After the Chelsea Garden Show finishes up, the subways are filled with plants.

Obviously, for residents of Chelsea and Kensington, they are used to seeing members of the public struggling through the streets and on the tube with large succulents and perennials and the occasional medium-sized shrub.

It ended this past weekend, so there must have been some good gardens this year.

The Canary Islands Spa Garden has lots of nice aeoniums, don’t you think?

That’s about all the succulents I could find from the Times. It does seem like there were a lot of English Gardens at Chelsea this year.

How do you learn about what hardy cactus you can grow in your Oregon garden? Why, take a class!

CHS Garden Center presents Bill Willis, the “Cactus Guy”. “Everything you Wanted to Know About Hardy Cactus” Bill Willis provides a free “gloves on” lecture on cactus varieties suitable for Central Oregon.

Great! When is it?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Oops! Too late. Sorry for not being more timely about this. Oh well, I’m a bastard.

“Cactus”
Photograph by John Wood

It’s not often that the burgeoning field of cactus art makes it into the New York Times, and with a photo! There are 2 exhibits through July at NYU and ICP, whatever those are.

A Lower Murray Darling Catchment Authority forum has heard that… the biggest issues facing the region are cactus and goats.

From the Decorator Showcase we get this view of succulents and art, together again.

A mix of sculpture and low level plants on the roof. (Eric Luse / The Chronicle)

A possible cause of Colony Collapse Disorder has been identified, and it’s Bayer.

From Salon, I’ve quoted the damning parts, but there is more than just this, so read the whole thing.

Beekeepers have singled out imidacloprid and its chemical cousin clothianidin, also produced by Bayer CropScience, as a cause of bee die-offs around the world for over a decade…. due to a disclosure in December 2007 by Bayer CropScience itself. Bayer scientists found imidacloprid in the nectar and pollen of flowering trees and shrubs at concentrations high enough to kill a honeybee in minutes….

Imidacloprid and clothianidin are chloronicotinoids, a synthetic compound that combines nicotine, a powerful toxin, with chlorine to attack an insect’s nervous system. The chemical is applied to the seed of a plant, added to soil, or sprayed on a crop and spreads to every corner of the plant’s tissue, killing the pests that feed on it….

Today the EPA’s own literature calls it “very highly toxic” to honeybees and other beneficial insects….

So is this what you’ve been using? It’s in Bayer Tree and Shrub products. Interestingly, they have a major research facility here in Berkeley just a few blocks from our home. What giant chemical company implicated in the die-off of bees do you have near your home?

Shoes! in Medford! (OR).

A Garden Chicks specialty is women’s shoes done up as planters, the more stylish the better. (Janice) Bettenburg shows visitors red, green, gold and purple high-heeled pumps planted with succulents such as hens and chickens and sedum. She’s done the same with cowboy boots and women’s purses.

It’s not all just piracy on the high seas, there’s also some stunning succulents in Somalia.

Pseudolithos harardheranus from Harardhere, which has emerged as the piracy capital of the world.

More interesting pictures accompany the article, too.

PLANT SALE

“Fun in the Garden” Plant sale will be held Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m. to noon, by the Garden Club of Buzzards Bay at St. Mary’s Church Parish Center, 783 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, MA 02748. Free admission and parking. Community projects benefit from the proceeds. Club grown… succulents and geraniums will be for sale…

It’s certainly been awhile since I’ve been to a Buzzards Bay plant sale.

Nurseryman Paul Little will give a program on the creative use of sedums and small succulents at the Memphis Botanic Garden….

Little will demonstrate his techniques with living wreaths, dish gardens in homemade hypertufa pots, decorated bird houses and bird cages and his simple and charming “chicks-in-a- brick” at noon May 15.

Wow, nice green roof bird house. Hap’s been thinking about making them for a while, but maybe this will spur him to action.

Clayton Homes has just launched a line of green prefab homes (called the i-house) that start at under $75,000 (or about $105 / square foot) excluding site costs and shipping. 

Well, what about the green roof? Where’s the optional green roof, I wanna know. I’m a bastard that way.

From the San Jose Mercury News comes this stunning suggestion.

If you thought growing succulents meant dealing with spiny cactus that could literally be a pain, think again. Succulents are a great choice for creating an outdoor water-wise garden.

Anything more specific they can recommend?

Aeoniums… have leaves that range in color from green, yellow and deep burgundy to tri-colored options….

Echeverias… are moderately fast growers….

Another favorite are the Euphorbias….

A cactus diuretic.

BRAM, France— Developed from prickly pear cactus fruit (Opuntia ficus indica), Cacti-Nea™ first revealed original antioxidant and diuretic properties.

Press releases can be so much fun, and informative too.

Golf courses are, of course, one of the worst water wasters (users) around. And they use a lot of chemicals to keep the greens green. And then all that water washes the chemicals somewhere else.

Palm Beach has water problems, and new solutions.

Other conservation measures recommended by the civic association committee include installing drought-resistant grass, as the town is doing at the Par 3 Golf Course, and using drought-resistant vegetation, such as the hardy succulents planted last year.

Succulents are the hot plant for their architectural look, and now they’re also the hot plant for their drought resistant properties. Plus, they’re the hot plant for their fire-resistant properties too. Oy, that’s a lot of reasons to plant succulents.

First, it’s all about growing your own veggies this year, as we’ve found out at the nursery.

Many Nantucketers can’t wait to start planning their garden even this early in the season…. “We anticipate vegetable gardening to be very popular this year…” said Hilary Newell of Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm. “People are staying home and trying to grow their own stuff.

Very good. But it’s a bit early for most vegetables off the cold New England Coast.

Succulents are increasing in popularity, she said. They are thick, vibrant and gummy and almost look unreal, which is fitting given how little watering and care they require, Slosek said.

If you’re feeling optimistic about a hot summer, you could set your sights on planting a melon.

Personally, I find all this talk about Nantucket makes me want to share a limerick. Yay! Join me after the break for what promises to be a really bad thing… Read More…

Florida has many types of storms.

Storm-proofing begins with landscaping

Take a long, slow walk around your property. Notice how rainwater flows through the yard. Ensure that any runoff moves well away from the house…

If the threat is wildfires…. Succulents are a good choice, because they retain water in their fleshy leaves, stems and roots.

Succulents are always a good choice, even if you’re not expecting a wildfire.

From the San Jose Mercury News, they’ve created a tip sheet on “Creating a water-saving landscape” and they’ve come up with this idea for you:

Select succulents.

Did I pay them to write that? Maybe. But you’ll never know.

There’s a native plant sale at the old cemetery in Santa Rosa today.

Old roses and native plants propagated from some of the heirlooms abloom in Santa Rosa’s rural cemetery, will be on sale May 2. Pick up some pots for your own garden after taking a free guided walk through the cemetery…. The cemetery is located at Franklin Avenue at Monroe Street.

The cactus are blooming in Sun City. How do I know? Josephine Klecker tells us so:

“The cactus blooms about 10 p.m., and the flowers close by noon.”

So now you know.

A honeybee dances on the pale pink flower of a night-blooming cactus.

Photo: Edward Fontaine for The Maine Campus

Libby weaves back through the cacti and ducks under the leaves of the banana trees to enter the central walkway again, exiting the greenhouse, to his office just steps away.

Or as I like to call them, Slocavores, have reached Las Vegas.

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Slow Food Las Vegas are co-hosting an event May 3 to teach area residents how to grow and prepare nopal cacti.

It’s true, nopales are slow.

(T)hese cacti… show promise in reducing heart disease and have a positive effect on individuals inflicted with Type 2 diabetes.

That too.

Heart-healthy slocavores.

Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcón says… “I seriously think… DWP (Department of Water and Power) should hand out… cactus to (utility) customers,” Alarcón said. “I ate one last night, and they’re delicious.

“I think… it would send a powerful message and reduce water use.”

Yay!

If they want to contact us, we can supply them all these free delicious cactus, for a (small, nominal) price.

This looks good. But it’s weeks away! What to do until then….

Creating Magic with Succulent Plants

Thursdays, May 14, 21, and 28, 7 – 9 pm Saturday, May 30, 9 am – 12 noon

Join three well-known experts in the field of succulents and learn how to create a lush and lovely landscape with these amazing waterwise plants. On May 14, Debra Lee Baldwin, award-winning photojournalist and author of the bestseller Designing with Succulents, will give a general introduction with a sneak peek at her forthcoming book on succulent container gardens. On May 21, Michael Buckner, landscape designer and owner of “The Plant Man” nursery, will talk about overall landscape design and factors that make it work-soil prep, cultural requirements, etc. And on May 28, horticulturist Patrick Anderson, creator of one of the most celebrated succulent gardens in California, will show you how to combine succulents with other plants and create marvelous garden vignettes. On Saturday, May 30, all three experts will participate in a panel discussion to answer your questions on gardening with succulent plants. After a short break, we will take a tour of the succulent plantings at Quail Botanical Gardens, Encinitas (CA).

And all it took was everyone agreeing on the cactus. Tampa, FL is the site of the condo conflict.

Hoping to put an end to the ongoing conflict between the town and a group of condo residents over a proposed beach access widening at 176th Avenue, the Redington Shores Board of Commissioners scaled down the planned expansion….

“Cactus should not be on a public easement,” Denhardt said. “For liability purposes, those need to come out.”

Well, it is true that some cactus should not be in public right of ways. I think we can all agree with that. I wonder if anyone reads these silly little news items. They’re not really all that interesting. They have almost nothing to do with cactus, besides an occasional mention, and then I write nonsensical addendums. Well, maybe you read this far for my nonsense. I know I do.

In an article about Food Trends for Recessionary Times with the heading:

Consumers are turning to comfort food but lighter beverages.

I wouldn’t expect to see any mention of cactus pads. No, I wouldn’t. But I would be wrong.

FLAVOR TRENDS
1. Persimmon
2. Starfruit
3. Lavender
4. Cactus
5. Chimichurri
6. Peri-Peri
7. Masala

I had no idea that cactus was going to be as popular as peri-peri in the coming year. Truly an oddity to behold.

The Boulders Resort in Scottsdale, AZ is having a naming contest. They’re asking you to come up with creative names for six of their cacti, and you could win a trip to the spa.

Here’s one.

I think I’d name it Spike. Ahhhh, ha ha ha ha. Very clever of me.

You can name it Billy Barrel, if you like.

…Buy cactus. So says the Las Vegas Sun.

“One of the biggest resources Nevada has is not necessarily sun or geothermal. The largest resource Las Vegas has is energy efficiency. It’s a gold mine.”

So where do the cactus come into it?

The Washington offices of Nevadans often feel like Wellinghoff’s….  It’s the cactus (a cactus!) growing on the windowsill….

That a Westerner is leading this pivotal federal agency (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) now is no coincidence.

See, what did I tell you. The head of the FERC wants you to save energy by buying a cactus. My selective quoting proves it.

As tends to happen when you play backyard football.

Where he had landed, beneath the fallen leaves, was a short scrubby cactus someone had planted or thrown out years ago. This prickly little beast did not, thankfully, have the giant stickers you might expect. Otherwise, Blayze’s catch may have been far bloodier. Rather, this little cactus was covered with what botanists call “glochids.”

Well that’s gonna take awhile to clean up.