A Clean Greenhouse!!!!!!!

What a job..............I spent Monday and Tuesday evening and all of Wednesday afternoon cleaning Death Valley Shack. Moving all the plants, wiping the benches down, spraying all the spider webs away, and inspecting the plants for PESTS.

I only had one that I needed to dispose of and two I had to spray down with Death Valley Shack Elixir (if it does not cure ya, it just might kill ya), I hope it works. I HATE MEALYBUGS! The greenhouse looks so nice now, ready for Fall and Winter.

Its always a good idea to clean a greenhouse at least a couple times a year. It is a good way to inspect plants and the surroundings to make sure you do not have any surprises down the road. DID I MENTION I HATE MEALYBUGS?

Also moved all the big specimen cactus from the patio, since cooler weather is here. I wanted to have it done and not have to do it later since we are now starting into the rainy season. If we get hit with an early frost I do not have to worry about those plants.

So now that it is done, I can sit back, relax, and add to the collection.

Cactus Garden

Click on photograph to enlarge for a better view

I purchased this photograph at the Rose City Collectors Show this last weekend. Love the collection of plants in this person's yard. Quite a nice group of cactus and succulents. There is a nice size Ferocactus on the right side of the photograph. Talk about a drought tolerant yard. Found it to be interesting to share.

Scarlett Ball Cactus

Notocactus haselbergii

A nice surprise this weekend, went out to the greenhouse and there is it was bloomin' in all its little glory (just waiting for the bud to open). You can see the seeds from the last time it bloomed which I think was just this last Spring. I might try to propagate the seeds........... I have a feeling it might be more work than what its worth. This Noto has been a great little bloomer since I have had it, blooms at least twice a year for me. I have had it about 5 years and it is in a 5" pot.

A solitary, fast growing, little cactus from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil that is flattened, a bright green, almost completely concealed by dense spines, up to 4" tall, 6" in diameter. The crown of the plant is usually set at an angle to prevent water-sitting.The spines are silvery white, eventually with a yellowish tip, soft and bristly. Bright orange to brick-red flowers that are up to about 1" wide and each can last one to three weeks. It flowers at the end of the winter or in early spring for a long period of time (The bloom period can last up to two months!). Normally start flowering when the plant reaches about 2" in diameter. Named after the collector Dr. F. von Haselberg.

Scarlet Ball Cactus

NOTOCACTUS HASELBERGII

The Notocactus haselbergii is a solitary, fast growing, up to 4 inches high and 6 inches wide. The location of origin is Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. This variety is actually a shade loving plant.

Notocactus is a genus of around 25 species of South-American cacti from low elevations of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil. It is where the land is quite dry and the daytime temperatures can get high. In collections they are grown for their spine formations, as well as for their attractive flowers. The genus name comes from the Greek for "cactus from the south". Notocactus are almost always globose, elongating as they age, some species eventually reach 3 feet. They are often solitary, rarely offsetting, or producing stolons. Their flowers are funnel or bell shaped, yellow, or occasionally red. They come in groups of 3 or 4 at several times during the year and lasting around a week.

Pincushions of the Cactus World

MAMMILLARIA BOMBYCINA

MAMMILLARIA/ LATIN MEANING MAMMILLA "NIPPLE"

Distribution of Mammillarias extends from the southern United States to Northern Colombia as well as the West Indies. With 350 species Mammillarias are the largest genus in the cacti family as well as the most diverse in appearance. The plants are small to medium sized, spherical or elongated and cylindrical. The thick or bristly spination is often short and colorful. The smaller species have a central spine that is generally hooked similar to a fishhook. Flowers raise from the axils in rings around the upper part of the body like a crown, they are small to large, bell shaped like a short tube. Colors range from white, cream, yellow, pink, dark red, and mauve. There are some with striped flowers as well.
A great many of these plants are easy to grow and very popular in collections. They are hardy plants that prefer full sun, medium to coarse soil mix and a dry winter rest. The photograph above of the M. bombycina plant is from the greenhouse.

Welcome...........

This is the second blog I will be investing time into, the first is Beech Street Gardens. Sorry Facebook. I decided to start a new blog with regards to the succulents and cactus that I grow in the greenhouse here at Beech Street Gardens. The greenhouse was built in 2005 and houses a small collection that I have been putting together since 2003. I was running out of space in the laundry room and decide it was time to make a change. I have named the greenhouse "Death Valley Shack", I like the way it sounds. I hope you all will enjoy seeing the plants from the greenhouse, reading tidbits of information, and seeing the world of these fascinating plants that I have enjoyed for many years.