Succulents and More™

Some of the cacti I planted a few years ago are now large enough to produce more than just one flower or two at a time. Few sights are more spectacular in my mind than a profusion of cactus flowers, and I’m very happy to report that two of my echinopsis hybrids, ‘Flying Saucer’ and ‘First Light’, delivered this year. Really delivered. The spectacle was short-lived, but it was magical. It was gratifying to see neighbors stop and look at the flowers. The other day, my wife and I were out on the sidewalk when a man I’d never seen before stopped and said, “The guy who lives here really likes cactus.” That made me laugh. I did reveal my identity, which made him chuckle. Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ is one of the most popular echinopsis hybrids. One look at the flowers, and you’ll agree. Mature specimens can produce flowers that are 10 inches in diameter. I measured the largest on mine, and it was 9 inches. Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ is a hybrid between an unidenti

Part 1 of my post about my recent visit to Ganna Walska Lotusland in Montecito, California, is all about non-succulent plants. It also gives an overview of Ganna Walska’s life and the history of Lotusland. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do to have a better understanding of what was important to Madame as she continued to develop her gardens. Part 2 is about nothing but succulents. Ganna Walska liked cacti and other succulents for their architectural qualities, so there are a lot of them. In fact, some of Lotusland’s best known sights are in this category, like the thousands of cacti and cactus-like euphorbias around the main house: Around the main house Almost immediately after she bought the estate in 1941, Ganna Walska tasked landscape architect Lockwood de Forest with finding mature cacti and succulents to replace the traditional landscaping around the main house. That was a highly unusual choice back then, but it very much reflected her fondness for mass