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Post by SueA on Aug 5, 2013 13:46:58 GMT
That's a real beauty @hywel , the flowers look like they've been carved out of paper!
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Post by peony on Aug 5, 2013 15:13:00 GMT
Beautiful flowers Hywel
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Post by sweetpea on Aug 5, 2013 15:15:51 GMT
Always good when they come into flower Hywel. I have a few grown from seed but no flowers so far. I think Rebutia is one of the easiest to flower. is that right? They are all fascinating plants even if some of them are tricky to handle.
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Post by Geranium on Aug 6, 2013 5:21:22 GMT
You might be interested to hear that there is a garden in the NGS in Somerset which has a huge greenhouse full of succulents, @hywel.
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Post by Fractal on Aug 6, 2013 6:35:55 GMT
Beautiful @hywel
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Post by Rosie on Aug 6, 2013 9:00:44 GMT
Thats gorgeous Hywel
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Post by sweetpea on Aug 6, 2013 14:58:06 GMT
They are quite lovely Hywel as indeed all cacti when in flower. Some of the cactus displays at hampton Court flower show over the years are simply amazing.
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Post by Tel on Aug 6, 2013 18:44:24 GMT
They produce lovely blooms Hywel
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Post by Bess on Aug 6, 2013 19:29:22 GMT
Beautiful, especially the first big white starry flower. It looks an impossibly perfect shape.
My local garden centre has a big display of cacti and succulents at the mo - the teeny ones are affordable. I nearly bought a couple when I was there last time, and tbh I shall probably go back and have me some. I've been 'nearly buying' some for years now! I think I will just start with a few I fancy the shape of, and see how I go.
What compost do you use, Hywel?
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Post by SueA on Aug 7, 2013 13:43:48 GMT
That's another stunner @hywel Someone on Twitter who grows a lot of cacti suggested mixing Tesco own brand cheap cat litter in with the compost in larger pots, have you ever tried that? I think it worked out cheaper than buying grit & as he has cats like you it was 'dual purpose' !
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Post by Cherry on Aug 7, 2013 16:51:34 GMT
They are beautiful colours @hywel. I always love to see the cacti exhibits at shows. You are quite clever (or patient).
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Post by Bess on Aug 7, 2013 21:40:12 GMT
Funny you say that Sue, I thought about using cat litter when I wanted some grit recently! But I wasn't convinced it'd work, as I know (from spending far too much time cleaning kitty trays )the Tesco own brand litter doesn't stay that gritty, it just turns to mud then dust once it soaks up water. Aldi own brand cat litter turns to solid rock, I'm convinced! Horrible stuff. I can imagine some of the other lighter, more expensive cat litters working maybe. I did actually get 3 little cacti and 2 succulents today, Hywel I've put 'em all in one big pot for now as they're relatively teeny. They look kind of cool, just hoping they survive my newly learnt cacti re-potting skills. Oww!
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Post by Cherry on Aug 8, 2013 7:12:55 GMT
I like the wee history you manage to give us with your pics @hywel.
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Post by sweetpea on Aug 8, 2013 10:06:45 GMT
I know all cacti are native to the Americas but in Malta prickly pears (Opuntia) have become naturalised and are classed as a weed there.
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Post by Bess on Aug 10, 2013 19:39:43 GMT
Here you are, Hywel, my babies. I've still got all the labels in the pot as I want to be able to research them a bit more. Oops. Just resizing the photos again. Sorry having problems with the host again, should be two photos... but I can only make one work so far, grr. Aha, did it I tried to get a good variety although I'm not 100% sure that means it's alright to shove 'em all in the same pot! Love the shape of the Star Cactus and the Euphorbia, the Sedum is nice too but seems v easily breakable so I must be careful with that one. I got the Pilosocereus to add a different shape dimension but it doesn't say anything about a flower, so I'm not sure I should have gone for that one? It's not as interesting as the rest.
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