Succulents and More™

Even though summer isn't my favorite season, there are still plenty of things happening in the garden. Some come and go quickly—like cactus flowers—so I try to take photos right away. By the time you read this, the cacti featured below are probably done blooming. But others are waiting in the wings. I just have to pay attention so I don't miss them. Acanthocalycium spiniflorum , a densely spined small cactus from central Argentina. The flowers last several days—always a plus in the world of short-lived cactus flowers. White-flowering form of the lady finger cactus ( Echinocereus pentalophus ), also known as dog tail, devil's fingers, and (in Spanish) alicoche. Its primary habitat is central and northeastern Mexico, but it does extend into southeastern Texas. The white-flowering form of Echinocereus pentalophus  was distributed by the Huntington in 2018 as part of their International Succulent Introductions (ISI) program . Parodia magnifica is a globe-shaped cactus from sou...

I've been to Bach's Cactus Nursery in Tucson, AZ multiple times, but until my visit in May , it had been always been in the winter. What a difference: No frost cloth wrapped around tender plants and no Styrofoam cups slipped over cactus tops! People dressed in T-shirts and shorts and talking about the  heat instead of the cold. The May heat, mind you, was nothing like last week when temperatures in Tucson were above 110°F/43°C all week, topping out at 115°F/46°C on June 15. In fact, on the day of my visit, May 21, the high was 89°F/32°C. Entrance to the nursery off N Thornydale Road A friend of mine had put me in touch with an employee at Bach's, Jordan. When I arrived, Jordan was busy helping another customer so I walked around and took these photos of the outside sales area. Desert ironwood tree ( Olneya tesota ) in full flower NFS specimens of Dioon edule  (stock plants), but the smaller plants on the top left were quite reasonable, considering their age and size This ha...