Here’s the headline on the book review,

South African Succulents Certainly Don’t Suck

That is a truism. The rest of the review for the book Succulent Flora of Southern Africa by Doreen Court would have to be all downhill from there. Do you trust me enough to stop at the headline, or do you want to click through and see for yourself? Your choice.

Darlinghurst Rooftop Garden, 221-223 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst
New to Australia’s Open Garden Scheme, this garden has been designed with imagination to maximise space.

The sunny rooftop has stunning views over the city and contemporary plantings including over 100 sedums, succulents and frangipanis, which have been chosen to withstand full sun.

Communal areas have been created around… outdoor showers…

Also known as Plumeria. Can these survive in Sydney? Bloom? I guess we’ll find out after a winter.

That’s the recent headline for the Sealy News. I wonder where Sealy is? I think it may be my new favorite town if everyone there with limited space follows through on the promise of the headline and buys succulents. It’s all good.

And it turns out that we’re talking about Texas. Texas! Who knew.

Here we have a picture of the Old West version of Sealy.

And here’s one of the New West. Sealy has something for everyone.

The Golden Barrel (Echinocactus grusonii) was taken in broad daylight!

Ms Forster said she believed it had been taken by someone from the doorstep of the 62-year-old’s home in Waterhouse Lane, Millbrook…

The plant has been nurtured since it was given to Ms Forster as a present from uncle Alan Mortimer, from Bournemouth, who she was particularly close to and who died only five years later.

I hope the bobbies find the culprits.

Today:

• Cactus and succulents by UCCE Master Gardener Cheryl Vivas. 10 a.m. Free. Arden Park community center, 1000 La Sierra Dr., Sacramento. (916) 487-5120.

Never say I don’t provide practical information on this blog. I have thousands of readers in the Sacramento area. Well, one, to be sure.

NPR’s list of Top10 alt concerts of 2010 includes this cactus concert by Matmos and So Percussion. It’s very evocative music for cactus needles.

This is the last of our Top Ten Lists for 2010, because it’s already 2011, if you  weren’t sure. Here’s where we go for the  prettiest pictures of the year. At least of the ones I took.

I took thousands of photos, of which exactly 563 were featured in the Monthly Email, added to the Cactus Jungle Facebook page, twittered, and finally then all added onto the Cactus Jungle website.

And here are the 10 or so bestest of all the prettiest of all the bloomiest of all the flower pictures (of cactus and succulents).

11. Schlumbergera x. orssichiana – Christmas Cactus

10. Sarcocaulon crassicaule

9. Leuchtenbergia principis

8. The elusive Haworthia reinwardtii bloom

7. Calandrinia grandiflora

6. Rebutia fiebrigii

5. Adenium obesum

4. Stapelia scitula

3. Astrophytum myriostigma

2. Kalanchoe grandiflora

And Number 1 for all of 2010 is… Read More…

Cactus, Succulents, Perennials, Grasses… Whatever.

Let’s start with a succulent that did not make the list of Top Ten Succulents yesterday.

10. Agave deserti is just too small to have been a Top Ten Succulent, but it is a native here, so what the hell. It will grow into a beautiful plant.

9. Opuntia prolifera (Cylindropuntia prolifera more recently) is a lovely native cholla with nasty spines, and a wonderfully full shrubby growth pattern.

8. Festuca idahoensis “Siskiyou Blue” – this year was our most popular native grass. Congratulations! That gets you #8 on our list. (To be clear, this is not a popularity contest. See some of the equations I use.)

7. Achillea millefolium “Paprika” is a pink-flowered cultivar of a plant that is native to many states, including the entirety of California. Close enough for my book. It’s in the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae) if that helps.

6. Lupinus arboreus usually makes the list, since the flowers are so pretty. I have lots of lupine flower pictures. This is the only species this year I took flower pictures of that we carry. That’s a complicated sentence.

5. Here’s Malacothamnus palmeri coming in at the bottom of the top 5. Is that pretty enough for you? Hairy leaves = Deer-resistant.

4. The Dudleya attenuatas are growing nicely. It has a ridiculous common name, Tapertip Liveforever.

3. Asclepias speciosa, the Showy Milkweed, is from all over Northern California, including as close to us as Marin County. I’ve never seen one over there, but it’s possible.

2. Abutilon palmeri – I would put this native mallow species #1, but our customers don’t like this plant. I carry it and they refuse to buy it. So I tabulated the votes (mine) and came up with #2. Is that okay?

And coming in below number 2, at the bottom of the page, but at the top of our hearts and minds… Read More…

This category contains some of the rarest of plants, some of the most common of plants, and some others too. It must hold a lot in those ten spots! Cactus are prohibited from competing in this category.

And the envelopes please. Coming in at Number ten…

10. Haworthia limifolia – when these are solid with lots of spiraling leaves they look fantastic, practically the best, but too often they lose more leaves than is attractively best for them, so number 10 it is.

9. Crassula muscosa is one of the most popular plants in the nursery, and yet it has never before won a top ten award.

8. Dorstenia crispa ssp. lancifolia is the first rare plant to make this list, and it comes in at a solid 8.

7. Dudleya hassei is the first California Native to make the list, and those chalky fingers are the reason why.

6. Tillandsia caput-medusae x brachycaulos – Airplants were very big this year at the nursery, and so these epiphytic bromeliads get to occupy one place on the list and it’s number 6. Congratulations!

5. Agave lechuguilla is a great agave that would score higher but our plants are too small at this time. Maybe it will score a higher honor next year when we bring out the 5ga. plants. Nice teeth, awesome stripe – this is going to grow into your favorite agave.

4. Our favorite new echeveria cultivar at the nursery this year was a red tipped one. Echeveria “Violet Queen” is the echeveria for me.

3. Graptopetalum pentandrum turned out to be a slightly difficult plant, but chalky, purple, and flattened is better than nothing.

2. Aeonium “Garnet” is the most amazing of the new Aeoniums we had for you this year. In fact, it’s better than the new ones we have ready for you for 2011. But be forewarned, we are growing a new hybrid that will be ready in 2012 that will blow your socks off.

And the Number One Succulent for all of 2010, here and elsewhere, and throughout the Universe, is… Read More…

The excitement is palpable. Let’s talk about it first, like we’re on a red carpet somewhere, OK? No? Oh. Alright, then lets dive right in.

10. Schlumbergera x orssichiana seems like a good place to start, also known as the Christmas Cactus.

9. Opuntia vioacea is always the most popular of the prickly pears, because it’s purple and the flowers are yellow.

8. Carnegiea gigantea is the well known Saguaro, very popular this year for some reason. Very spiny when young.

7. Echinocereus pectinatus v. rubispinus is always a fun cactus what with the red spines flattened out so that you can hug the cactus and not get pricked. But yet it was not very popular at all this year compared to previous years, hence the number 7 on this list. Hah!

6. Weberbauerocereus winterianus – god I love this little furry guy that actually grows into a giant tree cactus.

5. Cereus peruvianus babies were my favorite cactus for terrariums this year. So cute!

4. Eriosyce occulta is a perennial favorite around my house. Black barrels are so cute.

3. Astrophytum asterias is a lovely little plant that everyone wants a piece of. Button Spines!

2. Echinocereus viridiflorus ssp. chloranthus We only had a few of these small plants ready this year, but they are a stunning addition to the Hedgehog Cactus family.

And Number 1… Read More…

Here’s the final 5 of the Top 10 Top-Ten lists started earlier. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

5. Number 5 is the most explosive news story of the year, the Top Ten Wikileaks Revelations, indeed.

4. Four is the loneliest number you could ever know. Four is the one where NASA sends plants into space, also known as NASA’s Top Ten Plants to Remove Formaldehyde, Benzene and Carbon Monoxide from Indoor Air. I guess that doesn’t have to be in space, it could be in your office cubicle too.

3. This must be the one where I convince you that it should really have been #1 if not for the miscounting of the ballots. Top Ten Environmental Stories of 2010 is too important to be #3, what with the oil spill and global warming and obesity too. Oy.

2. For gods sake we’re all the way to number 2! And I forgot to include the Top Ten Sake manufacturers! Squidoo had a Top Ten Toys under $10 for 2010, and that’s made it all the way to #2 on our list of the Top 10 Top-Ten lists. Sake will have to wait until next year. In case you were wondering, I want #5 on their list.

And the Number One Top Ten List for 2010 was…. Read More…

The store is closed for the week, for a winter break because it snowed on the east coast of course, so it must be time for our week long top ten list extravaganza.

First up we have our Top 10 Top-Ten Lists.

10. Coming in at the coveted #10, a list to warm the hearts of many of our readers this holiday season. Top Ten Christmas Songs from Hell. I warn you not to click through for your own sanity.

9. Nine is the second most coveted of the numbers before 3, so make sure to click through to the Top Ten State Fairs with Livestock from 2010. California is on that list, so you know it has to be good.

8. Eight days of Christmas indeed! Top Ten Hanukkah Songs not including Adam Sandler. It’s from Israel National Radio, and really, you should be listening while reading the rest of this post, because it’s Awesome! And did I mention there’s no Adam Sandler at all, although it was a close call?

7. Seven Dog Days of Winter = the cutest whippet ever. Top Ten Whippet Photos from 2010.

6. Top Ten Sixes? No! Top Ten New Shoes of 2010! Well, that was weird to find on a cactus blog.

That turned out to be more work than I expected, so the next 5, the Top Five, will have to wait a bit. Coming soon!

St. Augustine, a bicycle friendly community, has a cactus collector who has had a cactus for over 20 years. Now that’s dedication.

Jack McDaniel shows this barrel cactus he’s had for some 20 years. Photo: FRED WHITLEY

Congratulations Jack on a job well done!

Local news stories, oh what would we do without you?

…in Duxbury. Have you ever been to Duxbury? It’s near Plymouth, where the rock is. They have a photography exhibition up and it’s all about photogrpahing things at night, including this Aloe dichotoma with colorful uplighting.

The Huffington Post has a feature on what to buy in New York. I wonder why they’re focused on just New York? Bastards.

Anyway, they feature these cute succulent things, and claim they’re only for hippies. Hippies in New York! What about Berkeley hippies? Don’t we like small glass objects with unrooted plants in them?

Litill terrariums — handblown glass filled with sand, succulents and objects by a local gal in Brooklyn — are plant porn for the home or office.

Haven’t the Huffington Post people seen my recent terrarium posts? Don’t worry, there are more to come, and ours are just as cute as those Brooklyn ones. New York!

I recognize rebutias and tillandsias in there. The other stuff is more mysterious.

And finally, please note that the next recommended New York gift in line after this one on the Huffington Post is cheese. Cheese in New York! What about San Francisco??? Don’t they like cheese too??? Shall we ask Iowa to chime in here? Does Portland want to let everyone know if they like cheese? They like tillandsias for the holidays, maybe they would like cheese too.

By the way, my friends have a very nice cheese shop in Portland, in case you wanted to stop by and tell them Peter sent you. That’s Tim behind the counter on the front of their website.

This blog entry has gone far afield. Enjoy!

Hap has taken a whole lot of airplants, all lined up like a line of little ducks, and wired them into a Tillandsia Wreath to prevent them from blowing away.

Since we’re almost sold out of the succulent wreaths, and it takes a couple months for them to root, Hap decided to try a smaller tillandsia wreath and see how that works.

Last year our wreaths were featured in the LA Times, and this year they’re mentioned in the Oakland Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News.

Oakland artist and florist Leslie Piels of Toad’s Potted Plants prefers an edited materials palette as well.

“Too many materials in a wreath looks out-of-date — like ’80s big hair,” Piels says.

She favors natural materials combined with beautiful ribbons. Picture smoky dried lotus blossoms tied up with a celadon ribbon or living wreaths made out of succulent plants. Piels custom designs these wreaths for clients but also suggests Cactus Jungle Nursery and Garden in Berkeley, which uses a variety of succulents and live plants to create wreaths suitable to all occasions and decors.

“You can use these all year round and replenish them as necessary,” says Piels.

[Edited to remove whiny reference to the San Francisco Chronicle at Hap’s request]

In Fresno? Why in Fresno?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture keeps an Opuntia collection near Fresno, a genetic library and public lending pool for breeders and growers. Curator Gabriela Romano oversees the 250-plus species and varieties that grow here.

She has tasted all their fruits, and above all others she prefers the elongated, yellow fruits of ficus-indica for eating fresh; dark red varieties of the species are best for rendering into a juice rich in antioxidants.

An article about cute little cactus pots called, The Beauty of Cactus, in the Telegraph starts out by calling them,

angry-looking gherkins in little plastic pots at country fairs

Wha?? That’s not fair. Now I’m angry.

“I haven’t much of an opinion on cactuses,” says Piers, after a sniffy silence, “It has always seemed to me that the more fag butts that are stubbed out on them, the better they grow.”

That is just rude.

waxy coating and bulbous shapes

OK, we get it. You hate cactuses.

cactuses are aesthetically strange but – to anthropomorphise wildly – psychologically fascinating plants: ….cactuses are best admired from afar

Anything else you want to add before close out this sad chapter in your cactus-less life?

Cactus romantics who need a quick fix should visit the arid zone of the Princess of Wales Conservatory at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Is it a new type of cactus that eats arsenic? No! It’s a microbe. Wikipedia says that microbes,

…include bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protists; microscopic plants (green algae); and animals such as plankton and the planarian. Some microbiologists also include viruses, but others consider these as non-living.

But I do have pictures of Mono Lake from this summer to share with all of you who do not know what Mono Lake is.

This here is the South Tufa. Click for a larger photo.

This here is a wildflower I found at Mono Lake.

There’s a lot of suggestions out there for pretty flowering succulents for holiday cheerfulness.

Here’s one that the good people of Tampa, Florida suggest you try for your garden. Indoor works too. Especially if you don’t live in Florida year-round, but want some up in New England where you only spend half the year now. You could plant them as annuals, of course, but if you have someone to come in and water them through the winter while you’re down in Florida, keep the inside and they will bloom for you over and over throughout your retirement years.

Now that was a special little rant I like to call, plant gibberish, or “Planterish.”

On to the article. For some reason I feel like following that up with an actual writer’s words.

A lot of gardeners treat their kalanchoes like annuals and dump them when they stop flowering. I didn’t, and they’ve paid me back by causing very little trouble. They’ve stuck with me through rain and drought, cold and heat. Both plants came in during last year’s freezing weather, but they have been outside all the rest of their days.

I used to think kalanchoe was a shade plant. Not so! My crazy shape-shifting kalanchoe seems to like what I would call “bright shade” or some sun. The smaller kalanchoe can take just about any light condition I throw at it, even direct sun in the summer. Yes, really.

Ahhh, now that is much better.

A Christmas Cactus is also popular, though it blooms closer to Thanksgiving than Christmas. Remember that a Christmas Cactus is not a true cactus. You water it much more often and don’t let the soil dry out.

Well that’s not true. It is a true cactus, and you do want to let it dry out between waterings, even if we do water it more often than desert cacti. And this was on a news show! Don’t they have editors?

A Vermilliad is a tropical plants that provides Christmas color. The leaves act as water cups.

OK, so this is the editors problem. On the video he clearly says Bromeliad. If you google it, it does appear to be a common mistake.

Here’s the video proof.

In Folsom, CA, with pictures.

Debbie shows the group you can put plants in anything.

That’s a boot.

Don’t miss the pointy high-heel shoes in the background.

From the OC Register we get dozens of pictures of what they’re calling the Umbrella Garden by the Quans.

The back yard is a complete departure, packed with eye-candy at every turn. Potted succulents sit on every flat surface, Danny’s Spanish Moss Tree decorated with umbrellas is other-wordly, and the orchid house pops with fascinating bits of pottery and plants.

There’s a whole photo gallery at the link. Beads, umbrellas, succulents, tillandsias and even a cat. Well, maybe not a cat.

It cleared for a minute. Long enough for a rainbow. And now the storm is back. Come visit!

Don Steele, 91, has only lived on Vashon five months, and he has already grown a small but successful business.

The former nurse manager and ceramic artist’s small succulent gardens — buckets, dishes, baskets and even old Jell-O molds filled with sedums and sempervivums — are now sold at both Thriftway and Blooms & Things, and they are catching customers’ attention.

It turns out that the succulent business is an opportunity for all. Come join us! Just go do it somewhere else; Vashon Island is taken.

…in Mt. Waverley. Turns out that’s in Victoria, near Melbourne, so well within distance of a moderate population density to justify the expense of bringing out your cacti.

Here’s the community centre that will be holding all those cacti.

Here’s one of the people showing off his collection.

Heinz Staude with some of the cacti in his own garden. He’s looking forward to the Cactus and Succulent Society of Australia’s annual show this weekend. Picture: Paul Loughnan N19WG206

That’s not a garden. And what else can you tell us about this exciting show?

Society membership secretary Jill Abbott said she expected a crowd of at least 800 over the two-day event.

That’s a lot of people, for an event in Australia which is a very low density country.

“It’s very popular, people are absolutely amazed at what they see and find it hard to leave without buying something.”

I bet it is.

The show will be held at the Mt Waverley Community Centre, corner Miller Cres and Stephensons Rd, from 10am-5pm on November 13, and 10am-3pm on November 14.

Oops. It was 2 weeks ago. Never mind. I hope it went well.

I see between the rains that it’s getting down into the 30s tonight. Since everything is wet, that can be a damaging cold, even if it’s not below freezing. Bring in all the Madagascar plants – Adeniums and Pachypodiums. Frost blankets over all the frost-sensitive plants like Kalanchoes and Aeoniums.

Any other plants you’re not sure of? Let us know what you have, in the comments, and where you are.