First cacti flower of the year

[Chrisg]

Over the last few years, mainly due to Mel, I have added quite a few cacti into the garden. There are many which are surprisingly hardy and cope with simple rain covers. While I don't have a dry bed at the moment, so everything is in pots, they got through winter without problems and are now starting to flower. This is the first fully out with more getting ready to follow.


cactus-flowers

The make change from the less showy echeverias

[Wayne]

You can't argue with a flower like that!!

Wayne

[Chrisg]

You can't argue with a flower like that!!

Wayne

The cacti do like the big garish flowers. This one is actually quite small for the plant size, I like the ones where the flower is bigger than the plant, or where the entire plant is covered and you just get a mass of flowers

[Chrisg]

The cacti are getting into full swing now.

I like the way the flower on this chamaelobivia 'milky whey' so much bigger than the plant

chamaelobivia-milky-whey-plant


chamaelobivia-milky-whey-flower

the whole plant of rebutia x aylostera 'Bo Jangles' get covered in flowers in a good year

rebutia-x-aylostera-bo-jangles

A first for me is rebutia x aylostera 'Krainzina'

rebutia-x-aylostera-krainzina

[LONGK]

Nice one Chris!
Now I want some Rebutia........................

[Chrisg]

Rubutias are some of the for flowers. They are also relatively hardy, under a cold frame they do fine.

Sadly not all of the cacti have such good flowers Mammilaria are great plants but you don't grow them for the flowers.


mammillaria-carmenae-jewel

Just in case you didn't spot the flowers, here is a close up


mammillaria-carmenae-jewel-flower

Another form, at least this one has coloured flowers


mallillaria-bombycina-flower

[Chrisg]

A couple more. I figure, I have to try and out flower Wayne with his brugs :lol:

This gymnocalycium-baldianum-v-albiflora is one of my favourites. Flowers are a bit smaller than usual, but there are a lot more of them.


gymnocalycium-baldianum-v-albiflora-03-jun13

The chamaelobina-westfield-hybrid is doing well


chamaelobina-westfield-hybrid-02-jun13 by Chris' Spikies

[charlie]

How do you keep them all looking so clean? we have a number of Cacti that were once childhood pets which we have been left with, when they flower I am delighted but when spiders and leaf debris get lodged it can be a painful process to remove same. and as for weeds in the pots!!

[Chrisg]

HI Charlie, with everything in pots it is far easier to keep things neat and tidy and in good condition. It is partly spending each day checking the pots and keeping on top of spiders webs. Then I have the tool garden tools I use most, a pair of long nose tweezers, which allow me to reach into the plants to remove weeds and any leaf litter. I also have a set of brushes which allow me to sweep the plants clean.

It will be interesting when I have a full garden and have to do normal gardening if I can keep them in as good condition.