Before I finish the Top Ten plant lists of 2009, and before I start on the Top Ten cactus of the decade list, I thought I would start with something less controversial:

Top Ten NFL Quarterbacks of the Decade

Now, to be sure, the final 2 are pretty well predetermined. And don’t think the fact that I’ve been a Patriots fan for 35 years, since my dad got us season tickets to the very lousy pre-Grogan Pats in 1974, or that I’ve been a Michigan fan almost 30 years will have anything to do with my final choice. Nothing at all.

First we have a couple that didn’t quite make the list.

Jake Delhomme had one great year mid decade and one good superbowl but that’s not enough to make it onto this list.

Drew Bledsoe – overall career numbers would be good enough (45k yds and 250 TDs), plus a Superbowl season even if he was injured for most of it, but his best was in the 90s.

Onwards to the 10!

10. Steve McNair – if the NFL can give him 3 pro-bowls and an MVP that’s good enough for #10.

9. Daunte Culpepper might be one of the weakest QBs on one of the weakest teams right now, but the first half of the decade he was the best with the Vikings.

8. Kurt Warner sure is good, but is he top ten good? Almost 30k yds and almost 200 TDs for the decade puts him right here. Plus he started off the decade with a classic Superbowl win.

7. Matt Hasselbeck – 3 time Pro Bowl, 5 playoffs and 1 Superbowl. Plus look at those gaudy numbers – 24k yards, 150+ TDs.

6. Donovan McNabb – 5 time Pro Bowl, 1 Superbowl and a massive comeback. Plus 30k yds in the decade is nothing to sneeze at.

5. Ben Roethlisberger – close to 20k yards in only 6 seasons, 2 Superbowl wins, including one in which he played well.

4. Drew Brees – I’m putting him pretty high up here because his best seasons have come at the end of the decade, leading this years Saints and with last years awfully gaudy numbers: 5,069 65% 34

3. Brett Favre – an easy choice who may have been the top if not for his damn lingering, plus his best years were in the ’90s. Good cameo in “Something About Mary”.

The final two are… Read More…

If you don’t know what a caudex is, check out the pictures and you can probably figure it out for yourself. Or click through here. It’s hard to put these in any semblance of an order since they’re all so fantastic.

10. Jatropha berlandieri – the classic round caudex that goes fully dormant in the winter.

9. Ipomoea platensis is one of our succulent morning glories.

8. Bombax ellipticum is a subtree from Mexico, also known as Pseudobombax.

7. Ibervillea lindhemerii is pretty much our least popular caudex, and it’s in the cucumber family, so go figure.

6. Sinningia tubiflora is one of the easiest caudiciforms to grow.

5. Dioscorea macrostachya – babies!

4. Ornithogalum caudatum is the Pregnant Onion.

3. Urginea maritima – generally a solitary bulb that blooms when it is 15 to 20 years old. If it were in bloom this year, it would be number 1. But it will have to wait for another year.

2. Nananthus transvaalensis X Aloinopsis orpenii is a caudiciform mesemb with rose flowers

And the number one caudex for all of 2009… Read More…

OK, this is a new one for us, since this was the first year we carried organic veggie starts, and the photos aren’t really very good, so maybe I won’t do 10. Maybe I’ll be happy with only 5. Or 4. Let’s see what we have.

10. Lettuce. Yes, this is a summer blend lettuce. get a grip, what do you think veggie starts are?

9. Tomato “SF Fog”

8. Cilantro

7. Kale “Red Russian”

6. Lettuce Mesclum Mix

5. Mint “Bergamot”

4. Super Sugar Snap Peas

3.Tomato “Fireworks”

I guess that’s enough. Maybe I should renumber them 1 thru 8. Man, I’m lazy today, what with it being christmas eve and all, and we’re open til 5pm so it will be a long day before christmas dinner.

I would have to say this is my worst top ten list ever. If I made a list of Top Ten Worst Top Ten Lists, this would be number 1. Yay!

I haven’t decided yet whether this list will be for the genus euphorbia or the entire family euphorbiaceae. Let’s get started and see what turns up. Either way, they’re all poisonous, and none of them are poinsettias.

10. Euphorbia ammak

9. E. “Helena’s Blush” – This was very popular this year. We’re not usually big on the variegated spurges.

8. E. tirucallii, aka Milk Bush, Pencil Cactus and Firesticks.

7. E. ledienii – seems quite cactus-like, now that I think of it.

6. E. gariepina – this would have ranked higher if Hap were making this list.

5. E. myrsinites, the Donkey Tail Spurge

4. E. lomi “Salmon”

3. E. lactea crest “Ghost”

2. E. stenoclada

And the number one Euphorbia for 2009 is… Read More…

I don’t know why Bromeliads get their own list. And yet, the demands of the trade are such that here it is, in all its flaming glory – Top Ten Bromeliads of 2009. On the other hand we don’t actually carry that many species and I don’t photograph most of the florist bromeliads, so we’ll see if we can get to 10. Hey – it’s the best I can do.

10. Vriesea imperialis – some would say this is the greatest of all the terrestrial bromeliads, and so should be number 1.

9.Tillandsia stricta “Stiff Gray”

8. Neoregelia “Sarah Head”

7. Cryptanthus bivittatus

6. Dyckia platyphylla

5. Neoregelia “Rubra”

4. Cryptanthus “Black Mystic”

3. Puya berteroniana

2. Tillandsia bulbosa

And coming soon to a theater near you, it’s the number 1 hit terrestrial bromeliad of the year… Read More…

10. First, for the Shade category, we have Heuchera “Santa Ana Cardinal”

9. For the Sunflower Family category, there’s Aster chilensis

8. For the Fried Egg category, I like Romneya coulteri

7. For the Even More Delicious than a Fried Egg category, I see we’ve reached agreement with a Mallow, Malacothamnus palmeri

6. For the Tops in Shrubbiness category, there’s always Ceanothus “Tassajara Blue”, a classic Cal. Lilac for your enjoyment.

5. For the Most Beautiful category, Dudleya attenuata, but of course.

4. I see Manzanitas have their own category this year. Arctostaphylos pajaroensis “Warren Roberts” was a strong contender in the past, and has come through with the win this year with their big juicy berries!

3. For the Most Blooms, Dudleya cymosa – we seem to have our 2nd Dudleya on this list. It’s an outstanding performance by the Dudleyas this year!

2. For the Bay Area Favorite Award, Salvia “Allen Chickering”

And the #1 California native plant for your garden of 2009 is… Read More…

The rain is coming down hard, so now is a good time to remember all the best of the succulents we had this year, through all the sunny days we had.

10. Pachyphytum longifolium

9. Sempervivum “Lavender and Old Lace”

8. Sedum makinoi “Ogon”

7. Dischidia ruscifolia

6. Echeveria agavoides “Ebony”

5. Aeonium subplanum

4. Jovibarba heuffeli – actually, I was thinking this may have been number 1, but it was a tough call to place it at #4, but that’s what I’m here for – to make the tough calls.

3. Astroloba foliosa

2. Aeonium decorum “Tricolor”

Read More…

A Sahuarita man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving…. The car hit a street sign and crashed through cholla cactus before coming to a stop. No one was injured.

What about the cactus? Was it damaged?

I love Top 10 lists! And now I realize I haven’t ever made one myself. That seems odd. So here to rectify this egregious lapse is my first ever top 10 list.

Top 10 Cactus of 2009

10. Mammillaria elongata

9. Echinocereus armatus

8. Opuntia santa-rita

7. Echinopsis peruviana

6. Oreocereus trollii

Oh, that’s cute.

5. Pereskia lychnidiflora

4. Mammillaria bocasana ssp. multilanata

3. Eriosyce esmereldana

2. Rebutia krainziana

And the number one cactus of 2009… Read More…

And the Baboon wins!

Baboon feeding on Opuntia fruit, photo by Dr. Shirley Strum

I wonder what the article has to say about it?

Dr. Strum (a professor at the University of California, San Diego) has been studying baboons in Kenya for some time. She reports that one Opuntia species has invaded one or two of her studies areas in the past years–she’s observed baboons eating the fruit (and elephants eating the fruit too).

We may not be the favorite local nursery of the SF Chronicle, but apparently the L.A. Times likes us. From the Saturday Home section:

…an elegant tillandsia wreath. Made-to-order by Cactus Jungle Nursery & Garden in Berkeley, the 14-inch design contains hundreds of tiny living air plants…

Robots seem to love living at the nursery – they don’t mind the cold weather we’ve been having at all. I wonder if they’ve been coming in at night after we’ve all left the store?

He seems happy enough. Maybe a little surprised that we leave them alone at night with the run of the grounds.

The L.A. Times says they’re featuring our Tillandsia Wreaths in Saturday’s paper! Woohoo!

If you get the Times, check it out, and send us a copy too, OK?

I was on the road the last 3 days, so I didn’t know just how cold it got in Berkeley – down to 30! I think it may even have gotten colder in some spots. The crew got frost blankets up on some sensitive plants, but we still took some damage on a few plants. I hope you didn’t take too much damage last night.

I suspect we’ll see some dead Jade trees throughout the Bay Area, and the Agave attenuatas that were unprotected probably got tip damage. The Aeoniums should lose some leaves, but be OK overall.

Growing succulents for green roofs is becoming a big business. We’ve sold some, but you really need to work in large volumes, and we’re too urban for that.

On the other hand, Southern Maryland seems like it would be the perfect place.

John Shepley shows one of the many green roof plants grown on the farm. (Photo by Maryland Newsline’s Lindsay Gsell)

Rows and rows of small sedums, delosperma and other green roof plants sit below, soaking up the sun in their newly insulated home.

These plants have been the sole focus and cash crop of the farm since 1998. Nearly a million of them are grown each year for green roofs around the country, says Shepley, a former electrical engineer who is now co-owner of the business.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Walter Reed Community Center in Washington, D.C., and Radio Shack’s World Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, are among the farm’s more than 400 clients.

Wow.

From the Jackson (MS) Free Press.

Buy little succulents and plant them in mismatched tea cups

That’s very bossy of them down there in Jackson, although it is a good idea. Possible even an adorable idea.

Here’s one on flickr. Yes, it is a teacup succulent. An anacampseros to be exact.

From across the pond, we find the british are asking all the right questions in this time of rising fuel bills and economic turmoil:

How do you keep tender plants alive without resorting to a greenhouse heater? Lia Leendertz has some answers

I wonder what her answers could be? Shall we read on?

We shall!

I patched up the cracks and bought a whole new roll of bubblewrap, plus those fancy attachers that hold the bubblewrap away from the glass, so creating an extra layer of insulating air. I have painstakingly covered every inch of glass, overlapping generously at every seam. I have lined the base of the walls with thick layers of cardboard, and moved the table away from the sunny side, so the sun can shine on the paving and heat it up. I made a door of overlapping bubblewrap flaps that ET’s captors would have been proud of and I have fleece to hurl directly over the plants when it gets really cold, and some of those fleece bags to put over the larger plants. This weekend, I will move in a water butt, and fill it up, the idea being that it regulates temperature, preventing the surrounding air from getting either too hot, or I pray too cold.

Those are actually all pretty good ideas. Especially making the greenhouse into an ET-like prison.

This is lunch hour at the Desert Rain Cafe on the Tohono O’odham reservation in Arizona.  Each dish contains at least one traditional food from plants that grow on the reservation.   This popular chicken sandwich has a sauce made from Prickly Pear cactus.  Customers are raving about the tasty and healthy food. 

The cafe also serves calcium rich cholla buds from the Cholla cactus…. He also says he put seeds from a giant cactus in the region in some dishes.

“These are the saguaro seeds that are grown on the Saguaro cactus.  It’s harvested only one time a year,” he explained.

Why all the cactus?

The second largest Native American tribe, Tohono O’odham, has the highest rate of adult onset diabetes in the world….

(T)he traditional foods can prevent diabetes, which affects children as young as six years old. 

“The same compounds that let the plant survive actually regulate blood sugar levels.  They keep blood sugar levels even and help prevent diabetes and keep diabetics healthier,” he said.

December 3 is a big day for the San Carlos branch of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

Native succulents. Find out which native Californian succulents are suitable for the garden and get tips on propagation. 7 p.m. San Carlos Library, 610 Elm St., San Carlos. Free. www.cnps-scv.org.

It’s eight months in federal prison for a man who stole saguaros from a national park in Tucson….

Tillman and McKee took two of the giant cacti from Saguaro National Park West in January 2007.

The latest news from the Green Valley News and Sun is all about cactus.

(K)nitting artist Irene York,… (u)sing traditional knitting needles and stitches plus a variety of colorful and textured yarns,… knits cactus.

Her colorful home in Quail Creek is filled with a variety of live cactus outside and hand-knit cactus all abloom with vibrant flowers inside.

Yay!

I wonder where the Green Valley Sun is? The paper claims to be in the Tucson area. Good to know.

Apparently the newspaper is now ordering you to stop watering your cactus. This comes from the Lancashire Telegraph, which name is the real reason for blogging this silly item.

Lay off water and feed for cacti and succulents. They need their winter’s rest, and can be easily killed by kindness in the form of too much moisture.

Yes, LAY OFF your watering, indeed! if you live in Lancashire and other points north.

I wonder if Lancashire is in the north? Well it is north of Blackpool, so that is pretty far north indeed.

Here’s some lovely “Rocks in a Stream” located in Abbeystead in Lancashire, taken by Happy Snapper uk

Yes, we’re now on twitter. Ian set it up. Check us out at @cactusjungle.

What will be different from the blog, you may ask? Well, the blog is mostly just me, with some of Hap thrown in. The twitter account will be everyone at the nursery. Yay! I wonder if we can get Samuella to twitter too?

Succulent gardens on Alcatraz are blooming.

Today, thanks to dozens of green-thumbed volunteers and Garden Conservancy staff, Alcatraz is blooming again. (Provided by the Garden Conservancy)

Here’s my photo of the leading edge of the island covered by Agave americanas, many of them in bloom.

Closer… Read More…

I got nothin’.

The Chicago Tribune has all the latest in Euphorbia drug news.

An Illinois researcher has received a $1.4 million-dollar federal grant to study a potential new… experimental drug (that) comes from a cactus-like plant…

The drug is called Resiniferatoxin (reh-sin-ih-FEHR-oh-tox-in). It’s injected directly into the spinal cord.

Good to know some of those poisonous euphorbias can be useful for more than just causing screaming pain.

Here’s the plant it comes from (via wikipedia)

Euphorbia resinifera
Photo: Valérie & Agnès, Jardin botanique de Barcelone

That is a very nice plant. I want one. Do you think the researchers will share with me? It looks easy enough to break off a branch and send it to Berkeley. I suppose they could happen upon this blog post and send me a cutting.

Have you been looking for a new alternative cow feed for your cows? Let me suggest a new alternative for you. Cactus from China is the latest cow feed on the market and you can bet that’s the latest alternative on the market! Your cows will “have a cow” until you feed them cactus.

Organic animal feed extracted from cactus is… a patented animal feed marketed by China Kangtai Cactus Bio-Tech Inc.

More than 60 local UPS workers got together Saturday morning to help put the finishing touches on the restoration of the Carraro Cactus Gardens that surround the Tovrea Castle.

Nice job, UPSers. Or is it UPSites? UPSaloopers?

Anyway, if you didn’t know, we’re talking Phoenix here.