Cactus Blog 

Gymnocalycium ragonesei

I blogged this last week, and now another one of these beautiful Argentine barrels has bloomed and the flower is even more pretty than the last one. (Now to be sure, it is also prettier, but not just prettier, but also more pretty.)

Now what are the odds that I’ll blog a third specimen in bloom? Pretty good considering we have one with 6 buds getting ready to open. Maybe today… Maybe tomorrow…

Delosperma “Fire Spinner”

Yes, it is a lowly Ice Plant from South Africa. But it is the fastest selling new Ice Plant we’ve ever had. Once it started blooming they’re flying out the door. Or gate, as it so happens, since we don’t have a door.

Tunilla soehrensii

On EBay it’s called a “Rare Argentina Prickly Pear”. It’s small, very spiny, and it has very interesting flowers. Look closely….

Just so you know, I put this one, the first one to bloom, out on the bloom table, and it sold within an hour. So you cannot buy this particular specimen anymore. It’s gone. But we do have more in bud, so you are in luck. And our other Tunilla species is even more flowerific.

Lucky you!

I’m back! And now there are 4 whippets at the nursery for the next 3-4 weeks, so come on by and say hi to everyone.

That’s Benjamin and Jason, of course, and visiting from Santa Cruz is Benjamin’s sister Amica, and cousin Jaxx. Jaxx is the one facing forward.

Everyone can now do a happy dance.

When 4 whippets walking down the street ran into 3 whippets walking down the street, a whippet fest 2012 occurred! Spontaneous whippeting!

2 of those are mine and 2 more are visiting starting today for the next month or so.

It’s my summer blog break. 2, maybe 3 days.

Yay!

Eriosyce islayensis is from Nazca, Peru. Hard to find in the wild since these dark spiny barrels disappear into the gravel beds. Until it has fruit! The bright pink fruit are easy to spot from even a few yards away. But once the fruit are ripe, the seeds are wind blown and then there’s just the cactus left again until next year.

In Peru they are generally watered primarily by the fog. These have to be kept very dry, so that means they are an indoor plant – yes, even in San Francisco.

While very spiny, they are quite variable in the wild. The yellow flowers are a give-away.

Gymnocalycium ragonesei are from Northern Argentina. Generally they are barely visible above the ground if you can find them in the high altitude wilds of Argentina. That’s why we pot them up above the soil level – so you can see them! This we do for you.

I see the Succulent Terrariums we made for our friends’ wedding at the de Young Museum came out nicely. Everyone was taking photos of the happy couple – so many cell phone cameras! – but I focused on the Succulent Terrariums. For you. Always for you!

The Sarracenia rubra are looking particularly fresh today. Some might say they’re chatting with each other. Yacking away through the summertime.

Another picture after the break… (more…)

Hello,

I saw you have great reviews and excellent knowledge of cactus’ through Yelp and I’m hoping you can help me out. Attached you will find pictures of a cactus tree we have in our backyard. We are trying to figure out what type of cactus this is, can you help out? Thank you for your time in reading this, have a nice day.

Thank you,

Sinta
American International Metals
Anaheim

Sinta,
The picture is small, but the plant is not a cactus at all but rather a Euphorbia, probably Euphorbia ammak, which is also known as an African Candelabra.
Peter

This is really the nicest looking crop of Agave bracteosa we’ve ever grown. You’re all so lucky. Enjoy!

Good Whippet

Bad Whippet

(We’ll see if a public shaming works for Jason.)

Hoya compacta

Carole sends along a link to this thing that has power and cactus and outlets and fun!

I love the description, too

Power Cactus, the Best Multi Plug-In Device

Italian brand Manifattura&Design proves creativity has no limits! The original power device is both aesthetic and functional because it adds some “atmospheric” lighting to your room. Wouldn’t you like to have an ‘electric cactus’ in a flower pot instead of a white, common, plastic multiple plug-in?  In fact, Power Cactus can complete the statement of a house or improve a room’s decoration and give the feeling one is looking for. The designer said that it functions as in a perfect embrace, the light winds its thread around the Cactus to find the power in the trunk of the tree. (Italics added)

I love a copywriter who would say that “Creativity has no limits!” with an exclamation at the end! The awesome power of the copywriter.

Dan needed an emergency mixed succulent pot in bloom delivered to his wife in Berkeley, and Rikki really came through for him.

Thank you so much for helping me out today with my special request. Beautiful work!

Echeveria “Grey Red” (or “Gray Red” depending on which-side-of-the-pond’s spelling you prefer) is our newest Echeveria hybrid. This one clearly has a E. elegans parentage. So it’s one of the snowballs. And so!

I love these orange flowers of this Opuntia tuna-blanca, so I’m blogging a new photo even though I blogged the same plant (different flower) only a month ago.

Very fashionable. I especially like the small fish swimming in front.

Hello-

I have what I think is a 44″ 3-prong Euphorbia Ammak variegata.

I’d like to sell it on Craigslist. I’m curious if you would have an idea of how long it took to grow to this height? My (now) husband got it in 1999 I believe and has never repotted it. So my guess is that it’s been stunted.

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much,

Aimée

Aimee

Nice! It is indeed an Ammak. I would be concerned that it hasn’t been repotted in 12+ years, as that means it is underpotted, will be root-bound and could suffer from stress if moved. I don’t know how old it was before that; Ammaks can grow as much as 1ft. in a year, but 6″ per year is more normal. We would make sure the Ammak is freshly potted in a larger pot and in cactus soil (we would let it sit in its new pot for at least 3 months) before selling it.

Peter

via Kactaceae

Zinnia acerosa is an Arizona native, as well as being native throughout the southwest to Texas.

It’s short, and it’s very cold hardy. Some say as cold as 20 below! It is a butterfly bush and flowers for many months on end.

They love them some blooming agaves in the news business.

I love me some news business properties newsing about agave blooms. So unique! And I love that they call themselves “Action News” in Yakima.

via Danger Garden

One is a Spurge, the other a Butterfly Milkweed. Together they make a lovely bouquet.

Thomas sends along a link to a Seattle PI article about planting up your kayak with succulents. Hopefully it is an old, leaky kayak that you’ve decided to repurpose.

This was a very unique project that started with a donation of a used kayak from Seattle’s popular Agua Verde Paddle Club and Cafe in the University District by Lake Union. They cut a kayak’s end off so it would stand and it became a featured display for UW Botanic Garden’s booth at the 2011 NW Flower and Garden Show. I planted it up as a vertical garden to showcase the plant diversity that exists throughout Lake Washington and the Arboretum and the proprietors at Agua Verde wanted a similar display in front of their paddle club and visible by diners in the cafe above.

 

I hope the “very unique” in the first line there didn’t get you all emailing and commenting to the newspaper for their lousy grammar, or I suppose for their lack of editing. Don’t go getting all grammar-police on the dead-tree-newspaper. They are a dying industry and really don’t need you sending in corrections.

Blog!

Sarracenia “Cobra Nest” is a hybrid from unknown parentage. But the one thing we do know, besides that it gets about 12″ high that is, and likes acidic water and lives in a bog and prefers full sun, I mean besides all that, is that is VERY PHOTOGENIC!

Hello,

I wanted to transplant this cactus but I am unsure if I should put the brown portion under the soil or if it is even worth replanting.  I meant to bring it in with me on Friday, but I forgot.  Please see attached photo.

Thank you for your help.

Tabetha

Tabetha,

It looks like a case of “barking” (though I can’t blow it up to see detail… so it could be a pest but I don’t think so) but if it is barking the plant has been stressed and showing it’s age, the older green tissue has basically turned to a cork like bark to protect it from infection. To hide most of the bark you can repot it an inch deeper with a fast draining cactus soil and then add another inch of gravel mulch, we use 1/4 inch lava, but any crushed stone will work. Just stay away from smooth pebbles since they stay wet longer. The gravel will mask the bark without causing rot issues as long as you don’t over water. If you would like you can bring it by to confirm the barking and of course we do offer repotting services.

Take care,

Hap

Whippets at the Beach