cactus

Growing Beavertail Cactus: A Desert Gem That’s Easier Than You Think I collected a beavertail cactus pad on a hike in Joshua Tree after it had already broken off the mother plant. I let it callus for three weeks, stuck it in dry sand, and within a year it had rooted and produced three new […]

I bought a lace cactus because the dense clusters of small globular stems looked like a pile of pale green buttons. The spines are fine and hair-like, giving it a soft appearance that belies the sharp tips underneath. I’ve spent years nurturing these spiky beauties, and today I’m sharing everything I know about the fascinating

THE GOLDEN BARREL CACTUS: A DESERT JEWEL FOR YOUR GARDEN I bought a golden barrel cactus the size of a baseball fifteen years ago. It is now roughly the size of a basketball, and the ribs have become so pronounced that the whole plant looks like a perfectly geometric sphere. Golden barrel cactus is slow-growing

Living Rock Cactus: Nature’s Master of Desert Camouflage – A Complete Care Guide A neighbor gave me offsets from her living rock cactus after I admitted I had killed two succulents already. Those tiny stone-like bodies have been sitting unchanged on my windowsill for three years, flowering every autumn without any fuss. The Mystery Behind

Claret Cup Cactus: The Crown Jewel of Desert Gardens (A Complete Growing Guide) I first saw a claret cup cactus blooming in a neighbor’s rock garden one April morning. The scarlet flowers against the blue-green stems stopped me mid-step. Since then, I’ve always kept one tucked into a sunny corner of my own yard. Why

Growing the Magnificent San Pedro Macho Cactus: A Complete Guide I found my San Pedro Macho cactus at a specialty nursery where it was already five feet tall with three upright columns. The ribs are deeper than a standard San Pedro, and it has survived two winters on my covered patio without protection. Why You’ll

The Desert’s Most Misunderstood Plant I collected a piece of cholla cactus that had fallen on a trail in Arizona. Despite wearing thick gloves, the spines still found their way through. The plant rooted quickly in a pot of gritty mix and now sits on my patio producing new segments every summer. These spiny survivors

Hey there, fellow plant enthusiasts! My red torch cactus was a gift from a friend who grew tired of its slow growth. I placed it in a south-facing window and within two years it had produced a second stem and bloomed with bright red tubular flowers. Red torch cactus needs full sun and a cactus

Growing the Magnificent Peruvian Apple Cactus: A Complete Guide My first peruvian apple cactus came from a cutting I stuck in coarse sand and forgot about for a month. It rooted on its own and now produces white flowers every summer that last exactly one night. Why You’ll Love This Giant Beauty Ever wondered what