Name that Cacti!

Botanical names are incredibly difficult to remember-seriously, difficult to remember.   I took a trip over to the good ole public library this morning because it really isn't acceptable to spend so much money on books you can read for free. Though the library was rather disorienting and left me with a sour stomach (HURRY UP RECOVERY), I managed to find both the botany section and gardening section (they are in totally different aisles and many of the books were very similar).  I have been dying to know the names of all my little cacti guys so, I checked out one of the many picture books of succulents (seriously the books were scattered between the botany and gardening and they were just a load of pretty pictures with captions).  Despite the many pictures, the book I chose only identified two of my plants: Echeveria derenbergii and Pleiospilos nelii.  Remember what I said about botanical names.  I'll save the Echeveria for another post.  This one is all about the Pleiospilos Nelii-- lets call it the Ple-Nel for short.

Not a Living Stone At All

I have been referring to this plant under the common name of Living Stone.  That is just plain wrong, or so I've learned.   The common name is Split Rock; Living Stone is the common name for the Lithops variety of succulents.  The two look very similar and are actually in the same family.  The Ple-Nel is fully above ground with pale green leaves (and by leaves, I mean two bulbous chunks of cactus) that have little raised dark speckles.  It flowers in the spring (unlike the lithops which flowers in winter) and can have more than one flower, as my plant does (again unlike the lithops which only ever have a single flower per leave pair).

You have to love the internet: I search for the Ple-Nel and loads of sites pop up--and they all contradict one another.  Some say it is really hard to grow this plant and people kill them left and right, while other praise the ease of growing the plant.  A few talk about the difficulty in getting it to flower and some just talk about flowering as if it is nothing to worry about.  Here is my take:

1.  Buy one (I think mine came from Lowes, but possibly home depot)

2.  I then mixed some little rocks with soil and sand (no precise measuring here, I just threw in what I had).

3.  Find a container.

4. Put the plant in the container with the soil mixture

5.  Stick it in the sun.

6. Ignore the plant for most of the year.

7.  When it rains, it gets watered.  Other than that, I water the cacti at my apartment once a blue moon (perhaps every two months)

Now, I live in So Cal, so it rarely rains.  Do I fertilize you ask-- heck no! Why? because I'm not fixing what isn't broken.  And that is the secret.

Black Rose

This succulent is called a Black Rose (also called Aeonium Arboreum Zwartkop).  I see this is many front yards and borders in my neighborhood.  It is a very hardy plant and requires minimum attention.  It grows quite tall  with large rosettes that vary from greenish to a deep dark purple atop long stalks.  Reminds me of something out of a Dr. Seuss book. 

Because of its height, it is prone to tipping over.  When I first got the Black Rose (a story that really should not be told on the Internet, sad indeed), it was recovering from a pretty brutal fall: Al had kept it perched on a high ledge on her patio where it toppled over and cracked in half. With its tall skinny stalks and large head, it tends to be delicate in high winds.  Though, this plight can be avoided as long as the plant is housed in a sturdy and heavy pot.  Since I replanted the Black Rose in a terracotta planter it has not toppled.  

Those of you who are detail-oriented may have noticed that my plant is staked.  I was very concerned that it was so top heavy.  It began ripping itself out of the soil. So I staked it.  I supposed I probably should have pruned it, but I have trouble cutting of any of this gorgeous plant.

You Can Have One Too

I have read that propagating this plant is rather simple: you just snip off a rosette and stick it in cactus soil.  According to my research, the time to propagate is early summer, so I should buy some cactus mix and snip away.  I will keep you all updated on my progress.  I read that its dormant period is Summer and Fall, so I guess you are supposed to propagate before the dormant period.

It Blooms?

Supposedly, this plant has yellow flowers.  I have had the plant for about two years now and have not seen a single flower.   I am unconvinced.  One website reports that once a flower forms in the summer, the branch will shrivel up and die! I would mind this, but I really don't have that many stalks to afford to lose one to shrivel.  I cross my fingers that this plant does not flower for a very long time!

Here are some links for those of you that want to learn more:

http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/aeonium-arboreum-zwartkop-black-rose.aspx

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Crassulaceae/Aeonium_Zwartkop.html

Easter Cactus

This lovely Easter Cactus was a gift from Al for my graduation from Loyola.  It is so easy to care for and forgiving.  I have already had to chop it up and give parts away because it grows so rapidly.  

I took this picture two weeks ago when it was in full bloom.  Now the flowers have mostly all fallen off.  I will be cutting it apart again soon and giving some of the plants away because it is once again two big for its pot.

Anyone interested in having a piece of this cactus?