Just some yard color from today. First up, M. spinosissima ssp. spinosissima
Today's Color
Great pics. Your plants look extremely happy!
I'm so happy you introduced me to these Mammillarias that can grow in the ground here in AZ. I have Mammillarias but none of these. All the ones I have are in pots and seem to prefer afternoon shade. I'm definitely going to look for the ones you are showing.
Thanks Nancy, happy to spread the joy! My method of finding these guys was pretty simple really. I just shopped nurseries in the summer for plants already out in full sun. Several of my Mamms come from Acacia Nursery in the Tucson area, where pretty much everything is in full sun. I also figure that any cottony cactus should take full sun, else what's the point of all the cotton? The problem for you may be hardiness, I'm pretty sure you're a tad cooler than Fountain Hills, and so many Mamms are borderline in that regard (9b & 10a), though once again, if they can survive Tucson, you should be fine, right? I now have 11 varieties, some are definitely experiments, but all are incredibly responsive to bright sunlight, so much so that flowers begin closing upon the passage of a single cloud. I suspect the reason Mamms tend to reside in the shade of thick brush and wedged under Chollas is for protection from grazers rather than sunlight.
Those are some very happy looking cacti. Smart idea to look for plants that have already been accommodated to full sun. I have learned the hard way that it can take months before a greenhouse-grown cactus will be able to handle real exposure. It's very frustrating. About the cotton, that's been my observation too in trying to get these plants into the sun. The quickest ones to tolerate Baja California rays have been the ones with the type of spines that act as natural sunscreen. Like M. plumosa, for example... totally impervious to daylong sun because of the feathery shielding. Or M. dioica, the local Mamm, which has a ferocious nest of hooked spines.
Can you leave these plants to their own devices in the ground in Arizona, or do they require irrigation?
Rosemary is an excellent plant in a xeric garden. It's quite popular locally, not so much because it's used in cooking, but because it requires so little water to thrive (and flower).
This message was edited Jan 30, 2012 6:20 PM
Thank you, other than native and barrel cacti, we have everything on a xeric drip.
This message was edited Jan 31, 2012 7:43 AM
Great looking plants and I agree on the rosemary, I do need a new bush myself - its always fragrant and great for cooking - lovely plant to have.
Beautiful plants GermanStar! What are your summer temps like?
Thank you! Highs 102°F-112°F, lows 82°F-92°F through July.
I think in 2011 we were in the 90's at night through most of August too. I just hope that won't continue this year. What is xeric drip? I water my cacti myself and have no drip on them.
Xeric drip is a drip system that uses mostly 0.5 gal per hour emitters. And yes, last August was horrifying. I lost a few plants to that swell, though no cacti or Agaves.
That Melocactus is fantastic. It doesn't look like the top of a cactus, but rather the candy "noughat". I have 4 Melocactus that have lost their roots. They have a ball on the base but no roots and they look fine. Could that have been too much water? I put them in lightly moist soil surrounded by small rocks and placed them under the front porch so they won't get watered except as i do it. What causes this. The same thing has happened to some Notocactus ubelmannianus. Very strange. Xuling
I wish I knew, but I'm certainly no expert. I know Melocactus need regular watering during the winter, i.e. do not go dormant.
very curious indeed. thanks for the info. Xuling
You sure raise a flag for mamms. They are beautiful!!!! cll
Completely out of control.
It looks like although we are on opposite sides of the world.
Our cacti are blooming at the same time.
Yours late Winter, mine late Summer.
Lovely picture this one.
Thanks for sharing GS. ;o)
kell
but what plants are the flowers from GermanStar? the deep color is fabulous. xuling
Pic 1 is Spanish Lavender, of course. Pic 2 is Echinocereus rayonesensis, and Pics 3, 4 are E. fendleri. Some other Echinocereus and Thelocactus are getting ready... I have a couple Mamms still blooming, but they're finally starting to wind down.
I couldn't resist and stopped at two nurseries today. The first had many cactus I wanted that were either in bloom and with buds or just with buds so I bought a handful. I am going to post the photos of my new ones when I find the time, hopefully soon. xuling
I hear them quite clearly . Beautiful :) Xuling
Post a Reply to this Thread
More Cacti and Succulents Threads
-
Uncarinas
started by Eclipse
last post by EclipseJul 26, 20231Jul 26, 2023 -
Epi question
started by LRudy
last post by LRudyAug 12, 20230Aug 12, 2023 -
Euphorbia Enopla problem
started by RicciVerny
last post by RicciVernySep 02, 20231Sep 02, 2023 -
Plant ID? Help
started by lcodd6
last post by lcodd6Sep 15, 20235Sep 15, 2023 -
Advice needed: Epiphyllum care
started by AussieGuy
last post by AussieGuyNov 15, 20234Nov 15, 2023