Ishmael in Kodiak (Weather report – Today: Overcast, Tomorrow: Overcast, etc…) found cactus leaves at the Safeway. In Kodiak! I’m shocked.

No, really, I am shocked. I’ve been to Kodiak, and I can tell you how shocking this development is. It’s very shocking, indeed. Deliciously shocking.

Mandalas & More likes her christmas cactus but wants to know why it’s called “cactus” since it appears to be a succulent.

Her readers seem to think it was a marketing decision.

Well, the answer is simpler than that. It’s called a cactus because it is a cactus. In the cactaceae family and all. Not to get all botanical on you, but it’s in the Cactoideae Subfamily and the Rhipsalideae Tribe. Now you know and you are thus now an expert. Share your knowledge wide and especially with your family this year at Christmas.

Also known as Schlumbergera orssichiana.

And it’s also a succulent, too! As all cacti (except the lovely Pereskia) are succulents.

I think that’s enough info about the Christmas cactus on this blog for this year.

The Christian Science Monitor’s garden writer decided to stay indoor in winter and instead of visiting gardens has visited garden blogs, including our humble blog.

The Cactus Blog actually belongs to a California Nursery, Cactus Jungle, not an individual. Although its focus is San Francisco and Berkeley, its range is actually country- and worldwide.

Can you imagine a labyrinth created with succulent plants? I look forward to returning to learn more about that. Did you know that prickly pear cactus grows well in parts of Italy? I had to laugh out loud at the discussions of Canadians and cactus — cactus with eggs for breakfast, a “cactus cam” aimed at a houseplant — do you think that’s like watching grass grow?

It’s drolly entertaining and informative at the same time.

I may have to add that quote to the top of the blog.

Plus she visited blog friends Water When Dry and Plants Are the Strangest People, always a good thing  to do.

Pencil and Leaf has a nice roundup of solanums, including some spiny pictures of porcupine tomatos and naranjillos.

Chuck B’s flickr stream has a nice big green Coreopsis gigantea that looks almost big enough to bloom.

Garden Wise Guy has an eye for the Euphorbia-Agave combo photo.

Gators in the Garden has planted a lot of graptopetalums and graptoverias too, and has the pictures to prove it.

It’s an amazing closeup of a bee in a cactus flower.

Borrowed from Framed and Shot Copyright © 2008 (Gording / Schjerverud)

cactus and bottle photo by pelrohde.

their harmony and the rain outside prompted me to take these pictures. i will experiment with the cactus more later on, i decided.

The Texas Highways Blog reminisces about West Texas and the cactus.

Common wisdom says if you’re not originally from West Texas, you usually have to live there for a while to appreciate its attractions, but then you’re hooked for life. Having lived in Lubbock after growing up in southeast Texas, I can attest to that fact. In my case, it took almost a year, but I eventually came to treasure the flatlands and canyonlands that at first seemed so foreign to me….

We spent the rest of the day just visiting and touring Alice’s expansive cactus/rock garden, which now takes up at least a third of the yard. Not only does she know each plant by name, she can tell you where each rock came from—Austin, Kyle, Coleman, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada…the list goes on and on. She knows because she handpicked each one and placed it herself. (Bill lent a hand with the larger ones.) Besides rocks, cacti, succulents, grasses, and other low-maintenance plants, the garden features bleached skulls from hapless cows, deer, coyotes, and javelinas donated by friends; several large pots; weathered tree trunks; and a dolmen (a bench made with two or more upright stones capped by a horizontal stone). Alice invites viewers: The cactus garden is just east of the Muleshoe Country Club.

That’s a nice story. You could click the link to read the rest of it, although I did copy a lot of it here. But there’s more for you too, if you click through.

markerlove has the most adorable little crassula’s in these odd little tomato cans. One might suggest that it is the odd tomato cans that make the whole thing adorable, but I prefer to think it is all about the succulents. However, I wouldn’t recommend following the yogurt cup trick.

Apparently there are some artists who post drawings of cactus on Mondays, callling it Cactus Mondays.

This week, Soulbrush had a nice pencil drawing of a spiny column cactus, possibly a cereus or an echinopsis. Plus links to the other Cactus Monday peoples.

Luther at Oregon Cactus Blog has an interesting blooming caudiciform, Pterodiscus speciosa. Pictures ensue.

Gary Kavanagh took a photo of a succulent in Persing Square in LA (So one presumes.)

It’s an aloe, possibly A. ferox. Click through to see the full size photo. Very scenic.

Cherry Blossom Girl is talking to her potted succulents.

Sorry my little succulents, I’m taking a lot longer to paint this table that I thought it was going to take me. You’ll have to wait a few more days outside.

Love Thyself grows native succulents. Native to South Africa, that is. Well, there are a lot of native succulents if you’re in South Africa – it’s not even fair!

Lost in the Landscape shares photos of the gardens at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Succulents abound.

Julie has some disgusting photos of flies on stapelia blooms. I wonder why flies on blooms is disgusting? Bees on blooms are adorable, and we all love butterflies. I wonder why we don’t like flies? Maybe because they are fooled into thinking it’s a rotting carcass. Stupid stapeliads.

Hunting for the Sun has taken very good care of cactus for years and yet there weren’t any blooms!

Until now…

Nice photo. I think it’s a Rebutia.

Kevin of K’s Cakes usually blogs about cakes. But here he is blogging about his night blooming cereus. Photos ensue, cake was shared by all I’m sure, delicious.

Monsieur Gnome from every.freaking.thing.will.be.alright is building small succulent gardens, inspired by Martha Stewart, and showing you how to do it too! Now that’s service.

Ned Raggett ponders the succulent gardens planters at his favorite coffee and shares a picture.

(O)ver at the Gypsy Den, my regular coffee house haunt, they took out the old plants in the planters and replaced them with new succulents…. the more colorful arrangement is a nice touch.

I’m sure the fine people over at the Gypsy Den appreciate the appreciation. I wonder what city we’re talking about?

Philip has a very nice post of photos of the restoration of Chrissy Field in San Francisco.

Carnwrite went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens and cactus show and shared some photos. Nice melocactus, and the dioscorea is to die for.

Pastor Lars has some very nice blooming ferocactus. It’s been raining in Arizona this year. You could check it out, you know.

Nice Pictures

Nice photos at the Succulent Dish. Three haworthias and a gasteria.

Janice found a tile cactus on the side of a building in the Sunset, in San Francisco. I had no idea it was there. Now I know. It’s at 48th and Noriega, in case someone wants to go by and also document the find.