Cactus Blog

A few weeks ago Vanillalotus went to the San Antonio Garden Center Sale and got her first succulents, including a nice juicy little Aeonium “kiwi”. Many have stopped by to offer her encouragement in her new venture into succulent-land.

Slice of the Day has a great photo of a Puya in bloom. Turquoise is the word of the day.

bunnyunlaced lists the 64 best things about LA, including things like Frank Gehry and Disneyland and Venice Beach (I don’t know, maybe that was just me.)

Huntington Gardens
You visit this 120-acre enclave for a ramble through roses and bonsai. What you don’t expect is that desert garden: a live-action Dr. Seuss book where cacti and succulents resemble stalagmites and flowing seaweed, and blooms in oranges and reds and pinks burst from monsterlike forms.

Museum of Jurassic Technology
Two of its most beloved exhibits are The Stink Ant of the Cameroon, an insect driven mad by a spore in its tiny brain, and The Horn of Mary Davis Saughall, an appendage that grew on said woman’s head in the 17th century.

We loove Dr. Seuss, and not those Jim Carrey Seuss-wannabes either.

This is one random blog link, you know. I hope you appreciate the way I dig deep into bloglandia to find these gems.

It’s Sunday so I can post stupid things if I want to.

Here we have the confluence of politics and science fiction (and no, I’m not talking about Dick Cheney) in one concise, even pithy, blog entry from Atrios.

Battlestar Galactica Spoiler

Laura Roslin’s mother is Barbara Bush.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

We noticed that too. I said, and I quote, “Her mother is Barbara Bush”.

Christie at the Cape is featuring a Euphorbia for entertainment purposes only. Euphorbia meloformis, with pendulant bloom stalks.

I think the plant looks happier now, if it is possible for Euphorbia meloformis to look happy. Its unapologetic fatness is somehow happy.

Water When Dry has a very nice Astrophytum myriostigma in bloom. It’s got a lot of character, which means it’s old.

Old enough to bloom, and Aiyana has the photo to prove it. Can you guess what color it is? Here’s a poll for you to give it a try. I love polls! Then click through and check it out, dude.

Oregon Cactus Blog has a nice photo of an older Eriocyse senilis in bloom. Red blooms at the crown of the plant, that is.

Sandykidd likes cactus, and had this to say,

I have been called the ‘Prickle Fairy’ for a reason! For my strange love of cactus and also my social resemblance to said prickly succulents.

Greenfish Artist and Gardener has a whole bunch of little cactus from the Austin Spring Fling thingy, plus a picture of an unlabeled Rechsteineria leucotricha in bloom.

Daystar Shine on Me visited the Botanico Jardin Las Palmas Canary Island and took some great shots of some giant cacti in the gardens. How come I never get to go to the Canary Islands?

Mallorca Daily Photo Blog has a lovely photo of a Cleistocactus at the…

Botanicactus near Ses Salines in South East Mallorca is a huge botanical garden.

I’d click through to see the full size photo if I were you.

Holly’s Hystrionics (great blog name!) really lives up to her name in dealing with repotting her agaves.

I free up a large enough hole in the wound-up roots to pass a thin transplanter spade through. Now I can begin the REAL work. I start removing the tired out dirt spadeful by spadeful. I am from the school of thought that figures, once a plant has grown so much it’s root-bound…the soil in that pot is depleted of any nutrients it once held. SO I just threw that dirt on the ground.

I had already prepared the new, larger pot with gravel in the bottom. YES, it has drainage holes. I’m cautious, sue me. I like a thin layer of gravel for ALL my plants.

Read the whole thing, as they say.

A Geologist finds some interest in exploring not just old rocks, but the so-called “living stones” too, i.e. Lithops! Christie at the Cape has photos.

Water When Dry has a recipe for Prickly Pear Vinaigrette.

You’ll need to click through to find the instructions. I wonder if I should try it before I repost it?

Lynn’s Garden has an inspirational photo of her winter greenhouse filled with cactus up to the rafters.