Cactus Blog 

These Airplant Terrariums have been very popular this year. So here’s more!

These should really be going dormant by now, but instead we have new fruit coming. And it was cold last night! At least the leaves are green and not the deep burgundy red this variety gets in the fall.

Vitis californica “Roger’s Red”
California Native
Deciduous Fruiting Vine

Sun: Partial
Water: Drought tolerant
Size: up to 25′

California native grape, deciduous. Gray and green leaves revamp to a deep, rich red in autumn months. Edible, small purple fruit. Fast growing and frost hardy.

That is an unfortunate common name for this lovely little plant from Madagascar that has naturalized itself in many places around the world. It is easy to grow, but frost sensitive. We can grow it, but in years when it gets below about 30F then we lose a bunch of it. What is it? It’s this one:

Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi

That was the highly edited photo to highlight only the best parts of the plant. Here’s an unedited photo:

Actually that was also an edited photo, just a little more lightly edited.

Which photo do you like better?

This particular African Antelope happens to be the same Lesser Kudu of another recent posting on this here cactus bloggy.

Lesser Kudu in the Garden with Aeonium “Green Star”.

Ledebouria socialisis in bloom.

Ledebouria socialis – Silver Squill

Native to South Africa
Evergreen Perennial Bulb

Sun: Sun/Shade
Water: Low
Size: 6″

Spotted leaves, produces many bulbs. Small lavender/white flowers on 1ft. tall bloom stalks. Spreads quickly. Hardy to 25F.

We find these to be pretty easy to grow in the Bay Area. In the ground OR in pots – either way! Your choice! You choose!

So, tell me, what did you choose?

As these are such small flowers, they are hard to photograph with my cell phone, so this is the result – a bit blurry, but pretty good color.

Lesser Kudu in front of the Kalanchoe pumila.

In case you were wondering it is called the Lesser Kudu to distinguish it from the Greater Kudu. Not that the Greater Kudu is “greater” in any subjective way. Only “greater” in the purely objective criteria of size. The Lesser Kudu averages 60–100 kg while the Greater Kudu is 190–270 kg, so a big size difference. But it turns out that these are also not just smaller and larger relatives.

One of the most ancient species, the Lesser Kudu at one time was thought to be a smaller version of the Greater Kudu, but now is considered to be a more primitive species.

I see that the San Francisco Chronicle is recommending that you decorate your house with succulents for the holidays. And I thought it was all about the terrariums this year.

As you spruce up your home for the holidays… There are many wonderful hanging plants, but some of my favorites are succulents….

Succulents possess a singular charm unlike any other kind of houseplant, and look fabulous when cascading out of a hanging basket. And there is a surprising number to choose from. One favorite is a plant commonly known as burro’s tail, Sedum morganianum…

For something a little more delicate, there is string of pearls, Senecio rowleyanus…

Feeling romantic? How about substituting a string of hearts for mistletoe, (Ceropegia woodii)…

Finally, for something a bit unusual, look for Hoya compacta, curiously known as Hindu rope.

Cactus Jungle is the only local nursery that grows and carries all the plants they recommend. Do you think they list us at the bottom of the article as a source for these plants in the Bay Area? No.

We have lots of blooming christmas cactuses at the nursery, but this little guy has been at the house a few years now and there are 5 buds, the most it’s had!

Today we have an answer!

Hello!

I stopped by Cactus Jungle a few months ago asking about Edithcolea grandis. At the time, you said you didn’t have any because you always get it from a supplier. When I asked about propagating, you said that it’s hard to grow from seed, and you have never been able to get it to root. Since then, I’ve been doing some experimenting, and wanted to share some successes.

First of all, I don’t know how people grow it from seed; I couldn’t do it at all.

But, after my main plant started to rot and I took a few cuttings, I was able to experiment with rooting. What worked (with 2 separate cuttings) was to use rooting hormone, put pots in a warm-ish place that’s accessible to sunlight – nothing drastic, just a windowsill or an inner covered patio), keep the soil moist, but not wet, and keep the pot covered with a plastic bag. I just had regular 2-inch plastic pots covered by a ziplock bag. I live in the foggy part of San Francisco, so it was never especially warm or cold. What did NOT work was keeping pots uncovered, keeping them in the greenhouse (probably too much temp variation?), or keeping the soil too dry or too wet.

I hope this is helpful to you, and thanks for the beautiful nursery and great plants.

Yan

Yan

Thanks for the update! Do you have pictures of the new little plants?

Peter

Horned Lizards are generally from Texas.

In the background is an Ocotillo.

I’m having an awful time with mildew (or some similar fuzzy gray fungus) on Euphorbias in my house, one room in particular.[1] I tried neem oil, but that just makes everything defoliate. Then I tried spraying with basic copper sulfate (it was the cheapest and least toxic thing I could find at the garden center), but that has no effect. So I’m looking for something not found in nature, ideally something that’s illegal in multiple countries. Bonus points if it’s a yellow-green liquid that produces its own dry ice fog. Can you recommend anything?

Pedilanthus tithymaloides w/fungus

Euphorbia drupifera w/fungus

–mr_subjunctive

–

[1] Affected so far: Euphorbia milii, Euphorbia drupifera, Pedilanthus tithymaloides, Synadenium grantii, Euphorbia bougheyi variegata, Euphorbia trigona, Euphorbia lactea, Pedilanthus ‘Jurassic Park 2.’

Continuing yesterdays theme, here are 2 more terrariums with airplants for your consideration.

Tillandsia fuchsii v. gracilis and I see we have a little bit of Reindeer Moss and some lovely rocks. Plus is that a shell i see? It is!

Tillandsia neglecta in a bit of a washed-out photo. Plus some white gravel as a base. And a couple fancy shells. We love shells! To be honest, we found a really good deal on shells last year but that meant to meet their minimum order we had to buy a LOT of shells. Shells for everyone!

We are really full up with airplants and terrariums of all kinds.

Tillandsia bulbosa

Tillandsia xerographica

Tillandsia xerographica x brachycaulis

Tillandsia tenuifolia “Blue”

Tillandsia stricta “Pink-Bronze”

Tillandsia ionantha “Mex”

Tillandsia butzii

It’s only a few hours (or less if you live on the east coast) til 12 12 12 12 12, or 12/12/12 12:12 as some would have it.

Here, have a picture to tide you over:

Cryptanthus “Pink Starlight”

Cryptanthus “Ruby”

He’s still hanging around.

That Obama!

These are the Hylocereus cactus plants that you get the Dragon Fruit from. I hear they’re delicious!

Of course it would be quicker if the parrot just flew where it wanted to go.

In Palm Springs, there’s something called a cactarium – billed as the world’s only cactarium – which makes sense if you think of a cactarium as something with a sign out front saying it’s a cactarium because this is definitely the only one with such a sign. On the other hand it looks like a greenhouse with cactus and succulents in it to me.

Cactarium!

An interesting large and lumpy small form of the Myrtillocactus geometrizans Crest.

This is an interesting creature, a Walking Kalanchoe, or Kalanchoe synsepala. I see aerial roots in abundance. I wouldn’t pause under that for too long… Hahahaha!!!

A small carrion flower in the Stapeliad subfamily of the Asclepiad family (Asclepiadaceae). known as Huernia pillansii. They attract small ground insects.

And bigger….

It’s a giant stapeliad bud.

The flower opens and it looks like it’s probably Stapelia grandiflora.

That was fun.

These are some high altitude plants with the hairy thing going on.

Cleistocactus straussii  is from Southern Bolivia, ranging into Northern Argentina. There’s some harsh terrain there. We see these individual branches grow to about 10ft. tall and live for about 10 years.

Espostoa lanata is a tree like cactus from Southern Ecuador and into Peru. The woolly hairs have been used as pillow stuffing traditionally in Peru. We see these get 10ft. tall and some say they can reach 20 feet, but I’ve never seen that.

It’s my last Obama in the Garden, as this is the last of our Obama toys for sale. We had a good run – 4 cases! 6 blog posts! – but I think we’ve seen enough of the Obama toy in our garden. Unless this one doesn’t sell this christmas season and then I may keep it and have him poke his head out in the garden for years to come.

Stop me!

With Austrocylindropuntia subuluta monstrose.

Some of our terrariums haven’t got any succulents at all.

Very exciting.

Our friends had a 50th birthday and the floral bouquets included cut Aeonium rosettes. I have nothing to add.

Ian used to make terrariums for us here in Berkeley, but now he’s making them on his own in Oakland.

Nice!

You can find him on Instagram as @janterrariums and Facebook, too. Or if you hang around bars and clubs in Oakland long enough….

Joseph’s latest mixed succulent pot in a Urban Farmgirls hypertufa pot.

Nice!

We carry a lot of Air Plants at the nursery. So many that it was too many to fit on our cactus and succulent page on the website. So we have no listings of them at all. I think maybe I should get together a page beyond the terrarium page which has some airplants listed. I am putting that on my list right now.

But in the meantime here are some pretty pictures to enjoy.

Tillandsia cacticola

Tillandsia velutina

Tillandsia utriculata v. prengelii

Tillandsia x “Houston”

I think this one is also T. velutina but I forgot to check first.

Veltheimia bracteata is blooming. Or about to bloom, maybe tomorrow.

And more are a little further behind.

These succulent bulbs are winter growing so they’re looking fine. Usually the flowers are a bit later than these.