to learn which plants are toxic to dogs, cats, or both, along with whether they’re commonly found in the wild, in gardens, or in homes as houseplants. Pet Poison Helpline provided common symptoms to watch out for should your pet encounter one of these poisonous plants.

But wait! That’s not all! They have a short list of some fun plants that are safe!

We planted a new planter bed with a lot of really big cactus in Marin – we do have a store there now! I see a spectacular San Pedro and some gorgeous blooming grandiflora hybrids too. Nice!

And here is Cris!

And here the team is wearing Tyvek suits to prune the prickly pear. Glochids! They come prepared.

It’s the ever fascinating Obregonia denegrii native to Mexico, in the state of Tamaulipas. Also known as peyotl.

It’s some giant Echinocereus flowers! Hap thinks it’s E. enneacanthus. Maybe! It’s a very hardy cactus, growing in the upper reaches of New Mexico.

A new Epiphyllum flower color!

Peach… Orange… Peach… Orange…

Nice.

Common Name: Cactus Apple
Origin: From California to Louisiana; Mexico

Shrubby, sprawling to 10ft., yellow to apricot blooms, edible fruit

Hardy to 15F
Full Sun to Part Sun
Low Water