Cactus Blog

We have a lot of native, and native-hybrids out in full bloom this weekend. Pictures ensue.

Beeblossom

Gaura lindheimeri “Passionate Rainbow” is a compact version of this ever-scrabbly wildflower. It also has very good color not just in the flowers but in the foliage too. I love colorful foliage!

Iris PCH – we have only a few more still in bloom. Like this very deeply colored blue hybrid.

Wooly Sunflower

Eriophyllum “Siskiyou” works well in your garden. They are in full bloom right now and will rebloom throughout the year anyway, just not quite as full as this.

Blue Witch

Solanum “Indian’s Grey” is one of our favorite blue-flowered native perennials in the deadly nightshade family (Solanaceae).

White Witch

Solanum “Spring Frost” is one of our favorite white-flowered native perennials in the deadly nightshade family (Solanaceae).

Achillea x kelleri is a stunning white addition to all your very colorful yarrows. These are really stunning. You should come see them in person, along with the yellow and red yarrows currently in bloom too. I highly recommend this hybrid for planting in your mom’s garden when you help her out next weekend. She will thank you.

A redacted letter from a concerned citizen:

Cactus Jungle:

You have on your list Fouquieria xxxx from California, this incorrect (sic)….. Fouquieria splendens is the only one that grows in the United States, all the others grow in Mexico and Baja. Your Fouquieria xxxx looks more like Fouquieria xxxx from Baja….. Do you have any more information on your plant? I have grown all of the known Fouquieria’s (sic) and have been in Mexico many times studying and collecting them.

Mxxx

Mxxx,
Thank you for your concerns. The word “California” can refer to the current political boundaries of the state formerly governed by Arnold Schwartzenegger, or they can refer to the ecological and geological physical area (among other options). We prefer to include plants native to Baja California as part of the ecological area of California.

Thank you,
Peter

Editors Note: Science!

Reilly sends along a photo of his Echinopsis (formerly known as a Lobivia) that has 3 giant buds getting ready to open. Those are going to be pretty.

We have a couple new (for us) cultivars of the classic California favorite Blue Eyed Grass.

Sisyrinchium bellum “Nanum” is low growing, to 6″ high, with wide leaves and particularly pale blue flowers. Very productive.

Sisyrinchium bellum “Wayne’s Dwarf” is also low growing, but not as low as Nanum. This might even get 10″ tall. We see there are the very classic deep blue flowers.

In general if you keep these members of the Iris Family (Iridaceae) a little bit irrigated through the summer you can get more flowers all summer long. However they are expecting a dormant period by fall.

Here’s a closeup of “Wayne’s Dwarf” for good measure.

A new luscious Opuntia pad coming soon to a Berkeley cactus garden near you. Plus! Nice Yucca elephantipes behind.

It’s our newest Echeveria cultivar and you’re the first to know!

We are calling it Echeveria “Smoglight”. We were going to call it “White Cloud” but that was already taken. It will be another year or two before we have sufficient stock to bring any of for sale. Can you wait that long?!?

Oscularia deltoides coming into bloom, with a Senecio too. Nice massing.

We are expanding the gift selection at the nursery to include bird hooks and squirrel pots. Yes!

Bird hooks. We hang little planters off them. They work well with Tillandsias too and they come in Squirrel hooks too. Yo. Now please be sure to understand that we only add these as pure nursery goods. You won’t see us use these hooks for coats. No. Only for hanging plants and plants and other plants too.

Well played! This self watering squirrel in a log pot. We put a fern on top for fun. Fun.

Cyphostemma juttae with bright red leaves and a cluster of small blooms getting ready to open.

Will form a giant caudex to 6ft w/thick branches at top and peeling bark. Hardy to 28F when older. Can be grown in full sun for the full bright red leaf effect, or in light shade and you will get much larger and very greener leaves.

The fruit, or berries, are bright orange, and grape-like. Did I mention that this is in the grape family (Vitaceae). But don’t eat those attractive berries since they are quite poisonous.

Closeup of the blooms. They’re tiny!

Hi Hap,

We visited your nursery last Saturday. We had a great time and I’ve planted my new plants. I was happy for your directions on what to do with my Tower of Jewels, Echium wildpretii when it’s “done”. I am enjoying it so much and everyone from the Garden Club wants to stop by and see it as well. I wanted to share some pictures from the beginning to the present.
Thanks,
Kathleen
Eden Garden Club

Here are the pictures:

More after the break! See the Tower in full bloom! (more…)

It’s Spring, which means it’s blooming barrel cactus season.

Ferocactus glaucescens has paper-thin petals

Ferocactus pottsi has vivid red and orange petals

And a bonus, new spines glow red on the Ferocactus robustus

Whippets?

Anne’s latest creation is a Carnivorous Terrarium.

Nice!

You can come in to the store and talk to Anne about Carnivores. She likes them.

Muk sends along a picture of her Echinocereus grandiflora in full bloom.

Our cactus has bloomed. Thanks to you guys for a beautiful and healthy cactus year after year

That’s a lot of flowers open all at once. Nice! Thanks for the update!

Have you voted yet at Botanicality? There’s a lot of amazing entries, so you have to scroll all the way down. I especially like the Kid’s Cactus entry.

The previous owners left this plant when they moved. It was in bad shape. Neighbors told me to cut it down to the top of soil over the winter so I did. Now this is what it looks like this spring. The clusters of white flowers will eventually turn a light shade of purple.

Everyone keeps telling me these are Hen and Chickens, but I don’t think so. Any help would be appreciated! I love your cactus blog.

Mrs. Chancellor
Brownwood, TX

College Avenue, Berkeley
Prickly Pear Cactus about to bloom

Aloe in full bloom

Aporocactus flagelliformis is a South America epiphytic cactus, pendant to 4ft. long or so, that grows particularly well in cactus soil in a hanging basket. This one is covered with a lot of pink flowers right now. And a few weeds poking through that are hard to get out of the pot since these stems are very spiny.

Helianthemum nummularium are a pretty flowering and tough groundcover. Most grow only 2″ to 6″ tall, some flatter than others. Leaf color varies from grey to green. As can be expected from a name like Sun Rose they like a lot of sun. And they come in a lot of colors too.

I don’t actually know if these are all H. nummularium cultivars, or hybrids, or from a different species entirely. I should look it up.

Helianthemum “Ben Nevis”

Helianthemum “Dazzler”

Helianthemum “Henfield Brilliant”

Helianthemum “Mesa Wine” is our most popular Sunrose, when we can find it to stock it.

Helianthemum “Wisley Primrose”

So I checked, and these are all H. nummularium cultivars. Pretty!