The Succulent and Cactus Lady : August 2014

About me

🌿 I've been gardening ever since a child, when I spent time with my father in his vegetable garden. But my fascination with Echeverias started in the 1980's, when my father gave me a pot with five Echeverias, which turned out to be E. imbricata. At first I wasn't much interested in them and planted them in some obscure corner of the garden and completely forgot about them. How great was my surprise when, a couple of months later, I noticed that they had spread and made a beautiful display - I was hooked!

Wednesday, 13 August 2014

Flowers of the Echeveria imbricata

Camera : Canon EOS 550D

Taken in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

Echeveria imbricata is one of the most popular and beautiful succulents in the Crassulaceae family, native to semi-desert habitats in Mexico. They are not as frost-hardy as some other succulents and I bring mine in every winter. They used to be spread all over my garden, but after almost losing most of them, I transplanted them into various containers and now they are thriving like never before.

Saturday, 2 August 2014

Monster Echeverias

My Echeverias (E. glauca) responded in the most amazing way to all the rain we’ve had last summer, many days as much as 100mm – some are as big as saucers and, this one in particular, as big as a dinner plate.

These beautiful and varied tender succulents are not frost hardy. However, their ability to withstand drought is unsurpassed. Yet they thrive when given a lot of water. Originating in hot desert conditions in Mexico and South America, there are still new species being discovered today. The hybrids that we know and love are easy to grow and propagate, which only encourages that urge to acquire more.

Watch out, these plants are very addictive!

In winter they have now taken on a more blueish hue...

Featured Succulent

Echinopsis grows pretty much anywhere. Here in South Africa they can tolerate summer temperatures of 30°C or greater, which is hot enough to spur growth of both Echinopsis pups and their amazing flowers. They also tolerate cold temperatures well during winter months. However, I bring my potted ones inside during hard freezes or their water-filled bodies will freeze as well. Compared to most cacti, Echinopsis bloom fast and furious. They typically begin blooming in spring. Most blooms only last one or two days and they frequently open at night. But it’s common to have several buds on one plant developing at different rates; so a single plant can be in bloom for several weeks. As a general rule, the smaller the diameter of the blooms a Echinopsis species produces, the more blooms the plant produces. Species that produce monster blooms (some over 6” in diameter) tend to have fewer blooms as so much plant energy goes into producing each one. Echinopsis generally begin to produce flowers when they are two or three years old. Echinopsis is a large genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti.

A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfil good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. Gardeners are well primed to provide food for birds and animals, but the key to encouraging the widest possible range of wildlife is to think of creating a habitat for creatures to live in. The most important aspect of this is the provision of shelter from the weather and from predators, as well as a place to lay eggs, rear young or hibernate.

About me

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Wednesday, 13 August 2014

Flowers of the Echeveria imbricata

Saturday, 2 August 2014

Monster Echeverias