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...