A High Desert Garden

Discuss hardy cacti grown outside all year.
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John P Weiser
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:08 pm
Location: Sparks, NV

Post by John P Weiser »

Well the first day of summer has come and gone. It hit 90F and we will be very warm for the rest of the week. The cacti are loving it.
Here are a few in bloom.
Escobaria guadalupensis (syn. E. orcuttii )
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Escobaria sneedii var. sneedii
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Echenocereus fendleri var. kuenzleri
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Sclerocactus wetlandicus
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Sclerocactus pubispinus
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Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha (syn. rhodantha)
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Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris
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Some times digital cameras cause vibrant colors to over saturate a photo. This can be distracting at times but there are exceptions that I find intriguing. Here are a few that show "The Fire Within!! 8)
Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris
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Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha (syn. rhodantha)
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Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea/ursina
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From the High Desert Steppe
of the Great Basin and foot hills
of the Sierra Nevada Range
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/
sierrarainshadow
iann
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Location: England

Post by iann »

Summer has come to the high country 8)
--ian
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John P Weiser
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:08 pm
Location: Sparks, NV

Post by John P Weiser »

Hi iann.
Thought I'd post a few non cacti shots as well.
Penstemon eatonii
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Yucca harrimaniae var. gilbertiana
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Phacelia linearis and Eriogonum strictum var. anserinum
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Sphaeralcea fendleri
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And a hand full of Delospermas for added sparkle!! 8)
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From the High Desert Steppe
of the Great Basin and foot hills
of the Sierra Nevada Range
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/
sierrarainshadow
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Andy_CT
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Location: Connecticut, USA

Post by Andy_CT »

Wow, all the colors made me dizzy!
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John P Weiser
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:08 pm
Location: Sparks, NV

Post by John P Weiser »

Andy_CT wrote:Wow, all the colors made me dizzy!
Andy
Maybe you should set down in the shade catch your breath and consume a cold beverage. Your favorite brand of course. :wink: At ninty degrees I'll be tipping one myself. 8)
From the High Desert Steppe
of the Great Basin and foot hills
of the Sierra Nevada Range
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/
sierrarainshadow
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Andy_CT
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Location: Connecticut, USA

Post by Andy_CT »

Yours is one garden I wouldn't want to get dizzy and fall into :shock:
peterb
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Location: Chandler, Arizona, USA

Post by peterb »

Just spectacular as always! Love the Sclero wetlandicus and pubispinus. Wonderful!

peterb
Zone 9
daiv
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Post by daiv »

Great stuff as always John. Hope you send some of that warm weather our way. We are wet and cold here - more like April!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
iann
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

How much do you water those Delospermas? Mine in the garden can just about survive on their own but that is with several inches a month of rain.
--ian
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John P Weiser
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:08 pm
Location: Sparks, NV

Post by John P Weiser »

iann wrote:How much do you water those Delospermas? Mine in the garden can just about survive on their own but that is with several inches a month of rain.
Iann
I have them on drip irrigation so It's hard to figure inches of rain in the standard sense. I have 1/2 GPH (1.89 LPH) drip emitters, spaced about 18 inches(45cm)apart. Each week during the summer I run them 4 times a week with a duration of 9 minutes each session.
A drip emitter can supply plants with moisture for up to a foot away as long as their roots are fully established.
I have to think about the water holding capacities and drainage profiles of the substrates I must deal with, before settling on emitter size, spacing, or scheduled operational times. The courser more well drained the substrate the less moisture will spread horizontally.
From the High Desert Steppe
of the Great Basin and foot hills
of the Sierra Nevada Range
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/
sierrarainshadow
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

Sounds tricky. I know most Delospermas have deep roots and are drought tolerant once established (in England!) even though they thrive on just about as much water as they can get. I imagine they are finding a little water even when it seems very dry to me. A few species don't seem to have the deep roots and they are very thirsty.
--ian
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John P Weiser
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:08 pm
Location: Sparks, NV

Post by John P Weiser »

iann wrote:Sounds tricky.
It does take getting used too. I just measure my water usage by the $ amount listed on the bill, at the end of the month. :roll: :?
From the High Desert Steppe
of the Great Basin and foot hills
of the Sierra Nevada Range
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/
sierrarainshadow
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Ken Shaw
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Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:17 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by Ken Shaw »

Andy_CT wrote:Yours is one garden I wouldn't want to get dizzy and fall into :shock:
So Andy, there are limits to your opuntophilia? :D

But seriously, this is a terrific garden!
"I like the spikey ones
better than the squashy ones"
roddimmitt
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Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:24 pm

Re: A High Desert Garden

Post by roddimmitt »

John: My name is Rod Dimmitt, and I live in Carson City. I am a fellow cactus affectionado, and I was up to meet Charles Barnum a couple of weeks ago. I would love to come by and see your garden. My front yard is a mix of Cactus, Yucca and Agaves, with the challenge of finding plants that will survive the winters in Carson City. Feel free to contact me (775) 771-1706 or via e-mail at roddimmitt@hotmail.com. I was gonna try to get up to see Charles one day next week, so maybe we could hook up, depending on your schedule. Thank you for your time. Rod.
Charles
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Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:38 am
Location: Reno

Re: A High Desert Garden

Post by Charles »

Hey Rod,
Long time no see.
I am making a several changes to my garden. I removed most of the ornamental grass and 90% of the Mexican feather grass. They have become a nuisance.
I added a few cacti. Also removed almost 50 smaller cacti and placed them on a 'hospital table' in the shade. NOTE: I have had no mealy bugs this year, and I have applied no insecticide at all.
Of the four agave you gave me, one survived. It's doing well.
I've had heavy seed production this year. Last year had but a few seed pods.
The cactus from S. Am. are doing very well.

Drop by when you can.
Oh, I bought a fancy digital Olympus camera with all the gadgets. It has rained here for three days ??? but after it stops, I'll try out this monster camera.
Charles,
Sparks nv
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