Cactus Blog

Ian restocking the liquid seaweed after a busy weekend.

This was going to be part of a radio ad starting next week, but the local radio station just switched formats, as of this weekend. So all is lost. Except this excerpt, which I upload for you:

The video version was blogged back here.

And it’s all because we’re having a Cal. native plant sale starting Sunday, August 15th. Here’s the ad going in the SF Chronicle this Sunday. Look for it in the Home and Garden section.

A satisfied customer walking out the door with one of our custom succulent wall panels.

I’m not at the nursery today, so I’ve decided to use the blog to pass along a message to Ian: We could use some more planted mini-terrariums for this weekend.

Yay!

Ian’s been making mini terrariums. Lot’s of tillandsias. Here’s one that’s planted with cactus.

They’re very popular.

Catheter Lopez’s “Oaxaca Cactus” art show opening is tonight, if you can make it. 4-6p at the nursery.

Cathey Lopez, new cactus sculpture, from Oaxaca.

Join us for our upcoming art show, “Oaxaca Cactus” – New sculpture by Cathey Lopez.

June 4 thru July 15, 2010

Opening Night Party
Friday, June 4 from 4-6pm
at Cactus Jungle Nursery and Garden

Echinopsis bonkerae have a lovely candy colored bloom. I expect we’ll sell a lot of them this weekend if its hot enough for them to open in the afternoons, like it was by 4p yesterday.

Did you know the giant National Hardware Show in Las Vegas has a huge Lawn and Garden section? Well, so that means we’re off to Vegas, baby, this morning to run through the show as quickly as we can, since we have to get back to the store before the gremlins attack.

So here’s the story.

Our customers demanded Tuesdays be added to the schedule, so we complied. We’re now open 7 days. And here it is our first Tuesday open and it’s pouring. Fortunately for me it’s my day off, but the rest of the crew is at the store all alone and wet and no customers, so will you do them all a favor and stop by today – the rain should be stopped between 10 and 2 if weather.com is correct – and give them some love?

Thanks.

It’s a tequila agave, a variegated tequila agave, going out the door.

Agave tequilana variegata.

We’re working on growing more agaves. This here is an Agave “Blue Flame” which is an A. attenuata hybrid but about 5 degrees hardier, so it is a very good choice for the Bay Area. Last year we brought in 15 ga. plants and they were quite popular, so we got tissue-culture babies and have been growing them, but all we have so far are 1 gallon size plants. And at this size they’re not as pretty, hence the closeup picture. I guess this means we’ll have lots of 5 gallon plants available next year.

Got in this morning, and found a deer had broken in last night, and ate all the cactus out on the floor. We still have lots of succulents, but it will be awhile before we haved any more cacti ready for sale.

Our Pottery sale starts this weekend. Did I mention that you get 30% off all terra cotta pottery? That’s a pretty good sale! And we bring in pallets of new pottery every year, so it’s very exciting. Our new employees are going to enjoy this…

Here’s our ad running in today’s SF Chronicle. A little bit on the peach side, on the web, but less so in print.

In case you were wondering, that’s a Dudleya cymosa.

We’re going big into birdfeeders and birdhouses this year. Here’s our new bird tree display.

Yay! The new signage is here!

That’s Hap. Good thing he finished the new bamboo rows and sign last week, because this week he has the flu.

Tylecodon wallichii parent plant is growing back nicely after cuts last year. We should have a couple of those babies available this spring, but not too many, considering how dangerous it is.

Keith is cutting up the big bamboo stakes and making pots.

That’s a Leuchtenbergia principis in it.