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February 27, 2008

The intriguing Cactus

February can be a wintry weary month, but March is almost here and spring might be just around the corner.

I have stumbled upon what I used to call the miniature cactus ( the plurals are cacti, cactuses and also cactus) so many times at a few places including the local Home Depot. I went back to look at it while debating if I should buy some. They are intriguing, although some look so unreal and unnatural as if someone dyed the flowers into purple, pink, yellow and green. Then two weeks ago I bought my first grafted cactus because I could not resist the unusual looking growth and the color combination on the plant. I went back a week later to buy my second one.

Cactus is totally foreign to me. Where I grew up, there were no cactus. (Cactus normally grow in very dry areas and there is no desert in Thailand). My first experience with cactus was when I visited Arizona almost half a century ago. I love and admire cactus. These unusual plants with succulent stems and branches with spines, scales, needles and unique flowers have always fascinated me.

I had no idea that there is a plethora of information that can be found online about grafted cactus and ‘how to’ instructions. After reading about them, I must admit that I now have better appreciation of cactus as ornamental house plants.

http://www.cactuslovers.com/

http://www.cactus-and-succulents.com/index.html

http://windowsillcactus.com/

http://cactiguide.com/ref/

http://www.cactuscollection.com/index.html

http://www.desertdans.com/

I also love the meaning of cactus -- ENDURANCE.

Posted by Pat Feinstein at 12:14 PM | Permalink

Comments

Beautiful cactus - those spines look too sharp for me!

alan/aboutorchids.com | February 27, 2008 11:25 PM link

Have you found any really good nurseries for purchasing cacti in southern New England?

Pam Thomas | February 29, 2008 8:32 AM link

Literally a couple of decades ago, I used to buy cacti and succulents mail order from Abbey Garden. They had beautiful, healthy plants. According to the web they still seem to be in business, at least as of a year or two ago, but with no web site. I don't know if it is run by the same people.

If I were looking for this type of plant now, I would try them first, my other mail order experiences with cacti and succulents were not good, and if you get a bad plant, it can't recover as well as a more conventional plant.

Here's the apparent current address:

ABBEY GARDEN CACTUS
PO Box 2249
La Habra, CA 90632-2249
562-905-3520, FAX 562-905-3522
Cat $2 refundable, min order $20. Over 1700 species of cactus and succulents.

karen anne | March 1, 2008 1:21 PM link

Thank you - Karen. I have not come across Abbey Garden; but there seem to be a lot of places that sell cactus. A friend of mine just told me about the " living stones " , which I hope to get some.

pat feinstein | March 2, 2008 6:37 PM link

February 27, 2008

The intriguing Cactus

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