Fanaticactus 2014

[fanaticactus]

Now that we're finally getting some warm, sunny days, things are starting to come alive thanks mainly to the help of the greenhouse, now with shade cloth. In case you missed the very first flowers to open this year (Stenocactus coptogonus), here they are shortly after removing the layers of newspaper after many nights of subfreezing temps in the GH this winter.

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Right now there are four more in bloom. Nothing spectacular yet but very, very welcomed after the brutal winter. In order, a very young M. crinita ssp zeilmanniana; a sprawling Chamaecereus hybrid from Lowe's last year which appears to be one called 'White Peanut' (2 photos); a Rebutia fiebrigii variety; and the old standby M. karwinskiana.

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[majcka]

I can see you are catching a falling star not with cactus but with cacti flowers.

I especially like the (almost) white Silvestrii.

[Minime8484]

Love them! Nice start to the year - especially like the M. crinita ssp zeilmanniana!

[fanaticactus]

Thanks for the comments! Maja, apparently there aren't many white Chamaecereus white hybrids; the brightly colored ones are more common. I remember reading somewhere (I think it was cactus-art.biz) that the white ones are highly sought after. I appreciate your comment and, yes, it is particularly pretty especially against the rather dark green, almost black/green, flesh. Minime, the fact that the zeilmanniana already had four small buds when I found it at the garden center was amazing enough. It's not even two inches tall. Usually, I have to find a much larger one (at least 4" or so) before it will bloom. These flowers look especially big compared to the diminutive size of the cactus.

[Eutow_Intermedium]

= ( o ) _ ( o ) = O Wow !

That white Charmaecereus Silvestrii. So beautiful . .

I want one ! !

.

I have M. Karwinskina's flowering for the first time this year. I've had them since the early 2000's. Only just started flowering.

[fanaticactus]

= ( o ) _ ( o ) = O Wow !

That white Charmaecereus Silvestrii. So beautiful . .

I want one ! !

.

I have M. Karwinskina's flowering for the first time this year. I've had them since the early 2000's. Only just started flowering.

Glad to see the white Chamae. is getting some notice. It is different, isn't it? I've found two names for the hybrid and there may be more--and I don't know if it's the same hybrid or not, just with a different name. One is on cactus-art.biz as the "cv. Westfield Alba"; the other is sold by Miles 2 Go in Arizona as "White Peanut". The flowers look identical to me. As I mentioned, I found this in a Lowe's (one of our "big box" stores), but it was marked as "Rose Quartz", which it quite obviously is not; I recognized that when I saw it. You might look around in your local places in the UK and perhaps find one or be able to order one. Continued luck with your karwinskiana flowers.

[CactusFanDan]

Looking good!

[Arjen]

you have the truly white form! mine is a bit more yellowish
over all great presentation, your plants look very well taken care of

[fanaticactus]

you have the truly white form! mine is a bit more yellowish
over all great presentation, your plants look very well taken care of

Thanks, Arjen. It's purely by luck they may look "well taken care of" because they were in a subfreezing GH (even with a 1500W heater going full blast) during this most brutal winter. I think the only thing that saved the ones that survived were the layers of newspaper that I threw over them, thanks to the kindness of many Forum members who quickly answered my cries for help. The only one that is not a winter survivor is the zeilmanniana, which is a new purchase (I did lose the old one). With the shade cloth and exhaust fan in the GH this summer, I should have a much more cactus-friendly shelter for them.

[hegar]

I was instantly "floored" by that cactus with the white spines and the eye-popping orange blossom.
Is that some kind of Mammillaria sp.? If so, could you please give me the species name and a guess of the flower size?
I would like to increase the variety of blossom colors within my own collection. At this time almost everything is either blooming yellow or pink. I do have two red-flowering cacti (Gymnocalycium baldianum) and Echinopsis grandiflora, but only the "Baldi" has bloomed thus far. Also, two of my Opuntias have reddish blossoms. The only true orange-flowered cactus thus far are the Echinopsis chamaecereus/Chamaecereus sylvestris and a hybrid Echinocereus coccineus.

Harald

[fanaticactus]

Hi, Harald. The orange flower is on a Rebutia. Since the lines nowadays are somewhat blurred among the various species within Rebutia, the best I can say is that it appears to be of the fiebrigii/flavistyla/muscula clan. I don't think it's a hybrid. I bought it locally last year and it survived this terrible winter in the greenhouse, covered with newspapers with dozens of others in nighttime temperatures that were almost constantly below 32F, and one night I think I remember it registered 19F. Orange is one of my favorite colors on cactus flowers, either alone or blended with reds and lavenders.

[fanaticactus]

Thanks to a string of sunny days and perfect temperatures inside the greenhouse, things are looking good. I had a wonderful shipment of plants from Miles; most arrived already with buds, so it didn't take long for a couple of them to bloom. This Lobivia acanthoplegma v roseiflora, for example.

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And this Lobivia schreiteri

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The M. karwinskiana (not from Miles) now has a ring of flowers, though not quite solid, but buds keep coming.

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The E. taltalensis ssp paucicostata, despite still looking wrinkled and tired from this winter, is showing a couple of buds.

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As is the E. crispa/Neoporteria carrizalensis

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Back to some of Miles' cacti, this group shows buds on last year's Chamaecereus hybrid 'Jean's Delight' (front left), and three Gymnos from the recent shipment: tillianum (front right), friedrichii/stenopleurum (rear left) and andreae (rear right).

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A tiny Mamm. theresae

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. After a severe bout with mealies and lots of dead branches that had to be cut off, the Lepismium monocanthum is beginning to bud.

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An unidentified Echinopsis

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And tons more buds on the orange Rebutia fiebrigii/flavistyla/muscula and the white Chamaecereus hybrid

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And the one I may be most happy about is one of the Epis I've had for about six years that never once flowered FINALLY has buds. Here are a few of seven possible buds I counted.

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[fanaticactus]

The more, the better...

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My first flower on my first ever M. theresae--mid-morning

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early afternoon after more sun

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[Ralf]

Great show!
That Lobivia acanthoplegma v roseiflora is now on my must have list.

[fanaticactus]

Thanks, Ralf. As soon as I saw it on the Miles2Go catalog list, I knew I had to have it, too. And Miles chose one that already had buds, as he seems to do with most of the cacti (in flowering season) that I get from him. After trying to grow representatives of many different genera, I seem to be now concentrating on Lobivia, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Chamaecereus hybrids and the showier Mamms. In other words, ones that I've had survive with minimal care (i.e., dependable) and have large, colorful flowers.