Saguaro shape
Comments (11)
socks
7 years agoPS Here's the picture. I read they stop growing when their roots cannot spread out any more. Is that true?
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An example of a narrow bed
Comments (11)Thanks for the comments, and I appreciate people being able to see what I'm trying to accomplish. It will take some time. Woody, you're right, that is just the kind of plant that I like. As both you and Catkim noticed, it is the interplay of foliage that I garden for. So I do use "garden variety" plants but I always plant close and plan for layers of foliage. It is true that conifers can't be rejuvenation-pruned, but if you keep them pruned to within boundaries from the outset, they can stay functional for many years - hedges being the prime example! The point, I think, is one that applies to growing all woody plants - you have to have a plan for them and pretty ruthlessly enforce it, because if you don't, they'll follow their own plan, which may not suit your needs at all (and with a fence in the picture, their plan often has them following the sun). Your Rodgersia bed, Woody, is an example of the serendipity of a plant whose plan happens to meet your needs perfectly. It does look great, and that Euonymus obviously either grows nicely upright or is well trained. That's what "right plant, right place" is all about. Some conifers, incidentally, resent having their foliage shaded out by other plants, and are not as co-operative of my gardening style as others. Spruces, for example, which I think that one you posted is, are like that. By the way Holley, the main reason our spaced pavers don't work is that we didn't fill the gaps with enough dirt before planting grass, and honestly, I think the soil is getting gradually washed away too. But even if you can keep the surfaces dead even, there are limitations - chair legs have to be carefully placed, and if you put something like a pot on the patio across a gap and then move it, there goes the grass and here come the weeds. So you may be able to make it work... I can't! Also, ours happens to be where we walk a lot, it's a defacto pathway. Perhaps on a destination patio where you weren't always charging across it wouldn't matter so much. My mistakes needn't be a complete dissuasion; perhaps they can help you to get it right. As for removing plants when they've outgrown their space, I couldn't more heartily agree that it's hard and I have a lot of trouble doing it. Sometimes you can move things around, or find new homes for them. But we've seen overgrown landscape disasters so often that we do, I think, realize that no installation in a yard is ever permanent - if nothing else, the next homeowner will often tear out plants treasured by the resident before. It helps when one of the plants is actively bullying others, you feel like a hero for rescuing the underdog :-) OK, drtygrl, your turn! KarinL...See MoreCan anyone id these young cacti?
Comments (8)Photo 1: Some sort of Ferocactus, possibly more than one species (or maybe it's just variation. The one at the front strikes me as being built a little differently). The one near the front is showing the rib shape typical of a young Ferocactus. Photo 2: Maybe Echinocereus. Photo 3: Echinocactus grusonii. Reasonably confident about this one. It's a little hard to tell at this age, and in this case knowing the genus is enough to know how to treat them. Just carry on doing what you're doing, they look fine....See Morea little more.....through April 21st..
Comments (4)You did it!!! You did it!!! Oh, Caroline, I am so happy for you. And tremendously impressed too, not only by the physical difficulty of the trip, but by your dedication to a good cause. What an amazing thing you did. I can hardly wait to see your photos. Welcome back! Now you can sit back and watch the Giro d'Italia starting on Saturday. (Universal Sports, on TV & online) You'll have new appreciation for the pros putting in over a hundred miles a day in mountainous terrain LOL! Wow, you are one tough cookie......See MoreMammilaria theresae
Comments (6)Aztcqn, you have beautiful plants. Love them. This one is great with the little ice crystals on the tubercles. Harry, yes, that fight against mealies... I had a lot in Holland in the seventies. Every year there would be a seller with cacti on Ascension day, the flower market in Leeuwarden. I had never seen a blooming cactus in my life. Bought a M. zeilmannia and a Rebutia minuscula. That was the beginning of may more. Fight against mealies and red spider mite, combined with a few international moves, stopped that. Like you, I am getting back into them a bit. No luck in Leeuwarden any more?...See Moresocks
6 years agoHere’s the same cactus 18 months later. I’m not sure if this is growing season or when to feed it, keep it dry. I’d love a little guidance. We’ve had one decent rainstorm. It sits out unprotected from sun, rain, cold, heat, whatever.
The base is beat up but what is bothering me is the yellow-ness. The pink at the base is firm. Feed now or in spring?
Gill if you see this, how is yours doing? I like the green-ness
SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agogreenclaws - that has become a beauty - and you don´t want to take the roof off your greenhouse???
socks thanked SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoGood grief, that’s incredible! No, I definitely don’t want it to do that, lol. What a fine upstanding specimen that is.
Just been for a photo shoot in the g/h for you, not been in there for several days as we’ve been quite snowy and very cold again. I’m not wanting to get it to put on more growth, so growing it hard in this clay pot and having to contend with the U.K. climate is obviously restricting it, and I’m just fine with that as I fear that giving it better conditions it could take off.
It looks identical to my other pic above, lol.
I even managed to locate my ‘greenhouse pencil’ as in the pic above! It seems to tolerate the g/h’s low winter temps ok as I don’t put any heat in there nowadays. I was also out of the country for several weeks Nov-Dec so didn’t get the chance to install the bubble wrap this year. I just crammed all of the outdoor pots in there before my holiday hoping they would keep each other warm and safe. Things have had to fend for themselves with no visible losses so far and lows of -6C outside. The seeds were bought for one of my daughters by her now late grandad, so it holds special significance for me.....apart from being my one and only pokey, but my, those spines are so vicious believe me, it hurts for ages after a stabbing! That’s probably why I avoid the repot come to think of it? No2 daughter has yet to realise she will inherit said Saguaro in my will......!
Gill
socks thanked greenclaws UK, Zone 8asocks
6 years ago
Jeff (5b)
6 years agoI'm sort of guessing here, but based on some very limited experience I'm wondering if it's because it had more light in later years. I've read that some cactus will be segmented, even if it's not obvious. I've grown Rainbow Cactus from seed. Here is one where the first year had pretty bad light. Then the next two years it was in the sun during the summer. I also had another one that was segmented by year.
That's just a phone photo. If you look up this cactus, or see it on grower's sites, you don't usually see this segmenting. They have fantastic shape because of uniformity of light over time, unlike mine. ! Could that be it? Now that I look at it again, I think you can see a line between year two and three, halfway up the larger half. That could be because of bad light in the winter.
There might be a segment here:
Here is a nicer but irrelevant photo where shape do not matter.
SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI never cease to be surprised by what cacti will do. This Lophophora williamsii was a regular single headed plant, until it started to bifurcate and form two growing points - now a double header.
And this Astrophytum asterias decided to adopt a mushroom shape - when it started the sides of the plant started to sink in, reminiscent of some types of rot - but it stayed firm and is now perfectly healthy - just odd.
They have both spent their entire lives outdoors under the Mediterranean sun.
socks thanked SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a