The Succulent and Cactus Lady : January 2017

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!

Sunday, 8 January 2017

A visit to a Tea Garden

One of our favourite haunts, where we have been going for about 17 or 18 years, is the 'Boomhuisie' (meaning Treehouse) Tea Garden and restaurant in Viljoen Street, Krugersdorp-North (Gauteng, South Africa). They are obviously succulent-lovers and have some of the biggest Barrel cacti I have ever seen. The one above is about half a meter wide and very healthy-looking.

I've had my Barrel Cactus for over 15 years and it is only half the size of these, so I can just imagine how old they are!

Graptoveria "Fred Ives" sharing space with some Echeverias

Another Graptoveria

A collection of cacti

A sign greeting one as you enter the garden - Image credit

Part of the garden overlooking the Koi pond - Image credit

A walk through the garden

A walk past the Koi pond

The Koi pond contains a large number of Koi, some of them almost a meter long!

One of the inside dining rooms - Image credit

The décor is an eclectic mix of vintage and artsy-fartsy creativity - Image credit

The treehouse in one of the large Jacaranda's, from which the tea garden derives its name

Just enjoying! Image credit

Sunday, 1 January 2017

A proposal - Happy New Year!

I don't normally make any New Year's resolutions, but here is one that can serve all of us well! May you scatter joy and happiness wherever you go all 365 days of the upcoming year and get the same in return. Happy New Year to you!

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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Sunday, 8 January 2017

A visit to a Tea Garden

Sunday, 1 January 2017

A proposal - Happy New Year!