Baby Pickle?

This little gem was a present from good friends. Some websites call it a Pickle Cactus.......that's one of the dumbest comments. The tag reads Euphorbia Horrida Hybrid. Love the colors of this plant, I think it will live happily at Death Valley Shack. The pot size is 2 1/2".

EUPHORBIA HORRIDA HYBRID
Euphorbia derives from Euphorbus,
Greek physician of king Juba II of Numidia

Hybrids of Euphorbia horrida are very common. The hybrids involves several different species (often resulted from accidental crosses) and are widely propagated for their quality. They are a very strong and easy to grow spiny succulent that looks a lot like an American cactus and will readily form large clumps. They are extremely variable due to their hybrid origin and have many varieties and forms. Many of the plants sold are actual hybrids. If you are looking to add any Euphorbias to your collection remember they are poisonous and need to be handled with care. It is a pretty easy plant to manage, grows well in a very good draining material and isn't picky about soil. The area of South Africa (lower Great Karoo) where the E. horrida plant is native from receives rains in both winter and summer, so it can be watered moderately all year around (except in the coldest month of the winter as it rot easily especially if over wet ) During the summer, they enjoy average feeding and watering.

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.

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.