New Plants at Cactus Jungle

July Plants and it’s All Good

Hi! I hope you are having a pleasant day. I’ve been waiting for a plant shipment to arrive and was just told it won’t be coming until tomorrow. Hmph.

At least I have a sunny day and not too hot so we can sit out and get tanned.

I went in to SF yesterday and got lunch at a new place in the Dogpatch and it was good, but not good enough to go out of my way for again. There were long lines and crowded seating, but I had a nice walk along the bay.

What else can I tell you? Oh yeah, I have a new grand-nephew, Henry, who lives on the east coast. Nice! It’s been nice chatting with you, now on to the plants!

 

 

Storefront with two signs: Cactus Jungle Nursery and Garden and Ross Valley Nursery. Large windows display plants inside. The sun shines brightly from the right side of the image.

Cactus Jungle, Marin
Ross Valley Nursery
130 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
San Anselmo, CA 94960
(415) 870-9930

Hours:

Wed-Fri 10a-4:30p
Sat-Sun 10a-5p
Closed Mon-Tue

 

PLANTS

 

A green succulent plant with pointed leaves in a pot, sourced from Succulents Bay Area, features a tall stem with small pink and yellow flowers, set against a black background.

Echeveria “Blue Mist” are small blue clusters of rosettes with stunning orange flowers, lined up and curling back along the stalk. These are some of the finest of the smaller, bluer, pointier, softier and brushier of the Echeverias. Not to be confused with the frillier ones, or the crinklier ones.

A close-up of a potted succulent with thick, pointed, gray-green leaves edged with thorns, set against a black background—perfect for adding a touch of striking greenery to any Succulents Bay Area collection.

Mangave “Sponge Paint” has splotches on the leaves, but this photo makes it hard to see the splotchy leaves, instead it’s very pointy in this picture. I have a picture from above too but I decided it was better to show you the view that does not represent the name, since you can imagine the view on top just from that name – what a name! So much power.

A round green cactus with long, curved brown and white spines sits in a black pot filled with small pebbles, against a black background—an elegant choice for any succulents Bay Area collection.

Ferocactus wislizeni is the Fishhook Barrel Cactus. I wonder what a fishhook looks like? Let me AI that, yeah it looks like those spines. Good job everyone!

A potted prickly pear cactus with flat, green pads and small spines, sourced from Succulents Bay Area, set against a black background.

Opuntia ficus-indica is the classic edible Prickly Pear that will get large and take over your yard, your neighborhood, and then the country, so please be careful when cultivating your crops of delicious red fruit.

Three tall, green cacti with long yellow spines grow in a pot filled with small rocks, set against a black background—a striking addition for any Succulents Bay Area collection.

Echinopsis lageniformis is a slender and very spiny column cactus that will get 50 ft tall, growing over 12ft per year. I may be exaggerating, hold on let me check AI. No, it turns out I’m not exaggerating, thank you AI! Oh wait, I am hearing from more reputable sources that this is a hallucinated exaggeration. But what will we tell the kids?!?

PLANTS, PART 2

A close-up of a green cactus with a twisted, spiral shape and sharp spines, set against a black background—a striking example of the unique succulents Bay Area enthusiasts admire.

Cereus forbesii “Spiralis” are sure spiraling today. These were originally cultivated in the 1980s, from a parent plant nobody knows from where or when. Some are spineless, others like this have short spines.

A close-up of a green succulent plant with thick, smooth leaves edged in pink, set against a black background in a small pot—perfect for anyone seeking unique succulents in the Bay Area.

Echeveria “Sahara” they tell me, but it’s not as frilly an Echeveria as you usually see with Sahara, but on the other other other there’s still time for it to grow. Let me know how it grows for you. Truly we are on a most exciting adventure together.

A potted succulent with thick, pointed green leaves that have white spots and brown spiky edges, set against a black background—a striking addition to any Succulents Bay Area collection.

Aloe mudenensis has thick juicy leaves, which is what you like to see from an Aloe. I wonder if this one is prize-winning-worthy? Maybe next year I’ll bring it to the County Fair and enter it with the other succulents and the vegetables too.

A potted succulent from Succulents Bay Area features thick, pointed leaves tipped in pink and yellow, set against a solid black background. The leaves have a waxy appearance and grow in elegant rosette shapes.

Crassula “High Voltage” is yet another C. rupestris cultivar, this one with thickly painted on edges and pointies. I asked AI how it got its name and the AI froze in fear at my sophisticated question – maybe it was too sophisticated for the AI? I asked it if succulents can grow in your garden here in California and the AI just laughed and laughed, it was quite funny I agree. So I wanted to know how to turn this AI off since I had never downloaded an AI nor clicked on any links nor tried my luck at the AI chat games, and it shut my computer down before I could scream and jumped out the window and ran off.

A potted succulent from Succulents Bay Area with long, pointed green leaves edged with small spines, grows from rocky soil against a solid black background.

Aloe glauca “Namaqualand” I’m not saying that AI is bad, it just ran off with my computer is all I’m saying and now what? What can I do now to rectify this unjust situation? This is the Bay Area! home of AI companies! – is there anyone on my email list who is an AI CEO who can get me my computer back?

A close-up of a potted plant with broad, mottled red and green leaves, set against a black background—perfect for adding a touch of Succulents Bay Area style to any space.

Neoregelia “Red Waif” I have nothing to say about this plant since the AI stole my computer and ran off. I wish I could tell you something about these gorgeous small bromeliads, but time is not my friend here, I am running after the AI as we speak. Oh god, not the trolley problem ahead! Switch tracks!!!

A branch with small, delicate pink buds and green leaves is shown against a black background, reminiscent of the unique flora found in Succulents Bay Area.

Begonia fuchsioides So I asked the AI what to do about the trolley ahead of me and it was gracious in telling me that humans and their philosophical conundrums are not interesting to an AI. So I’ve decided to get back to the plants, like this cool little begonia with the really cool little pink flowers. Works well indoor or out. AI could never tell you that fact, that’s all me, baby.

PLANTS, PART 3

A potted fuchsia plant with green leaves, and pink and white bell-shaped flowers, sits against a black background—an elegant accent for any Succulents Bay Area collection.

And then there are new Fuchsia cultivars that have really made huge strides over the last few years – these are gorgeous patio plants that will drape flowers all over your deck.

A close-up of a small succulent plant from Succulents Bay Area with textured, dark green leaves in a square pot filled with rocky soil, against a black background.

Haworthia “Korizato” is practically fuzzy. It’s like a teddy bear. It’s I need a thesaurus. AI, do you incorporate a thesaurus? AI says to tell you the leaves are “textured”. Sure, I guess, now I’m sad.

Green succulent plant with translucent, striped leaves in a black square pot, surrounded by small brown rocks, set against a black background—a stunning addition to any Succulents Bay Area collection.

Haworthia geraldii is brilliantly lined, white lines on green leaves.

A small green succulent plant with fuzzy leaves grows from two thick, brown, intertwined stems in a square pot filled with rocky soil, against a black background—perfect for Succulents Bay Area enthusiasts seeking unique varieties.

Trichodiadema bulbosum after a severe haircut to cut back those long vines into this nicely compact form on top of those caudiciform bulbous roots.

Cluster of purple and white wildflowers with rounded, fringed petals, surrounded by green leaves. The background is blurred, showing hints of more flowers and foliage—typical of the vibrant natural displays found alongside succulents in the Bay Area.

Globularia “Blue Eyes” is a pretty plant that has pretty colors. My writing has degraded severely since I started using AI, how shall I fix this? Local Bay Area AI CEO billionaire send me a message!

Close-up of clusters of small white flowers with bright yellow centers on grayish stems, set against a blurred background of similar flowers and green foliage—an elegant display often seen in succulent gardens throughout the Bay Area.

Helichrysum “Ruby Cluster” has clusters of red flower heads until they open to white with yellow centers. If you are a Bay Area AI CEO centi-billionaire, I promise if you are the one on the trolley tracks I will divert the trolley, so the phone lines are open for your help, at least until ATT finally shuts those things down.

Close-up of small purple flowers with delicate petals on thin green stems, set against a softly blurred background of similar purple blooms—an enchanting scene often found in gardens that feature succulents Bay Area style.

Verbena “Lollipop” is such a nice purple flower. Enchanting would be a good word here, I better consult the thesaurus. Yes, Enchanting is a good word here. AI says bloviating but I think that’s the wrong word. Enchanting is better in this spot.

Orange and yellow wildflowers with green leaves in sunlight, alongside succulents, with a blurred background of more flowers and greenery typical of the Bay Area.

Mimulus “Mai Tai Orange” is a native Monkeyflower. It is well-known in the East Bay hills without even having to consult the AI.

Purple flowers with yellow centers bloom among slender green leaves, with sunlight highlighting their petals—creating a vibrant scene reminiscent of gardens featuring succulents Bay Area residents cherish. The background is softly blurred with hints of green and more purple flowers.

Solanum lacinatum is the last plant this month, and it is a doozy, an Australian member of the Nightshade family, used medicinally so I hear. So I think I may have overdid that AI theme this month. Fortunately I had AI take a look at this email and it approved, making only a small number of editorial decisions in its favor. AI!