April in northern Vermont

[fanaticactus]

I guess I can't continue the 'middle of winter' thread, so here is the current status of things in this strange month of temperature extremes. Today was officially 72 here, but in the sun by the greenhouse it reached 81. I cleaned and arranged the GH for the coming season both yesterday and today. Most of the big work is done. The Mamms that began blooming in March are still going, buds are growing on two Echinopsis/Trichopsis grandiflorus hybrids and on a Parodia erubescens as well as a Thelocactus bicolor. Today the R. muscula was looking quite good and the first flower on an A. uncinatus ssp uncinatus began to open, slightly impeded by the long spines.

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In the garden I was shocked my first-year Pediocactus simpsonii is showing a ring of buds. We had a horrible winter--not so much cold this year, but a lot of sleet and cold rain. There was not enough snow to bury (and insulate) the cacti, so I lost several of the new ones, but the Pedio came through nicely, it seems.

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[iann]

Hardly any cold at all this winter. I was surprised my Pediocactus even flowered.

[Astro]

The Rebutias and Sulcos definitely bring some color to the collection around this time of the year. Even my wife likes them right now

However that Rebutia doesn't look much like a muscula. Maybe you meant R. minuscula?

[fanaticactus]

However that Rebutia doesn't look much like a muscula. Maybe you meant R. minuscula?

That very well could be. I've been checking over my IDs and saw that the general description didn't quite match mine. I'll have to look at minuscula and a couple of others. What often confuses me is that some species appear to have been cross-bred--i.e. the flower color doesn't always match the rest of the description, whether in words or by photos.