SucculentReviewEssex

Volume 53 Number 4 December 2016

In this issue

Highlights of BajaCalifornia

by Angie Money

Winter wondersThree small mammillarias

by Tony Roberts

Gardening with succulentsSmaller cacti

The final part of this series by Paul SpracklinFerocactus diguetii

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This could be the last time wetravel into Continental Europewithout visas, border controls, theneed for phytosanitary certificatesfor plants or with a Europeanpassport! Mark what could be anhistoric occasion by joining thisband of intrepid Crawlers on yetanother foray into the succulentterritories of Holland, Belgium and Germany.

Once more we have secured off-street parking in the car park ofCapel Manor Horticultural College,just minutes from J25 of the M25.From here you will have your owndouble seat in a luxury coach,which will whisk you down to, andthrough, the Chunnel.

We will make our way to the firstnursery, Cactus Flower, on theoutskirts of Antwerp. This was anew nursery for us last year andnow one of the most popular.Having exchanged some euros forplants we are off to one of ourfavourite hotels, the Postillion inDordrecht.

For the next three days we will usethe Postillion as our base as wetour 10 more nurseries in Hollandand Germany. Favourites such asKakteen Piltz, Lakerveld and thevast wholesale nurseries of Hollandwill be visited, along with two newnurseries for this trip. Onespecialises in Lithops and the otherin Asclepiadaceae and unusualhoyas. The staff at the Postillionhave come to know us very well,but even so are still keen towelcome us back.

Does Kakteen Piltz have the bestcoffee and biscuits? Does Hans atLakerveld have the biggest clogs inHolland? Will I bring back someunfeasibly large plants? These and

many more interesting questionswill be raised and answered in thehotel bar, over a croissant and onthe coach.

Come and observe the day fourritual of packing the plant boxesinto the hold under the coach, aspace much smaller than the sizeof all the boxes. Listen to thetutting as everyone notices thatmost of the big boxes belong tome. See if I care.

The photograph above gives someidea of the vastness the Dutchwholesale nurseries and theenormity of some of the availableplants. The only limit is how muchyou can carry.

At the time of writing there are stilla few spaces left. The basis of thefour day tour is half-board at thePostillion and the cost is £387 for asingle room and £337 per personfor a double room. For moreinformation, please contact JamesGold on 07765 131883 ormes@gold0070.freeserve.co.uk

Cactus Crawlthe Brexit tour

30 March – 2 April 2017

SucculentReviewEssex

The Essex Succulent Review ispublished quarterly in March,June, September and December.

It is available on-line free ofcharge. Just send an email tosheila@essexsucculentreview.org.ukto receive a pdf of each issuewhen it is available.

Past issues are archived atwww.essexsucculentreview.org.ukEditor Sheila Cude

Address 25 Macleod RoadLondon N21 1SW

Phone 020 8340 1928

Emailsheila@essexsucculentreview.org.uk

Zone 15 Mini-ConventionSunday 19 March 2017 – 1.00pm

Alice Vanden Bon – ‘South Africa – first class’Keith and Kathy Flanagan – ‘Our collection’

Plant sales – Plantlife: Book sales – Keith LarkinVenue: Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, EN1 4RQ

Tickets £15, to include a buffet lunch and afternoon tea from Eddy Harris, 49 Chestnut Glen, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 4HL

Phone 01708 447778 email secretary@bcss.org.uk

Plus free admission to Capel Manor’s extensive grounds from 10.00am

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SanQuintinWe normally reachSan Quintin on oursecond day in BajaCalifornia. The HotelSanta Maria isalways verywelcoming and it isright on the seafront.

The food is excellent and the rooms, whichare all in colonial style, have balconieswhich overlook the beach.

Highlights of Baja California by Angie Money

J

Above and above right: Dudleya anthonyi

Ferocactus sp

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After breakfast the next morning we driveto the other side of the bay. It takes aboutan hour to get there by car. You will knowyou are at the right place when you see thehills of volcanic rock.

On the other side of the road is the typelocality of Dudleya anthonyi. They arenot always easily visible as, bothtimes we have been, there were a lotof bushes in leaf. But there are manydudleyas and it is not easy to pickthe best one to photograph.

Dudleya edulis grows here too overlookingthe bay. You can also find Echinocereusmaritima, Mammillaria dioica and a

Ferocactus species,or there may

be twospecies.

Highlights of Baja California continued

Above: Dudleya edulis

Above right:Mammillaria dioica

Echinocereus maritima and (inset) its flower

5

A good place to stay is the Hotel MisionCataviña if they have space. From the hotelyou can walk straight in to the boulderfields. It is a really amazing place.

First of all you can see some very tallPachycereus pringlei and, often just as tall,

the Boojum tree (Idria columnaris/Fouquieria columnaris).

You will find several Cylindropuntia; the one I like best isCylindropuntia molesta, especially photographed against the sun.

The CataviñaBoulderfields

Highlights of Baja California continued

J

Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris)Cylindropuntia molesta

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You will lots of find Ferocactus gracilis ofall sizes with their intense red spines.Nearer to the road you see Pachycormusdiscolor growing out of the boulders in anyshape and size. Different Agave species arealso present. The Mammillaria you findalmost everywhere is of course M. dioica.There are other mammillarias too, but I donot know their names.

We spotted a Euphorbia lomelii, mostpeople would call it a stick Euphorbia, butit looked really nice with its red bracts.Lophocereus schottii is also present butdoes not seem to be as tall as we haveseen them in other places. Bergerocactusemoryi seems to grow mainly in the sandyareas. I am sure that I have never seen allthe cacti and succulents which grow there.

Highlights of Baja California continued

Above:Ferocactus gracilisgrowing in front ofPachycormusdiscolor

Above right:Euphorbia lomelii

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Isla Cerralvo hasbeen officiallyrenamed as IslaJacques Cousteau,but most locals still

call it by its old name. We stayed in a niceB and B overlooking the beach from whichwe could see the island.

The night before our planned trip to see theendemic cacti on the Isla, we had a fierysunset followed by an almightythunderstorm. The next day it looked as ifthe rain would not stop, but by midday theclouds cleared away.Our enthusiasticcaptain, Enrico,

Highlights of Baja California continued

Around La Ventana andIsla Cerralvo

J

Mammillaria cerralvo Mammillaria sp

Ferocactus diguetii flowers

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managed to get us wet anyway, he wasprobably thinking he was driving aspeedboat, which it was not.

We were glad to reach Isla Cerralvo andrecover from the journey which was easyas we could already see some hugeFerocactus diguetii (see front cover). Therewere also some small mammillarias(possibly M. estebanensis) and some largerMammillaria cerralvo.

After an hour we carried on to another partof the island but at a slower speed. Therewere more of the same and I found thebiggest Mammillaria cerralvo. Then Enrico

called us for lunch, which was excellent.None of us were looking forward to thejourney back. We all made sure ourcameras where well covered and we wereglad to be on land again at the end.

Before visiting the island we had gone tothe airport to pick up our friend Eunice. Wehad made a few stops when we spottedPachycereus pecten-aboriginum in bud,flower and fruit and Pachycereus pringlei inbud and flower. n

Photos: Angie Money

(Please note that, because of the small scale,the map locations are approximate)

Highlights of Baja California continued

Below:Pachycereus pringlei

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum – flower

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum – fruit

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I recently acquired a complete mint set of25 cards issued by Lamberts of Norwichwith packets of their blends of tea. Thecards are undated, but are probably fromthe early 1960s, since this set is the sameas that issued by Amalgamated Tobacco in1961. Each card features a colourillustration of a species of cactus on thefront and a descriptive text on the back.While most of the species are familiar to

me, and the illustrations seem to ‘fit’,there are one or two oddities. Forexample, card No 10 is entitledHickenia microsperma.

Hickenia is a genus from Argentinapublished by Nathaniel Lord Brittonand Joseph Nelson Rose in ‘TheCactaceae’ (1922). They recognisedjust one variable species now knownas Parodia microsperma. Indeed, the

text on the card concludes:‘Also known as Parodiamicrosperma’. The nameHickenia commemoratesCristobal Maria Hicken, aprofessor at the Universityof Buenos Aires. However,the name could not standbecause it had been usedthree years earlier for agenus of Apocynaceaecontaining one species native toArgentina now reclassified as

Cacti cardsby Tony Clifford

Hickenia (Parodia) microsperma

Malacocarpus mammulosus(Parodia mammulosa)

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Morrenia scalae. Hickeniamicrosperma is now held by mostauthorities to be synonymous withEchinocactus microspermus and Parodia microsperma.

Card No 8 is entitled Malacocarpusmammulosus. The illustration shows a

grafted plant. This species has also beenknown as Echinocactus, Notocactus andRitterocactus; in 1987 Nigel Taylor placed itfirmly in Parodia and its accepted scientificname is now Parodia mammulosa. It isamong the most widespread of the Parodiaspecies and is very variable in appearance.

Four of the cards show plants in theOpuntia group. Card No.14 (top) is Nopaleadejecta, a species widely cultivated andnow also called Opuntia dejecta. Theflowers are scarlet/dark red. The flower

buds can be boiled in water andeaten, the young stems are eatenas nopalitos, and the fruit (tunita) issweet and edible. The IUCNrecords that the native range of thisspecies is not known as it has beencultivated since historical times,and many of the countries where ithas been recorded are probably theresult of historical introductions andsubsequent naturalisation.

No. 24 (far left) shows Opuntiabergeriana, now known as Opuntiaelatior. This grows bushy and canreach a height up to 5 meters. Theflowers are numerous and of a richred colour, with edible fruits.

No. 20 (middle left) is Opuntialindheimeri, a prickly pear nowknown as Opuntia engelmannii var.lindheimeri, with yellow,occasionally reddish, flowers.

No.16 (near left) is Opuntia engelmannii,still known as such. It is generally shrubby,with dense clumps up to 3.5 metres (11ft)high, usually with no apparent trunk. Thelarge flowers are yellow, occasionallyreddish. n

Cacti cards continued

Nopalea dejecta (Opuntia dejecta)

Opuntia bergeriana(Opuntia elatior)

Opuntia lindheimeri(Opuntia engelmanniivar. lindheimeri

Opuntia engelmannii

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This Aloe was acquired at aBCSS Zone 15 Convention at

Capel Manor about three yearsago. It is a tall plant that hadbelonged to a member of the BCSSHavering Branch.

In late January 2015 it began todevelop a flower and, some weekslater, on 13 March the floweropened. I was quite surprised thatit had decided to flower in themiddle of winter when light levelswere low and the greenhousetemperature was cold, kept justabove 40F (4-5C). But this did notdeter it and the flower developedsteadily to perfection over the twomonths as can be seen by thepictures accompanying this article.Another small Aloe erinacea wasalso flowering.

So where do they come from andwhat is their natural habitat and theclimate in which they grow?Searches from various sites on theinternet provided some answers.

It grows in an area in South Africareaching from Bitterfontein in theregion of Namaqualand, 380kmnorth of Cape Town, north to theOrange River which is the boundarybetween Namibia and South Africa.It is found in very arid areas, inrocky and sandy soils, betweenaltitudes of 300 and 900 metres onslopes and hills. It also growsacross the Orange River along thesouthern reaches of Namibia insimilar habitats of sandy soil onrocky outcrops.

Plants in habitat are described as20–30cm tall usually in smallcompact clumps, and this isconfirmed by pictures of the Aloe inhabitat on the internet. My plant istaller than this, 43cm/17ins tall, soperhaps without the winds andharsh desert-like conditions it getsin habitat, combined with a morenutritious feeding regime here, theplant has grown taller than it wouldin its natural home.

In habitat, flowering occurs in Mayand June. June to September iswinter in Namibia. No more rain isreceived over most of the countryexcept in the far south where theAloe grows in the winter rainfallareas. During the day temperaturesare moderate to warm. The nightsare severely cold and in the desertand inland overnight frost occurs.

In Bitterfontein, the far south of theAloe’s range, the day timetemperature during the floweringperiod in May is around 22C (71F)maximum and 11C (51F) minimum.In June it is 19C (66F) maximumand 9C (48F) minimum. Rainfall is21.7mm in May and 25.9mm inJune as the winter rains arrive. Therains increase throughout theirwinter and the temperature dropsto its coldest in July, an average of5–6C. The area is said to have aMediterranean climate.

So it can be seen that thetemperatures Aloe erinacea

The flowering ofAloe erinaceaThe winter of 2014/2015by Philip Greswell

14 February 201505 February 201524 January 2015

12

experiences in habitat, with thefreezing nights and day timetemperatures, are not too differentfrom those in my greenhouse. Thetime of flowering is not too differenteither. After our summer here in theUK its flowers begin to develop inlate January, reaching fruition inearly March during winter andspring. As winter approaches intheir natural habitat, it flowers inMay and June at the start of itswinter there.

This helps to explain possibly whyit flowered here in the winter as itdid. Obviously there will be othertriggers such as levels of sunlightand there are of course noguarantees it will flower again infuture springs. n

Photos: Philip Greswell

Reference:

1. Succulent Plant Site ZA.http://www.succulents.co.za/

The flowering of Aloe erinacea continued

24 February 2015 24 February 2015 (close-up)

13 March 201509 March 2015 (close-up)09 March 2015

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Growing a large collection ofmammillarias means there is

always something in flowernearly every day from spring toautumn and much to admire. Inthe winter (in the broadestsense: from November toFebruary here in the UK) flowersare much rarer. Mammillariaplumosa traditionally flowers inDecember, sometimes even onChristmas Day, although I have acouple of different clones whichdecide to flower somewhatsporadically throughout the year.But the plants I have chosen toshare with you this time aresome of my favourite smallmammillarias which brighten up thedark days before Christmas orglisten in the winter sun early in theNew Year.

The first plants I have chosen are M. lasiacantha, M. denudata and M. magallanii. Some authoritieshave reduced these to synonymy,either completely or in part, but Iretain the original names for theplants that I have. Collectively theygrow in the southern United Statesand in Northern Mexico but are notparticularly widespread. In times

Winter wonders –three small mammillarias by Tony Roberts

Fig. 1 M. lasiacantha

Above: Fig 2 M. magallanii

and M. denudata

Right: Fig 3M. denudata

seed pods

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Winter wonders continued

gone by, the best source of smallseedling plants was Ken Burke (ofPete and Ken’s Nursery), usuallygrown from seed derived fromSteve Brack at Mesa Gardens.Now, I usually have to resort togrowing them from seed myself – aslow business, for it takes severalyears to grow a plant that will evenlook at home in a two-inch pot!

They are not the easiest species togrow and keep alive. They benefitfrom very well-draining soil, at least50% grit with John Innes compost,and a location on the top shelf withplenty of sunshine. Given theseconditions they will flower in mid tolate February, and indeed for meare nearly always the very firstplants to flower in the year. Figs. 1and 2 show you some exampleplants together with theconsiderable variation in flower sizeand colour. The beauty of thesespecies is the closely packedspines which completely obscurethe plant bodies.

Since these plants flower so earlyin the season, you rarely get anypollination of the flowers (withouthuman intervention) as there arevery few insects around at thattime. Fortunately when I wasworking full-time, I could rely on mywife to hand-pollinate theappropriate plants using a paint-brush. This was usually verysuccessful resulting in many redfruits, containing black seeds,suddenly appearing a few monthslater in about June (Fig. 3).

M. aureilanata used to come in twovarieties, var. aureilanata withgolden-yellow spines and var. albawith silvery-white spines, but thesehave also been ‘lumped’ togethermore recently. This species is alsoslow growing, usually remainingsolitary, and requires well-drainedcompost as it has a large andsensitive tuberous root. Given thesame conditions as M. lasiacanthait will also flower well on sunnywinter days (Figs. 4 and 5).

Unlike the first two mammillarias,my third choice, M. solisioides, issomewhat different in its floweringtendencies but is equally tricky togrow well. This is another plantwhich usually remains solitary butyou do see larger clumps just veryoccasionally on the show bench. Italso requires good drainage and, inmy hands, is a relatively short-livedplant. Only once have I got itbeyond a three-inch pot.

Given enough light and a mildautumn, M. solisioides will flower inthe UK in November. More oftenthough, while buds may appear inNovember, they just sit there andno flowering occurs. Then, on abright day in January or earlyFebruary, flowers may open butsometimes the buds abort and noflowering occurs that winter. Figs. 7and 8 show the same plantflowering first in November andthen again in the followingFebruary. n

Photos: Tony Roberts

Fig. 7 M. solisioides flowering again in FebruaryFig. 6 M. solisioides flowering in November

Fig. 5 M. aureilanata var. albaFig. 4 M. aureilanata

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I quickly began to realise that I needed to getorganised, as I was interested in the following:

1 Duplication – when purchasing new plants was I(unintentionally) purchasing a duplicate?

2 Naming and variations – I began to be aware ofthe world of clones, subspecies, hybrids, cultivarsand synonyms. The same name on two plants couldthrow up two quite different looking plants.

3 Provenance – not all nurseries are equal, so Iwanted to understand if there were differences inplant quality and value for money.

4 Growth – a general interest in growth but also tosee if it was affected by making changes to positionin the greenhouse or growing medium.

5 Origin – understanding the plant’s habitat andgrowing conditions.

There are commercial database packages availablebut, like all good accountants, I turned to Microsoft’sExcel and created a spreadsheet to capture the abovedata. Even with a simple spreadsheet it is possible tosort the data by genus, nursery, date of purchase,country of origin etc. The spreadsheet has grown overthe years to capture both an expanding number ofplants and additional data as I have become interestedin other features, such as cold hardiness.

I have developed a simple routine of allocating aunique number (sequentially starting from one) to eachplant. This lets me know how many plants I havepurchased and, as I record when they expire, I alsoknow how many plants are actually in the collectionand their average life span. Each plant is measuredand, along with date of purchase, nursery, cost, name(including synonyms, subspecies etc) and anyprovenance details, is entered on to the spreadsheet.

I then do a bit of research to find out the origin of theplant and the growing conditions there. I also have acomments section on the database, which notesanything unusual such as markings etc.

In addition to having a database of plants I like to havesome sort of reference with the plant itself. In the plantpot I have a single white label that bears the numberthat correlates to the spreadsheet. I also insert asecond (coloured) label. The colour denotes a region ofthe world eg South Africa (yellow) or Madagascar(pink). This second label has the name of the plant onone side and on the reverse side I note:

1 Nursery,2 Date of purchase,3 Size when purchased,4 Size and date at repotting,5 Growing conditions.

Recently I have started adding a third label to identifyplants that have persistent pests. Red indicates a boutof mealy bug and black – root mealy bug. This means Iam more likely to pick up these plants on a regularbasis to inspect them to see if the treatment is working.

The system I have developed over the years is peculiarto my plants and the time I have available. With moretime I might photograph the plants in flower and logthese on the database. I do not experiment very muchwith soil mixes but I know some people do and keep adiary of these trials. All of this information and more iseasily captured on a spreadsheet. The purpose of thisarticle is not to dictate a particular methodology but toshare my practical experience of trying to keep tabs onmy collection. I am sure it will have changed again thistime next year. Happy logging.

Keeping a record by James Gold

In the beginning it was very easy. I did not have many plants, there was no greenhouse, and all the plantswere on the kitchen windowsill. However, membership of the BCSS and attending the annual ContinentalCactus Crawl (see page 2) meant that these plants were joined by many others in short succession.

There is a practical side to this process and, over thelast 16 years, I have tried various writing instruments,labelling machines and plant labels. Not all have beensuccessful but items that have workedwell for me include:

Pens – Staedtler Permanent Special Fis the best bar none. Look for the goldband around the bottom of the pen

Pencil – always good. Not such asharp contrast as pen but good forsales plants

Label Printers – Brother has alwaysprovided good service. It sells a widevariety of label tape cassettes, some

of which are designed for the harsh environment ofthe garden and greenhouse. These are laminated andhave UV resistance. With various widths and colours

you can match them to the size andcolour of the labels you use.

Labels – A couple of years ago I discovered Wells and Winter –http://wellsandwinter.co.uk They makethe best labels and have a wide rangeto suit everyone. I favour the six inchcoloured labels as they are robust andlarge enough for lots of information. Sofar they have not gone brittle andsnapped in the way of many labels.

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Cacti are one of the most alien groups of plants thatcan be grown in the English garden and all the

more fun because of that. Modern thinking lumpstogether many ‘old’ genera into huge, some would sayclumsy, mega-genera. I prefer, and still use, many ofthe old-fashioned names as for me they give valuableclues to horticultural differences, if not taxonomic. Ioffer no apologies for this,just an explanation! Forexample, if I see a nice butunfamiliar plant for salelabelled Soehrensia I knowit stands every chance ofbeing hardy outside withme. If it were labelledEchinopsis I would notreally be any the wiser.

Cultivation of cacti outsideis pretty much universal –full sun and perfectdrainage. The largestgrowing species can takea very slightly heavier soil,in fact that is a good ideaas it gives a little stabilityto them; some get heavy!

EscobariaA genus of small, low-growing, generally globoselittle cacti, often clustering,found throughout much ofcontinental North America.Names are a minefield asmany plants that arecurrently Escobaria havebeen, and may well endup being again,Coryphantha and/orMammillaria. Said to beamongst the hardiest ofcacti yet I find them tricky.

Escobaria vivipara: –small greenish blobs withwhite spines and pinkflowers.

ChamaecereusThis poor thing has been subjected to more synonymsthan seems fair – take your pick from Echinopsis,Trichocereus, Cereus or Lobivia.

Chamaecereus silvestrii: – the ‘peanut cactus’ is toofamiliar to describe. Tuck it into a dry, sunny rockcrevice and this little fellow will quite happily, grow its

green fingers out of thecrack and flower profusely

CylindropuntiaA group of Opuntia thathave finger-like jointedpads rather than flat ones,distinguished in Mexico bythe common name ‘cholla’as opposed to ‘tuna’.These are generally fromextremely arid regions buta few species will tolerateUK conditions.

Cylindropuntia imbricata:– one of the larger growingchollas that is quitevariable in spination, sizeand colour of flowers.Mine has been happilygrowing away, with a littlesupport, for many yearsbut has not yet flowered.

Cylindropuntiaechinocarpa: – a recentaddition for me butcultivars of this morecompact species haveproved hardy outdoors incontinental Europe formany years. They havevery dense spines, somevery beautifully coloured.

Cylindropuntia whipplei:– again, a compact chollawith very dense spines.Some forms are verysilvery.

Gardening with succulentsPart 6 – Smaller cactiby Paul Spracklin

Trichocereus tarijensis sitting in the snow

In the previous article we finished our look at the range of smaller succulents that can begrown. In this final part we look at some small cacti we can use.

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Gardening with succulents continued

DenmozaA genus of barrel cactus from Argentina, with one ortwo species depending upon the authority, that haslargely resisted attempts to lump it within other generabecause of its rather peculiar floral structure.

Denmoza rhodacantha: – the only species I havegrown, but extremely variable in the look of its spinesfrom fine, almost hairy, spines akin to Soehrensiaformosa to grapple-hook affairs reminiscent of aFerocactus – and everything in between. But all havethe odd tubular red flowers. This has been consistentlyone of the best cacti for me outside and, as it gets tosome size, in time can look very impressive. My oldestplant is around 60cm tall.

EchinopsisThe mega-genus that has enveloped many others. Ihave tried lots and lots, most die after a short while.

Echinopsis oxygona: – consistently my hardiestEchinopsis outside, this will spread to form a clump ofminiature barrels that can, in a good year, cover itselfwith those showy pale mauve flowers.

Cylindropuntia whipplei

Denmoza rhodacantha

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa

Denmoza rhodacantha

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Gardening with succulents continued

EchinocereusA genus of around 70 species from southwest USA andMexico usually enjoying the common name ofhedgehog cactus. Many species are extremely coldtolerant but not so happy with wet feet.

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. baileyi: – I thinkthis is the nicest small cactus that can be grownoutside. It slowly offsets to form a small, pale-spinedcolony of little finger-like columns that reliably coverthemselves with huge magenta flowers that are

unfeasibly showyfor such a smallthing.

Echinocereuscoccineus: – avery variableplant, rangingfrom almostspineless to very

spiny indeed, usually clumping, mostly having small,cup-shaped bright vermillion flowers.

Echinocereus triglochidiatus: – in some ways similarto E. coccineus, if anything a bit tougher. Some formshave dense white spines that show off the deep redflowers spectacularly well – I have yet to track one ofthese down! One of mine is always the first cactus toflower outside.

Echinocereus rigidissimus subsp. rubispinus: – notthe hardiest of species, nor the easiest to grow, butworth the effort. Densely covered in tiny recurved rubyspines, eventually clumping, and massive magentaflowers that totally obscure the plant. My last few gotwrenched out of the ground by baby foxes, only to bereturned the next day completely chewed.

GymnocalyciumA large genus spread throughout much of SouthAmerica. I have tried many, still have lots – most die offunaccountably after a few years.

Echinocereus triglochidiatus Echinocereus rigidissimus subsp. rubispinus

Echinocereus coccineusEchinocereus reichenbachii ssp baileyi

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Gymnocalycium subgibbosum var nigrum: – I am notentirely sure about the validity of this name but it ishow the seed packet came labelled 20 years ago. I stillhave it, the dark grey colour makes it look half dead alot of the time. It regularly produces its waxy creamflowers. It is certainly not the prettiest cactus I growbut it is the most enduring!

Opuntia

An enormous and widespread genus of plants frommost of the new world. Many are winter-hardythroughout Europe and so it boils down to personalpreference which you grow. They do have a tendencyto make plants of just three or four pads high beforekeeling over and ending up as a sprawling mess. I nowgrow a very limited number as they take up a hugeamount of space and can get very weedy very quickly.

Opuntia polyacantha, microdasys, humifusa,phaeacantha: – I lump all these together as they are

all pretty hardy customers, take up a lot of space and,to me, quickly become unattractive. O. humifusa (syn.O. compressa) in particular is totally bullet-proof buttotally collapses each winter and rarely looks good for long.

Opuntia fragilis: – slightly different to the above, thishas small rounded pads and makes a neat little bundlewith impressive spring flowers. Various selections havebeen made. Unfortunately for me my badgers seem tofind this species irresistible and I have yet to keep it forlong before it gets dug up and eaten.

Opuntia sheerii: – this for me has been the mostimpressive ‘tuna’. It has very short, almost fuzzy strawcoloured spines and so far remains upright. Flowers,when they appear, are lemon yellow the first day,fading to peach. It has been hardy with me through therecent bad winters although I would guess it is notultimately as hardy as those species listed earlier.

Gardening with succulents continued

Soehrensia formosaSoehrensia bruchii

Opuntia sheerii

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Gardening with succulents continued

SoehrensiaA group of globular or squat barrel-type cacti mainlyfrom Argentina. Some forms seem to remain solitary,some forms seem to cluster. These seem to beextremely good growers in my garden, along withDenmoza my favourite ‘smaller’ cacti to grow outside.They flower regularly and, in time, can attain quiteimpressive proportions.

Soehrensia bruchii: – these seem to be variable butare typically apple-green globularor barrel shaped globes reachingto 30cm across, sometimesclustering, usually with short andlight spines. Flowers are borne inrings near the top of the plantand can range from bright scarletto burnt orange. Some of myplants have been growingoutside happily for 15 years.

Soehrensia formosa: – thisspecies seems more inclined togrow into a barrel and is typicallysmaller in diameter than S. bruchii. The skin is a dullgreen and generally covered invery dense spines that can belong and fine, almost inviting youto stroke them! Flower colour isa strong chrome yellow.

Both of the above are oftenavailable and, with each speciesbeing so variable, it is hard notto keep buying them!

TrichocereusA large genus of mainly columnar cacti, now movedinto the even larger genus of Echinopsis. Many areworth growing.

Trichocereus schickendantzii: – this has grown into aspectacular plant for me. A slim columnar cactus thatreadily offsets, the columns seem to topple over veryquickly and then crawl along the ground. Over a periodof around 15 years mine has made a weird Medusa-

head of ground cover thatnever fails to catch the eye ofvisitors. Flowers, whenproduced, are immenselyshowy white saucer-sizedaffairs that last but one night.

These few mentioned cacti arebut the tip of the iceberg, afew selected plants that I growor have grown.

Growing cactus and succulentplants outside is fun andrewarding. Of course noteveryone can grow every plantbut it is fair to say that anyone,anywhere, can grow a few. Bebold in your plantings, do notbe put off by occasional lossesand enjoy the successes! n

Photos: Paul Spracklin

Paul Spracklin is a gardendesigner with a specialist interestin gardening with succulents. Seehis website Oasis Designs

Trichocereus schickendantzii

Trichocereus schickendantzii in flower