Everyone Needs An Astrophytum Ornatum
I have several varieties of astrophytum and enjoy them all, but the astrophytum ornatum are by far my best bloomers. They begin n the early spring and bloom late into the fall. In fact, I have had them bloom in the greenhouse during the winter on occasion. I do winter...
Cactus Names and Pronunciations
When I first started collecting cactus, I would bring home my little treasures, happily repot them in a dish garden, and, like most people, I suspect, throw away the identification tags, oblivious to the fact that some day I might want to know those sometimes...
I Learned the Secret to Growing Better Cactus
Know what it is? Water them at night. Really. Ready for a biology lesson? Well, botany lesson, to be more precise. Here goes. Pay attention. Woody Minnich, shown here with my friends Hellen Adrian and Sheila Stevenson when we attended the the 2012 Albuquerque cactus...
The Cactus Convention
The 35th Cactus and Succulent Society of America’s biennial convention was held last week at the Sheraton Hotel in Austin, Texas. This is the second one I have attended, and at both I have met interesting people, learned something new about growing cactus, and yes,...
The Cactus Convention
Really. An event made in heaven for cactus lovers. And did you know there is even a cactus society-The Cactus and Succulent Society of America? This group holds a convention every other year and in different cities across the U.S. This year the convention is in...
Pink as Pepto-Bismol in the Cactus Garden
May is the month I always look forward to in terms of cactus flowers. My cold hardy cactus out in the big cactus garden traditionally start to bloom the second week in May. This year with the terrible weather and the late freezes, the echinocereus, commonly called...
The Bombax Tree, aka The Shaving Brush Tree
I bought this bombax tree back in 1985 when I was first getting interested in the more unusual specimens I would come across when searching for cactus and succulents. It was in a one-gallon container then and about a foot tall. Today it is in an 18-inch pot and...
The Cholla Says Winter Is Over
When winter arrives and the weather gets colder and icier, prickly pear and cholla get progressively droopy and sad-looking. Both plants are in the same cactus family of opuntia, so I guess they respond similarly to the cold. By the end of winter, this is what one of...
Weeds and Cactus- A Few Things I Forgot
As I was finishing my weeding for the day, some things came up that I should have mentioned in the last post about weeding the garden. So let me add to the list of helpful hints. I have found that if the ground is wet, or damp from rain or human watering, the weeds...
Weeds and Cactus
I was told once that the reason my cactus garden looks good is that I keep it free of weeds. Well, isn’t that a given? That the weeds should come out? Then I thought about it and realized that in fact too many cactus gardens don’t get weeded. I think that’s another...
Recent Comments