Succulents and More™

For a plant collector, there are few things more exciting than getting one of these in the mail:   The box I received yesterday contained opuntia (prickly pear) cuttings from a fellow collector in South Carolina. Opuntia cuttings root quite reliably during the warmer months of the year, so propagation is usually as easy as it gets. The two species I received were Opuntia cacanapa ‘Ellisiana’ and Opuntia pusilla . Both are new to me, and neither is very common here in California. Opuntia cacanapa ‘Ellisiana’ is not only virtually spineless, it’s also one of the very few prickly pears that has practically no glochids—the bundles of hair-like spines on the areoles that tend to come off at even the slightest touch and get stuck in your skin. In the photo below you can clearly see the areoles—the darker colored round bumps—as well as the absence of glochids. Opuntia cacanapa ‘Ellisiana’  cuttings Opuntia cacanapa ‘Ellisiana,’ sometimes called tiger tongue prickly p...

Fall colors in Vermont are nearing their peak . While I won’t be there this year to witness this incredible sight in person, I’m posting some photos I took in 2009. I visited a good friend who lives in the Northeast Kingdom ; his house is less than two miles from the Canadian border. While locals said it was only a “good” year for fall foliage, I thought it was spectacular. It’s impossible to forecast when the colors might peak—and it varies from location to location—but my timing was actually quite good. While some places were at peak, others were still a little early, as evidenced by a preponderance of green leaves. I had a great time selecting the photos for this post, and I hope you will enjoy your armchair tour of northeastern and central Vermont—with a side trip to New Hampshire and Québec. Canadian border, Holland, VT Farm in Holland, VT Leaves on Holland Pond Lake Willoughby Lake Willoughby Near Lake Willoughby Near Lake Willoughby ...

After going crazy with bamboo in 2009 and 2010, this year I’ve switched to smaller scale plants and have begun to collect cacti and other succulents. They’re much easier to manage and display than bamboos that quickly grow to 20 ft. or more. The one downside about collecting small succulents is the fact that every nursery and garden center around here sells them. Talk about temptation! Usually they’re in a prominent place, and it’s all too easy to pick up one or two even if you swore you wouldn’t. And it’s easy to justify the purchase because they’re cheap and small. The online gardening forums are full of stories of people who’ve gotten addicted to collecting succulents and now own 100, 200, 300 specimens or even more. While I’m still far from that point, I must curb myself otherwise I’ll join their ranks. Is there an A.A. for plant addicts? Anyway, here are my most recent purchases. Our local ACE store is to blame for the first set. They had a great sale on 3” succulents from Lon...