Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Barrel Cactus Bloom Day

In early may my barrel cactus propagation post showed how we removed and planted pups from a native barrel cactus.

One of the pups is blooming for the first time today--just about three months after being separated from its parent and planted out in the new cactus garden.


Not much more than one inch tall and already blooming like a grown up.  Quite an achievement for this little fellow.


The parent plant is also blooming today for the second time this year


They must be programmed to bloom on under specific weather and moisture conditions because the older cousins are also blooming out front today, so four blooming barrels on the same day.  This is the second set of blooms for this one in the past couple months (note the red berries produced by previous blooms).  Several people have commented on the spirals in these cacti, which is a little unique.


And the smaller one taken from it last year is also blooming today.


It's so hot, but this got me out to check these blooms which are so bright and pretty I can see them from the house in this bright sunshine.  The blooms close at sundown and only last one day.

8 comments:

  1. So much fun to see the things you grow in your oh-so-different than the Pacific Northwest garden. Can such a spiny thing be called "adorable"? I think so.

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    1. It is adorable and so sweet to join in the blooming yesterday.

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  2. Very pretty. Thank you for introducing me to the beauty of cactus. If things stay as hot as they are, we will be growing cactus in Michigan.

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    1. You have definitely had it hot up there!

      Many cacti, especially opuntia, are hardy to very low temps. Hesperaloe is also quite hardy.

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  3. Seeing your pretty (& natural) cactus blooms, reminds me of something my daughter-in-law taught me: at some of the "big box" stores they sell cacti that appear to be in bloom; however, the "blooms" are fake flowers hot-glued to the cacti!

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    1. It's pretty obvious when the flowers are stuck to the side of a barrel cactus. Another thing to look for is the grafting of odd shapes to a different base. Not a problem if you just want something for the kitchen window but not a good choice for a native garden.

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  4. I usually let my cacti have a summer holiday outside, but not this year. Don't think they would appreciate the deluges we've been experiencing this year in the UK.

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  5. Love the flowers and the red berries. Here's how I used a setispinus barrel cactus in a container garden for my mom.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3CPJsXnOsEc/VpzyV1FKFkI/AAAAAAAAAQg/W4XGv1rj57Q/s1600/IMG_2391.JPG

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