I've decided to consolidate future postings to a single thread as other have done. Watching the progress of other members collections in one place, throughout the year has been very helpful - especially when they experience climatic conditions similar to mine. It should also make finding photos and observations easier to locate when they are in one place rather than 20 . . .
I live on the Niagara Frontier on an island located in the middle of the Niagara River. With the great lakes and river we are lucky enough to enjoy a zone 6+. We are far enough north that the dreaded lake effect snows off of Lake Erie do not often really affect us. Our last frost each year is usually in the first week or two of May and the first frost of the coming winter is towards the end of October. The first recordable frozen precipitation each fall/winter is often the end of October as well. Halloween weather here is often more a trick than a treat.
With these climatic barriers in mind, the majority of my collection must live in a south facing sunroom for 7 months of each year. In both early May and mid to late October I find myself lugging hundreds of pounds of potted plants in and out of the house daily in order to snatch up every day possible of sunny, warm weather. It is usually the second week of June before the plants have reacclimated to full sunlight. The entire collection, except for most of the tropical, epiphytic cacti, goes outside from May to October.
During the May to October time frame we may get 18-24 inches of rainfall. It is not unusual to have a week of solid overcast, very wet weather. I watch the forecast and if it looks like we will have rain several days in a row, I pack up the majority and bring them back inside. Some of the pots can be quickly slipped under the shelves for inclement weather. The same applies for severe storms - I have learned the hard way that soft bodied cacti and other succulents do not appreciate walnut sized hail.
This arrangement makes some plants more difficult to cultivate than I am willing to work with. If the species is rot prone, picky about winter light levels or heat above 55 degrees all winter etc, it probably is not in my collection. Once in a while I will give a Discocatus, Melocactus, Oroya or an Eriosyce a try. If it rots, no matter how good the price of a replacement, space generally is not wasted on that species again.
Most of my plants are in terracotta pots with a good layer of aquarium gravel on top of the soil. Terracotta dries out more evenly and the gravel on top keeps heavy rainfall from splashing out all the soil. The gravel also discourages weeds from germinating in the pots and critters from digging in them. The combination of terracotta and gravel also gives enough weight to the overall plants to keep strong winds from knocking them over.
The collection is primarily cactus, followed by Euphorbias, Senecios Pachypodiums and Ascpepiads. There are a few oddball examples of a genus like Fouquieria, Ornithogalum, Bowiea, Alluaudia and Cissus as well. My favorite cacti are Echinopsis, Lobivia, Rebutia and Gymnocalycium - because they grow so nicely and bloom easily. For the most part, I keep very few Opuntias (only 4 species). Can’t stand glochids, never could, never will. The Euphorbias as mostly those that resemble cacti; those that do not really have leaves for any period of time.
With those basics, I give you the collection in photos.
Nathan of the Niagara Frontier
Succulents on the Niagara Frontier
Succulents on the Niagara Frontier
Last edited by Tetrazole on Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy
The collection outdoors in early July, 2010
Last edited by Tetrazole on Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy
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Peterthecactusguy
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:49 am
- Location: Black Canyon City, Arizona
Nathan your collection is wonderful. I am sure it takes more devotion to grow cacti and succulents where you live then where I live. Some of the prickly pears out here got damaged from hail once, it wasn't near as big as walnuts, but hail out here is nuts. We got like 6 inches of it once....
Your yard in the background looks cool too I see lots of green and trees something that we don't have a large supply of.
As for glochids I understand about them too. I have gotten so many into me that they don't bug me as much anymore.
Thanks for sharing your collection through pictures
Your yard in the background looks cool too I see lots of green and trees something that we don't have a large supply of.
As for glochids I understand about them too. I have gotten so many into me that they don't bug me as much anymore.
Thanks for sharing your collection through pictures
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
great looking collection, nice and tidy too!
suddenly collecting cacti in holland doesn't seem to be so hard (actually it isn't)
I like the opuntia patch!
suddenly collecting cacti in holland doesn't seem to be so hard (actually it isn't)
I like the opuntia patch!
With apologies to the late Professor C. D. Darlington the following misquotation springs to
mind ‘cactus taxonomy is the pursuit of the impossible by the incompetent’ - Fearn & Pearcy, Rebutia (1981)
mind ‘cactus taxonomy is the pursuit of the impossible by the incompetent’ - Fearn & Pearcy, Rebutia (1981)
Flowers for the week of July 4th.
Astrophytum capricorne - It was very hot the day this one bloomed and it never did fully open. The next day the bloom was all shriveled.
Gymnocactus baldianum
Gymnocalycium neuhuberi
Gymnocalycium plant D - this was bought without a name but that didn't slow it down any. This plant is probably more than 3" in diameter and a very interesting brown/purple mix of color.
Parodia occulta This one has become a blooming machine once it got to going about two weeks ago.
Thelocactus schwartzii. This flower also never fully opened up. It was over 90 degrees the day that it chose to open and it just stalled about 2/3rds of the way. The next day this flower was wilted and another was partially open - over 90 degrees again.
Turbinocarpus vierecki. This plant put on a solitary flower about a 3 weeks ago - it must have been a trial run for this inflorescence.
Yucca filamentosa. This is a hardy, year around plant here. It was planted last summer and is already blooming this year. The spike is about 6 foot in height.
This is a flower off a variegated hardy Yucca. Its flowers do not present like the Y. filamentosa and it started to bloom about 3 weeks ahead of the Y. filamentosa.
Chamaelobivia Hybrid Rose Quartz Plant 3.
Thelocactus setispinus. This is the first bloom for the year on this one.
Obregonia denegrii. This is the third time this plant has bloomed in four weeks.
Gymnocalycium schickendantzii. This bud simply does not want to open all the way up. It could be the spines surrounding it are holding it back.
Euphorbia greenwayii cyathia
Astrophytum capricorne - It was very hot the day this one bloomed and it never did fully open. The next day the bloom was all shriveled.
Gymnocactus baldianum
Gymnocalycium neuhuberi
Gymnocalycium plant D - this was bought without a name but that didn't slow it down any. This plant is probably more than 3" in diameter and a very interesting brown/purple mix of color.
Parodia occulta This one has become a blooming machine once it got to going about two weeks ago.
Thelocactus schwartzii. This flower also never fully opened up. It was over 90 degrees the day that it chose to open and it just stalled about 2/3rds of the way. The next day this flower was wilted and another was partially open - over 90 degrees again.
Turbinocarpus vierecki. This plant put on a solitary flower about a 3 weeks ago - it must have been a trial run for this inflorescence.
Yucca filamentosa. This is a hardy, year around plant here. It was planted last summer and is already blooming this year. The spike is about 6 foot in height.
This is a flower off a variegated hardy Yucca. Its flowers do not present like the Y. filamentosa and it started to bloom about 3 weeks ahead of the Y. filamentosa.
Chamaelobivia Hybrid Rose Quartz Plant 3.
Thelocactus setispinus. This is the first bloom for the year on this one.
Obregonia denegrii. This is the third time this plant has bloomed in four weeks.
Gymnocalycium schickendantzii. This bud simply does not want to open all the way up. It could be the spines surrounding it are holding it back.
Euphorbia greenwayii cyathia
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy
-
Peterthecactusguy
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:49 am
- Location: Black Canyon City, Arizona
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Ralf
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:25 pm
- Location: Ellrich, Thuringia, Germany [Zone 6b]
- Contact:
Nathan, you've a really clean an tidy collection. 
Wow, it looks awesome! Since when did you collect cacti?
Wow, it looks awesome! Since when did you collect cacti?
Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money.
(Wisdom of the Cree Indians)
Cacti encyclopedia | Facebook
(Wisdom of the Cree Indians)
Cacti encyclopedia | Facebook
It's pachypodium day on the Frontier. There are only six Pachypodium species in my collection. At one time I had a 20 year old Madagascar Palm. Raised it from a 3 inch seedling. It really loved growing here. In 8 years of growing in Southern California, it probably only was 10-12 inches. Once in Western New York, it sky rocketed to well over a yard in height. Unfortunately, it met it's early demise from a very late frost a couple of years back.
The five below are all new as of last fall. They came from Out of Africa in Naples, Florida. Mike and Maureen Massara were great to work with and the plant and shipping costs were extremely reasonable. All but two arrived minus leaves, and one of those lost its leaves later in the winter. In mid May I drenched them and did so again 2 weeks later. It was still mid June before new leaves started to form and they have been going strong ever since. I keep then in full sunlight as suggested by the Massara's. Today I had my first bloom open.
Pachypodium bicolor
Pachypodium brevicaule ssp leucoxanthum
Pachypodium cactipes
Pachypodium densiflorum
Pachypodium horombense
Pachypodium rosulatum drakei
Pachypodium rosulatum drakei - its first bloom.
The five below are all new as of last fall. They came from Out of Africa in Naples, Florida. Mike and Maureen Massara were great to work with and the plant and shipping costs were extremely reasonable. All but two arrived minus leaves, and one of those lost its leaves later in the winter. In mid May I drenched them and did so again 2 weeks later. It was still mid June before new leaves started to form and they have been going strong ever since. I keep then in full sunlight as suggested by the Massara's. Today I had my first bloom open.
Pachypodium bicolor
Pachypodium brevicaule ssp leucoxanthum
Pachypodium cactipes
Pachypodium densiflorum
Pachypodium horombense
Pachypodium rosulatum drakei
Pachypodium rosulatum drakei - its first bloom.
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy
I was given my first cactus in the late 60's - an evil bunny ears Opuntia (clearly a species designed deep in the bowels of hell). As a heads up, this is not a good choice of plant for someone under 12 years of age and keeping said specimen on the oversized headboard of the bed, with less noxious plants, is not recommended either. We burned the sheets, blankets and pillow cases . . .
Anyway, after that one I just added one here and there over the years. There were probably 40+ succulents when we moved from Southern CA to Western NY State. Over the the past few years I have added 150 plus plants. They are much less demanding than either the dog or cat and it gives me something constructive to do over the winter months.
Nathan
Anyway, after that one I just added one here and there over the years. There were probably 40+ succulents when we moved from Southern CA to Western NY State. Over the the past few years I have added 150 plus plants. They are much less demanding than either the dog or cat and it gives me something constructive to do over the winter months.
Nathan
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy
The Yucca filamentosa bloom spike had a visitor this afternoon. It was feasting on the little ants that were working over all the flowers for nectar.
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy
Asclepiads July 2010.
Except for the S. gigantea, all my Asclepiads are fairly young plants. The S. gigantea was bought at a farmers market in Illinois around 1980. I split it into two plants and shared one with a friend. It has died off a couple of times for one or the other of us and new cuttings were shared and repropagated. I don't believe that I have had a bloom since living in CA 15 years ago but the plant stuggles on. Perhaps it will bloom this summer . . .
Nathan
Hoodia gordonii
Huernia guttata
Huernia insigniflora
Huernia schneideriana (in bloom)
Huernia zebrina
Stapelia flavopurpurea
Stapelia gigantea
Stapelia scitula
Except for the S. gigantea, all my Asclepiads are fairly young plants. The S. gigantea was bought at a farmers market in Illinois around 1980. I split it into two plants and shared one with a friend. It has died off a couple of times for one or the other of us and new cuttings were shared and repropagated. I don't believe that I have had a bloom since living in CA 15 years ago but the plant stuggles on. Perhaps it will bloom this summer . . .
Nathan
Hoodia gordonii
Huernia guttata
Huernia insigniflora
Huernia schneideriana (in bloom)
Huernia zebrina
Stapelia flavopurpurea
Stapelia gigantea
Stapelia scitula
“Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it.”
― Brigid Brophy
― Brigid Brophy