Winter succulents

The only thing flowering in the succulent garden now is Kalanchoe rotundifolia and some Erigeron...

Kalanchoe rotundifolia flower. It seems to like the cold, all the plants are flowering profusely! (June 2017)

 

Rattail cactus (aporocactus flagelliformis)

Every Spring my Rattail cactus (aporocactus flagelliformis) rewards me with a mass of beautiful flowers. We’re heading for winter now here in South Africa, so I have a while to wait for these beauties again!

The lovely flowers can be up to 7 or 8cm long!

The bright pink flowers 1.5 inches long, 2.5 inches wide (4 by 6 cm), are produced along the long hanging stems, up to 4 feet long (120 cm) or more, in spring and summer and are sometimes followed by small red fruits. In the wild, they are pollinated by hummingbirds, but in cultivation, they generally need to be hand pollinated. They originate from the Highland plateaus of Mexico (Oaxaca, Hidalgo), but are cilutivated throughout the world.

Although all the info I’ve read says they don’t tolerate frost, they have survived many frosty winters outside in my garden, but I must say, since I’ve decided to bring them inside during winter, I do get a much longer and better flowering period. But they do need some cold to produce their flowers, so I keep them in a cool place in the house.

They need to be kept moist all the time so water abundantly in summer. Needs good drainage.

One of my Rattail Cacti over-wintering it in my flower room

I had two of these beauties but this one has gone to a good home, so I will now be lavishing all my attention on the one I have left (below)

The Rattail cactus is another succulent that actually prefers a hanging basket, as the trailing stems can get several feet long. Just prepare a hanging basket with some good succulent soil and lots of drainage. Cut of one of the long tails and plant in the centre of the basket. It will soon send out lots of shoots and before long they will be trailing over the edge.

Happy succulenting!

Living rock of South Africa - Titanopsis flowering

It's winter here in South Africa, which means all the cacti and succulents are flowering! The Aloe ferox hasn't started yet and I'm just hoping we don't get any frost this year, last year I only had one flowering due to heavy frost.

The Titanopsis calcarea which I acquired last year in February is now flowering for the first time and the flowers are tiny, really tine, 10mm, but how gorgeous!

Titanopsis is a small genus of dwarf succulents from the family of Aizoaceae. Naturally growing in the Upper Karoo in South Africa, Titanopsis is an attractive but quite unusual plant because of its formation. The plant grows as a dwarf succulent and produces thick truncated leaves that have crumpled surface. These unusual leaves display all the hues of red, purple, green, cream and blue throughout the year. Flowers appear in late fall and winter. Like its cousins in the Aizoaceae family, Titanopsis produces small daisy-like flowers of yellow colour.

Titanopsis genus occur in three separate areas of southern Africa: southern Namibia, the region around the south-eastern border of Namibia and a larger area spanning between the former Cape Province and Orange Free State in South Africa. This unusual distribution means that the different Titanopsis species live in different rainfall systems - either summer or winter rainfall depending on the species. Cultivation is easy with full sun, very well-drained soil, and attention to the natural rainfall of the particular species' habitat.

It is a very rewarding succulent, and can be cultivated in desert gardens in warm climates or in greenhouses or windowsills in the home. Enjoys bright shade in summer and full sun in the other seasons. It requires watering fromautumn to spring, and less in summer. They grow quickly from seed or by division of larger clumps.

My Titanopsis last winter. As can be seen from the pics above, several new clumps have already formed. They are also sometimes referred to as Concrete Leaf or Jewel Weed.

Family:	Aizoaceae (ay-zoh-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Titanopsis (ty-tan-OP-sis)
Species:	calcarea (kal-KAR-ee-uh)

Echinopsis - 6am in Winter

6am in my garden one Winter's morning (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) and still dark outside. My small Cacti (Echinopsis oxygona) were in full flower and they had appeared over-night, seeming to lighten this area with their beautiful lilac/pink flowers, which have a sweet smell. My Barrel cactus in the background, native to the Southwest Desert of North America, is approximately 15 years old.

Echinopsis oxygona is native to South Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina. Its features include many robust spines, spherical shape, and a large flower, with sharply pointed lavender petals, and a fine faint scent.

Echinopsis Oxygona grow prosperousely in full sun, or light shade. These cacti can stand through strong heat, and even through temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F). Usually these are outdoor plants. These plants are used to the dry, desert climate, so they do not need to be watered every day.

Camera : FujiFinepix 2800Zoom Digital - flash enabled

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Aloe ferox splendour

My aloes (this is Aloe ferox, also known as Bitter aloe) have started flowering and I'm beside myself with joy! Two seasons ago I had no flowers, an early frost annihilated the lot just as the buds started. I actually know what the problem is - since I planted them 7 years ago, the trees surrounding them have grown huge, resulting in a lot of shade. So I have two options - cut down the trees (no ways!) or move the aloes to full sun, which is going to be a huge task. As you can see from the photo below, taken this past summer, they are very big and I'm not looking forward to this mammoth task. Wouldn't it be easier to lose them (sob, sob!) and just plant new ones in a sunny spot...?

This hardy plant is indigenous to South Africa, and with its succulent leaves can survive the harshest conditions. When damaged by man or animal, the plant seals off any wound with a sticky, dark liquid that prevents infestation by virus, fungus or insect. This dark liquid has been successfully used by ancient inhabitants as a traditional remedy for many ailments.

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