Grain Elevator in Miniature

My husband surprised me with this, his very own idea, his very own creation, a grain elevator for my cactus garden. He casually went about building it during the cold of the winter months when there was nothing to work on outside and when I wasn’t in and out of his...

Stapelia Lepida Seeds

One of my favorite plants is the stapelia lepida that I think I have shared with you before. But the flower is so intricate it is worth sharing again. Every year it blooms, and every year I take yet another picture of that amazing flower, this one blooming in ...

Cactus Sunburn, Too

I was so focused on telling you the perils of too much sun on succulents last week that I really didn’t talk much about the effects of too much sun on cactus in particular. They, too, can be damaged in heat like we are experiencing now. The sun may be more intense in...

Agave Lechuguilla

Hellen and I came home with a start of this agave a bunch of years ago when we visited the McNay Museum in San Antonio to enjoy a Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit. I was just getting serious about my cactus collection and was anxious to add new specimens and at the time...

Consider the Much-Maligned Prickly Pear

To many people, if you say cactus, they immediately frown, wince, envision prickly pear, and want no part of any cactus. Which is a shame, because the opuntia family gives us beautiful flowers, and with conscientious pruning can be kept from taking over your garden...