Gardening Notes.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 12, 14 August 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes.

CACTI

Although the cultivation of Cacti does not play such an important part in present-day gardening as it did forty or fifty years ago, th£re are signs of a revival of interest in this weird and strange plant family. This revival is perhaps more apparent amongst amateur than among professional;gardeners, and the reason is not difficult to finJ. A professional gardener -has a wide and varied collection of plants to deal with, amd it rarely happens that he has the necessary space at his disposal for the cultivation of pjants which cannot 'be used for general decorative purposes, consequently he is content with a few of the more showy ■groups* The amateur finds that Cacti suit his requirements better than a mixed collection of greenplants. They may be grown with the minimum amount-of .attention, and the naa n who is' away f rom hbhi call day d«es not, fear that his., plants will : be spoilt during his absence by unexpected, blight sunshine or by their being left a few hours longer, than they ought to be without water; The' amateur who^ obtains a few specimens rarely rests until&e has filled all the space at disposal with, plants. Soiiie of the finest collections that have ever Jae^cn brought, tor getter' have been, commenced in a very, saaall way in the hands of: amateurs. Neither is it necessary for the Cactus

grower to own a greenhouse, for; some kinds grow well in> the window of a tirreliing-hause. Sunshine is very necessary for t&e well-being of all kinds of Oacti; they are, natives of the dry, arid, regions of America, where Tain is. alnost unknown. .

Gaeti, as a rule, are distinguished by tkiek, fleshy, moisture-filled stems, ciothed with tufts of seines, which in some instances are 3 or 3 inches long a*d of a formidable character: In other eases they are in the fpin? of strong liooks. whilst, again, they may .be reduced to stiff hairs. or to long silky appendages. Now and then strong spinesare attended with small patches of stiff hairs, which are easily detached; and cause inconvenience by becoming embedded in the skin. Opuriti^ the' Prickly Pear family, has this; peeuldarity.

Many Oacti are singular" by reason of

curiously pointed, flattened or angT^ed stems. So°nie €acti rarely, groi\v more than 2 or 3 inches in height, and form masses of,.tiny rosette-like growths. Others grow into dense globular, many

angled stems which j-ta'ke many years

to reach 2ft in 'height. Some grow 15 feet or more high, with straight

strong stems . which have conspicuous channels from top to bottom. Others are characterised by scandent, or elimibing.

branches, whilst others iigain have many-jointed stems, the sections of ■which easily become detached and take Toot where they fall. The root system i« small in comparison to the top, though what roots there are are capable, of travelling to a considerable depth. In their native habitats the ljoots penetrate deep enough to obtain the necessary jnoisture for the plant's existence.

The novice in Cactus culture will prpba/bly receive his greatest surprise when "his plants flower. From such curious, •. spiny stems he might .naturally expect fiovreze of unattractive appearance and colour, but of weird shape. Ye,t most Oacti bear flowers of an extremely showy character. In some instances they are nearly a foot across accompanied by a delicious perfume anil of v lovely -white, cream. orbuff colour, with a large mass of golden stamens. Again, they may be 4 or 5 inches, in. diameter, with -crimson, pink, rose or white blooms, -whilst others arc-quite small. Perhapsthe height of perfection is reached-'in ■certain kinds of Cereus, of which Ifoedonaldiae and triangularis inav.be given as examples. From the curious. dry-looking branches gorgeous<blossQrti's, 9 inches or more across, appear, whioh, ,on opening, are. attended by an. exqui- •,[ Bite fragrance.

'An easily managed and showy-group is. Obtainable in Phylloeaetus. Compared ■with, many Cacti, they are of -.quick gironrth, whilst they .blossom freely and bear very showy flowers, which on diffevent varieties range. from~. white to pink and deep red. Cuttings root easily i» simmer. Epiphyllum is another showy Mad. It requires a fairly high, temperature and a moderateily moist atmosphere. Bed, white and scarlet flowered forms are known. Tfcey are iiflually in-

creased by grafting on stocks 01 P«reskia. The Cereus exhibits a great variation afriongst its numerous members, for some arc amongst the giants of t-iie family, others are quite dwarf, and others again- of seandent habit,

as previously instanced by the night-fiorarering 'kinds. A few suita/ble. kinds to grow, in -addition to those mentioned, are C: aggregatus, al--.bispinus, Dyekii^ Engelriianni, ensatus, :flagolliformis r . grandiflorus, Lemairii, pentagonus, rostratus, and speciosissimus. /