You would not need his house number to find his place, because if you drive down the correct street, you'll know which house...
Fine examples of sculptural cacti in his back yard, along with numerous succulents in various stages...talk about a "yard sale".
Jean buys, sells, and trades cactus and agaves out of his yard in San Antonio. This is Jean with agaves and cactus he has for sale, he gets inquiries from all over the country. He gets pretty wound up when talking about his "babies"...
There are some amazing plants back here
The cacti are listening...beautiful specimens abound
Agaves too
Jean's yard is creative and fun. Have a seat, that cushion is spineless! Don't miss the cute burro planter.
Tiny lantern lights on a metal rail -- nice touch.
Plenty of whimsey mixed in with the plants. We had fun guessing what we see in the cactus on this chair.
Someone threw out these steel culvert pipes -- now they have been recycled into planters...
Wire coat hangers wired together as a hanger for windchimes. Try saying that fast three times.
I've seen plenty of succulent wreaths, but none quite like this one
Jean made these chairs from bicycle rims. Haven't tried to sit in them, but they sure look cool.
He also recently acquired a vintage letterpress machine, but that's a post for another time.
If you are interested in a specific cactus, he will snip it off for you if he doesn't have one rooted already. This is Opuntia robusta he's snipping. I don't plan on trying this at home without gloves.
No barefoot gardening in this yard! This is Opuntia humifosa, a hardy and spiky groundcover plant native to Texas. Very unique, and one of several plants I had never seen anywhere else.
This splendid A. splendida was posted on Craigslist, now it's mine.
The A. splendida produces numerous offsets and will eventually look like this one in Jean's yard.
Of course we can't buy just one plant when we visit Jean. Here's the collection piling up on the table. We weren't done yet though.
We added a desert Christmas cactus (Opuntia leptocaulis) like this one he has in bloom...gorgeous!
and Cinnamon Bunny Ears (Opuntia microdasys), we didn't have this color yet
Back at our house, here are the great cuttings and plants posing in their new home. I am adding green agaves to the mostly silver one I already have.
Jean sells on Craigslist and ebay, and lists his trades on several cactus forums. He's a cool guy who really enjoys this art form and is great to deal with. He also ships his plants to customers. You can email Jean at jeaners127@gmail.com.
Wow, that's a lot of cacti. I bet he doesn't get anyone taking a short cut through his garden. I like the colour of the Bunny Ears one that you bought.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is amazing. He does leave a path across the front for the mailman and keeps it trimmed back.
ReplyDeleteSo cool!! I've lived in SA all my life and have never heard of him. He has got a great selection there.
ReplyDeleteThat makes it fun. Definitely worth contacting him if you are building a collection of succulents.
DeleteWow, go Jean! What an amazing collection. I see quite a few things I would love to scoop up (carefully of course). And I think he has a definite collector base here in bike-friendly Portland should he decide to start producing those bike wheel chairs!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad (jealous) you got that A. splendida, and those Cinnamon Bunny Ears too! (I just bought one these at Cistus, although I didn't know it's fabulous nickname which is what I'll now be calling it)
That is the cutest name and I thought the Cinnamon Bunny Ears looked like one you recently acquired. I already have the lighter one so it was a nice addition.
DeleteYou got a good haul there.
ReplyDeleteThat A. splendida looks like some I have. I was thinking they were A. lophantha. But, maybe I'm wrong. They do pup very well....maybe, too well for some people. Got most of mine from my neighbor, when she had hers cleaned out.
I've never seen the Cinnamon Bunny Ears, or that optunia groundcover.
I looked it up and the full name is A. Lophantha 'Splendida' so it is the same plant. I've plenty of space to cover and so it can spread for quite a while.
DeleteI love it!!! All of it! This is my favorite time of year. Taking clippings when the fear of frost is done and creating my cacti gardens. Looks you made a good haul.:)
ReplyDeleteWe've still got the worst of it ahead of us. We usually have a hard freeze in early February, then warm up for good. It's quite warm now, but if it does freeze we'll stick them in the garage for a few days.
DeleteIt was fun and I can't wait to get them going.
One would need to be careful bending over in his garden...
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm always alert when walking among so many spiky plants.
ReplyDeleteLove the cinnamon bunny ears! I admire someone that can specialize in one type of plant. I don't grow many cacti or agave, but if I were there, I would have purchased several. How fun that must have been!
ReplyDeleteTwo years of drought and reading Texas gardening blogs featuring succulents as part of a good garden plan have changed my view of these plants. I've always enjoyed meeting people who are passionate about what they do and Jean certainly fits that.
DeleteThanks for the terrific post. I think he has a fun yard and a great collection. Looks like the DEER will be a bit upset with your purchases. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'll bet business is booming due to two summers of drought.
He'll probably sell out if we get a...God Forbid...third summer of drought.
Saying his yard is drought tolerant is an understatement. LOL
Have you thought about joining Blotanical? You'd enjoy the gardeners and their blogs over there. Just a thought since you have such an interesting garden blog.
Happy Growing!
David/ Tropical Texana/ Houston :0)
You're welcome David. I have to thank "Danger Garden" (see her comment above) for changing the way I see my own city.
DeleteThank you for your thoughtful comments since this blog is so new and feedback is very helpful. I've seen Blotanical so I'll check it out.
Don't want to talk about another drought. There are predictions of it, but so far this year has been better. I was in Houston over the holidays and somehow the damage seems worse because there is usually a lot more rain over there.
Did you invite him to the plant swap ? He and Joey would have LOTS to talk about !!
ReplyDeleteGood idea Patty. I need to get the swap set up going. I'll post it here too.
DeleteI must pass this on to the cactus nuts I know out here! (they'll probably say, "been there...") Looks like a fun visit, and probably as interesting as any oak or madrone grower. Definitely more passionate than those who pump out crepe myrtles or bradford pears.
ReplyDeleteThe variety of plants is amazing. I love Cylindropuntia leptocaulis...Christmas Cholla. The Spanish name is even better...Tasajillo! And it reminds me of what the salvage place (Veyas?) you visited would be, if they sold plants!
It's fun finding the real San Antonio and I'm getting tips on more places and people to visit. Interesting you should mention it, there is a madrone grower out in Kerrville on my list too. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the additional info on the Christmas Cholla, especially the Spanish name. I saw one in the wild today too which was fun. Yeya's is the place and they do have some plants. Maybe I'll go back for more "research".
The cinnamon bunny ears Opuntia is so cute! I would love to visit Jean and his collection one day. He looks so enthused in each picture, with his arms outspread as if to embrace his spiny babies.
ReplyDeleteThe cinnamon bunny ears has certainly been a hit. I really look forward to placing it in the garden.
DeleteJean and his garden are fun to visit and that's what I tried to capture.
There is always something immensely endearing about someone with a true mania for plant collecting, isn't there! Of course, even better is when they are generous with their "gifting" as well! LOVE the Cinnamon Bunny Ears...super cute!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely enjoyable to visit with Jean and always fell we come away with a nice selection of plants.
ReplyDelete