Cactus Blog 

Miami is in on the terrarium bandwagon.

Terrariums, miniature gardens enclosed in glass, are bigger than ever in home decor. And the current crop of indoor displays for your house or office feature an amazing selection of containers.

Everything from succulents to ferns and moss can be grown in these indoor gardens, which have been popular as far back as the 1800s. Elegant Victorian-style cases remain popular, but contemporary styles include delicate hanging orbs, hand-blown pitchers and simple jars.

Actually, the article was a wire service article, written in Kentucky, so it probably has been published in newspapers across the country and not just in the Miami Herald News Local Times of the Day.

Here, have a photo of one of our terrariums.

Wait that’s not really a terrarium at all. Here, try this one instead.

That’s better!

In Ohio they recommend you plant your succulents in large stone troughs. That way you can put them on wheels and move them inside for the winter, so I presume, since the Aloes in their aren’t going to survive. Now the Sempervivums on the other hand…

SHNS photo courtesy Maureen Gilmer

This large stone trough features a number of different Sempervivum plants as well as small aloes.

Enjoy!

Another article about Don Campbell! With video! From KJCT TV News Watch Eye Over Colorado.

Don Campbell founded the Chinle Cactus & Succulent Society on the Western Slope.

Now he’s been presented with the very first Mary Ann Heacock lifetime achievement award by the Colorado Cactus & Succulent Society for his contributions.

Now that is Awesome. And what about the promised video? You’ll have to click through the link to view it, and see Mr. Campbell Live on TV because they won’t let me embed their videos. Stupid KJCT TV News Watch Eye Over Colorado.

This time it’s from Edmonton, Canada. Can it be considered local if it’s from the frozen tundra of Western Canada? Sure!

Question: This year I am planning on creating living plant gifts for birthdays and special occasions. Specifically, I want to make cactus bowls and I was hoping you could give me some advice on how I could do this. Thank you for all your great advice.

Answer: Cactus planters are easy to make and even easier to maintain, perfect for those of you with a brown thumb. All you need is a dish or bowl large enough to hold some soil, a layer of pebbles and cacti….

Some cacti for you to consider for your garden:

– Bunny ears cactus

– Prickly pear cactus

– Rose pincushion

– Aloe bellatula

– Echinopsis oxygona

Interesting list there. Some generic opuntia options, and then a couple very specific species. I wonder why this particular Aloe? And that particular Echinopsis? Has the writer been trading in cactus futures?

According to the garden writer in Appleton, Wisconsin the succulent trend has reached home.

One of the most popular trends in wedding arrangements is the use of succulents.
Garden Talk with Rob Zimmer

OK, go to it, all you cheeseheads.

I think my winter slowdown is coming to an end. Maybe. For now. We’ll see. I guess I shouldn’t make any promises. Here, have some local news.

All around the country local communities have individuals who are the go-to people for cactus and succulents. They also make good subjects for the local newspaper, as long as the local newspaper still survives, which it still does in Grand Junction, CO.

Don Campbell among the many cacti he has grown at his house in Grand Junction.
Photo by Dean Humphrey

That is a very attractive looking collection. I’ll bet Mr. Campbell has lots of knowledge to share with you if you join the Grand Junction Cactus and Succulent Society and go to their monthly meetings too.

I see the new mini’s are in and we now apparently carry purple dragons. Good to know.

Hello,

My fiance and I bought a jade tree from you (which we love!). However, this morning, we noticed what looks to be an infestation of aphids(?) all over the leaves (I’ve attached a picture). Can you suggest what type of pet-safe spray we might use or what might be the best way to safely get rid of them?

Thanks in advance,
Susan

Susan,
That is a lot of aphids. I would check for ants, as the plant is in bloom and ants bring aphids to crassula blooms to farm them.

We carry a pet-safe organic insecticide called Eco Smart we can recommend for the aphids, and if you find that ants have moved into the pot or nearby, we also have an Eco Smart ant product too.
Peter

Hi Peter,

Ooooh, you’re good! We recently found a nest of ants in another plant which (we thought) we’d cleaned out in time, but alas, apparently not. Clever little buggers…

We’ll try to stop in tomorrow afternoon for the Eco Smart.

Thank you so much!
-Susan

CJ,
I bought a Jatropha Interrigima from you last year and love it! It’s been quite healthy and happy, until I went away for Christmas. Could you please look at the attached info and let me know if there is anything I can do to help it recover?

Thank you!
-Evan

Aeonium “Sunburst”

We had a bit of a freeze last night. In fact, it’s still below freezing as the morning wakes up here at my house. You may be losing some leaves on these Aeoniums if you didn’t cover them, but then it depends on where you are in the Bay Area. In Berkeley and Oakland the  low temperature ranged last night between 29 and 34. In Orinda it dropped to 25. In SF it stayed above 35.

I hope you’re enjoying your holiday.

This is why everyone likes the Ribes.

Ribes sanguineum

We now have our 2nd organic seed vendor. Seeds of Change have a good program going and nice heirloom varieties too, so it’s a nice complement to all the organic varieties we get from Botanical Interests.

We’ve had Godzilla out for a few months now, and thru the holidays, but no sale. Maybe I should take him home.

My garden may be too small. Maybe in the turtle pond? Would he scare the turtles?

Anyway to save this Echeveria?? Is that even what it is?..

Had this for 3 years now and would hate to see it die.
Could it be cut and repotted above the weak stem area?.. Looks like it is still getting water from the stem though.. I also noticed that it has root like protrusions coming off it.
Any help would be great.

Thanks,
james

James,

It’s hard to tell right now, but it is probably an Echeveria.

The base of the plant is not really saveable but the small rosette at the end of the stem can be rescued. Trim the stem about 1-2″ below the leaves, making sure there is no rot in the portion of the stem you are keeping. If you see rot, keep cutting higher up until there is not rot visible. Spray the cut end with hydrogen peroxide to help it heal. Let it dry for 2-3 days, and then plant it in a new pot with fresh cactus soil, keeping it dry for at least another week. I would recommend throwing out the existing pot and soil. If you want to reuse the pot clean it with bleach first.

Good luck,

Peter

Weird bloom coming in the middle of winter on the Espostoa lanata.

Nice!

Dani sends along proof of Amica’s interest in learning how to drive.

From the Catalog of Botanical Illustrations

Plate Number: 253
Vriesea erythrodactylon
Publication: The Bromeliads, 1969.

Remarks: The painting was displayed in the traveling exhibit: “Margaret Mee: Return to the Amazon” (1/16/96 – 8/20/99). The painting is matted in 30″ x 39″ matt and is on loan to Eva Pell, Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution and is in Room 325, Smithsonian Castle. Loan is through Richard Stamm, Curator, SI Castle Collections (11/19/10).

(Bromeliaceae) Collection: , Brazil, Caraguataluba; flowering plant.
Artist: Mee, Margaret – Date unknown – gouache

© Smithsonian Institution, Department of Botany

The Echeveria “Flying Cloud” has interesting compound racemes for an inflorescence.

Pedilanthus bracteatus is a large member of this genus, as opposed to the much smaller Pedilanthus tithymaloides we featured late last year (and that made the Top Ten list too.)

Also known as one of the Candelilla plants in the Euphorbia family (Euphorbiaceae) from Mexico, it has the classic poisonous Euphorbia sap and an outer waxy coating that can be used to make candles. (That is why they call it candelilla, isn’t it?)

I’m just guessing here too but the other common name, Slipper Plant, refers to the shape of the flowers, right? They do look like they might be somewhat reminiscent of slippers or something…

Let’s see what the rest of the plant looks like, shall we? (more…)

(O)ur inexorable path toward robot domination becomes ever more clear. LG has announced a series of smart appliances that will be “controlled” by your Smart Phone and can do things like… even suggest recipes based on what is in the fridge.

Now that is awesome! What’s for dinner? Let’s ask the fridge. I love you LG.

Aloe gariepensis snake head

And here we see the blooms are open and the giant thick bloom stalk is fascinating too.

It’s from the Northern Cape of South Africa and is high enough in altitude that it sometimes gets frost, so we are golden here in the Bay Area where we also sometimes get frost.

The Gariep River is more commonly known as the Orange River and is the longest river in South Africa.

While found near the river, this particular aloe is from the drier regions, above the river.

I got an email from someone named Joseph, location not known at this time, asking if we wanted to buy some of his prickly pears.

This one:

And this one is said to be at least 100 years old:

Let me know if you want to buy these from Joseph and I’ll pass along your bid. These photos are for real, and so I assume the offer is for real too.

The time has come, my friend, for last year’s top ten list. And just in time, too! Let’s get on with the program.

10. Pachypodium brevicaule
These little beauties didn’t last long in the rare plant room at the nursery. They will eventually grow HUGE! Up to 10″ across, some say. Yellow flowers are a plus.

9. Eulophia petersii
Desert orchids, what more could you want? We sold through the crop pretty quickly, and so now we’re working on the next crop. Hopefully we will be able to keep these going for years to come and will bring out a few new plants every spring.

8. Echeveria elegans whould probably be higher on the list since it’s soooo popular with everyone. But there’s not a snowball’s chance that I will raise it higher on the list. Enjoy it here. 8 is pretty good too.

7. Adenium somalense
These were not very popular with the kids this year, what with the high prices and the ready availability of lower-priced desert roses like the very similar A. obesum. Some people just don’t appreciate rarity of variation.

6. Aloe polyphylla
These were like bonkers this year! Everyone wanted one. Now we’re out of all but the largest sizes. I wonder if Hap’s working on a new crop yet?

5. Pedilanthus tithymaloides
Devil’s Backbone plant for you, please.

4. Delosperma echinatum
These originally came in #9, but then the common name moved them up to #4. What was that common name? Spiny Pickles. So you see why.

3. Echeveria “Violet Queen”
My favorite of our new Echeverias this year, and yet it did not reach #1. I must not have as much say in this process as I thought. Maybe I could demand a recount.

2. Sedum “Blue Spruce”
What the… Why is this one on the list, even all the way up at #2? This is a travesty. I reject this entirely. Who’s in charge here? Dammit.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but the number Top Ten Succulent of 2011 is… (more…)