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Cactiphilia

Although I have mixed feelings about arid landscapes such as the southwestern region of the US, I do really like cacti and succulents. There is just something about the uniqueness of their forms, their ways of adapting to their environment, and their prickly way of saying “don’t mess with me!” IDK, maybe it’s also because I have such a prickly personality!

Anyway, I used to have quite a few cacti when I was in college, but I lost many of them to an outbreak of black rot, and I haven’t messed with them since.

I’ve recently been working on putting some landscaping info together for my condo HOA, and that has reignited my interest in growing cacti and succulents.

I’ve recently bought four (these are not my photos, just examples I found online):

A Clothed Opuntia – Opuntia vestita

A Kalanchoe Panda Plant – Kalanchoe tomentosa

A Zanzibar Aloe – Aloe zanzibarica

A Split Rock – Pleiospilos neii

Is there anyone here who loves cacti and succulents, too?

Tags: catci, container gardening, plants, succulents

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on March 25, 2012 at 9:27pm

Well, I've lost a lot of these plants. Most this past winter. And I dropped a shoe on one and crushed it. I lost the four in the original post, and the Mammillaria and the Aptenia posted in the comments. I never posted the Mamillaria fragilis I bought. I still have that one, and one other large round one, but I forget its name. Just bought a Opuntia subulata and a Notocactus magnificans. The Opuntia: http://www.daylilyhill.com/old_Site/images/Opuntia%20subulata%20var.... http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5074841706_dc804de202.jpg. that's the noto.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 1, 2012 at 10:36pm

Okay, I've been buying more cacti and succulents. I'm outta control. Here's my entire current collection. Some are from last year. These are not my photos.

Austrocylindropuntia subulata

Coral Reef Chinese sedum

Espostoa lantana

Euphoribia cereformis

Gator aloe

Green wheel sempervivium

Mammillaria fragilis

Mammillaria hahniana

Mammillaria mystax

Mammillaria pilcayensis

Notocactus magnificans

Opuntia microdasys

Opuntia subulata vestita (Clothed Opuntia)

Oreocereus trollii

Senecio medley woodii

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on May 3, 2012 at 9:01pm

Dallas, those are all beautiful selections. I went through a cactus phase but then got hooked on orchids. I do have some Sempervivum (is the plural Semperviva?) in my yard - the flourish here. I would love to grow nopales, but my climate is too wet. Also I have lots of Sedums (pleural Seda?) which also like it here.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2012 at 9:32pm

I bet you could get nopales to grow indoors, near a warm window. I bought another sedum the other day too, but it didn't have a name so I didn't post it here. I hope it does well, too.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 4, 2012 at 3:04pm

My Notocactus magnificans bloomed today. The color is so vivid it won't even photograph correctly. The petals are also translucent, which you can see if you look at the edges of the flower. Has a mild odor that is familiar and earthy, but I can't say what it is like.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on May 8, 2012 at 9:32am

That's amazing! Cactus flowers are so vivid!

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 8, 2012 at 9:45am

This one closed every night and then opened again in the morning. Then yesterday a second flower bloomed, but then the first one died away.

Permalink Reply by Michael R Mills on May 10, 2012 at 7:16pm

Echeveria - Jerusalem Rose

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 10, 2012 at 7:29pm

Those are pretty. Haven't tried to grow one yet. The nursury had echeveria pulvinata the other day, which was beautiful, but I didn't get one. I'm not that great at succulents yet.

Permalink Reply by Michael R Mills on May 11, 2012 at 6:43am

I've got too much shade to be able to do well growing succulents (or much of anything) so these plants are from work.Cissus quadrangularis - Veldt Grape