http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog daily news about cacti and succulents and some california natives too Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We mix our own cactus soil, designed for everyone who lives other than in the desert, so there's no sand in it at all, which is a good ingredient if you live in the desert, but we don't. One of our regulars asked a question about the ingredients in our ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/11/justifying-our-soil-mix/ Euphorbia "Redwing" is a hybrid spurge, as if you didn't know that. It is very similar to Euphorbia characias, but for the red bloom structures. I wonder what those are called? And it is hybridized from... E. amygdaloides x E. martinii, which we learned yesterday is a hybrid from E. amygdaloides ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/11/charam/ Mr. Subjunctive links to a site with some startlingly close-up photos of cactus. Did I mention the startle factor? It's called A Closeup Look at Some Members of the Cactus Family, or some such thing. And it's by a Canadian who goes by Brian Johnston, according to the site. Did I mention ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/10/im-ready-for-my-closeup-2/ Jenny at J Peterson Blog has a tree trunk photo. Oh, and it's covered in caterpillars. Oh Nos! I'll bet they've already stripped those leaves bare. http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/10/stripey/ Euphorbia x martinii - I don't know what this is a cross between, so let me look it up. As it is there are dozens of cultivars of this hybrid. I'll bet it's one of the German hybrids. Well, the answer is as simple as it appears: E. amygdaloides x ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/10/wood-spurge/ Euphorbia Characias ssp. wulfenii Now that's a showy spurge, but quite restrained in it's mature size of only around 2 to 3 feet tall. All the euph's are blooming, so I was thinking maybe this could be spurge week. What do you think? http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/09/mediterranean-spurge/ A customer brought in this lovely stone bowl, and Keith helped her pick out some lovely sempervivums to fill it out. http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/08/mixed-sempervivums/ Bambusa tuldoides grown as a street tree. Good thing its a clumping bamboo, or there could be shoots coming up across the street, in the neighbors yard, etc... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/08/berkeley-bamboo/ Ceanothus "Blue Jeans" has whorls of deep lavender flowers. Does deep lavender mean it's purple? I wonder about these things. Anyway, this is one of the deer-resistant holly-leaf ceanothuses. Forms a dense shrub that is just coming into a full flush of bloom. http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/08/holly-leaf-mountain-lilac/ It's an extra special custom knob from the Bucksnort Lodge. You too can take home a piece of the lodge for your own home. I recommend using these fine antique copper finish knobs on your dresser drawers. That would be best. But not for the bottom smaller drawers you use ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/07/cactus-knobs/ I see that Mr. Subjunctive is planning for the zombie apocalypse by buying plants. An excellent strategy, indeed! He has a number of excellent succulent choices, including the ever fascinating Pedilanthus, and some other houseplant thingys too. I think he should also add astelia to his list. And you? What are ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/06/zombies/ Arctostaphylos densiflora "Howard McMinn" is a really nice, deeply-red-barked, twisted-branched medium-height California-native manzanita that has a large showing of pink-tinged bell-shaped blooms this time of year. They are not to be used as a border plant, as they are only to be used as a centerpiece for a small garden. OK, ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/06/manzanita-3/ I don't know anything about the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, except that it starts this weekend. Are there succulents? I don't know! Are there orchids? Who can say! Are there proteas? Snapdragons? Chocolate bunnies? Only time will tell... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/05/chicago-succulents-3/ http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/05/fridays-whippet-blogging-3/ ...and anyone else who gardens in San Francisco  too. CBS Channel 5 is reporting that organic compost being given away by the city is anything but. Don't read this report while eating. It's called biosolids compost and its being given away by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for use in ... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/04/warning-to-s-f-organic-gardeners/ Anigozanthos viridis "Phar Lap" has the most sparkling aqua buds, that open into these deep rich green blooms. Tantalizing... http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/04/kangaroo-paws-4/ It's good news in the Southern Tablelands of Australia - the amphibians are making a comeback. "Extinct" yellow-spotted bell frog found after 30 years OK, so if you read the article, they're not making a comeback so much as hiding out and doing their best to avoid people. http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/04/unextinct/ (From Central Mexico) Sometimes a day is a little brighter than the rainclouded overcast sky would allow; in the simple pleasures like this fat, long-leafed succulent. Pachyphytum longifolium Photo of a mature specimen in habitat. http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/03/long-leafed-succulent/ Debra Lee Baldwin's Agave potatorum is starting to bloom, as told on Gardening Gone Wild. She wonders what to do with all the plantlets that will result. Any ideas of how she can share them, maybe while on her book tour? http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/03/blooming-agave/ We feature Lipson Robotics at the nursery, and the newest ones have rayguns! We don't have any with rayguns. :-( I bet they'll be up on etsy soon. http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2010/03/02/more-robots/