CACTI AND SUCCULENT PLANTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 364, 26 May 1928, Page 28

CACTI AND SUCCULENT PLANTS

| Of recent years cacti and succulent i plants of all descriptions have become ! very popular m the North Island of New Zealand. The fine collection of | specimens to be seen at Ellerslie I gardens has done much to stimulate the interest in these plants, and there are now numerous enthusiastic people who are making a hobby of these quely-shaped plants. They make splendid subjects for rockeries and are extremely handsome when grown in pedestal jardipieres or tubs. Considering the beautiful flowers and easy growth, one wonders that cactus is so seldom seen in our gardens. True, the flowers do not last long, usually about 24 hours, but they bloom so pro- | fuselv, one flower succeeding another, that the period does not matter. Their usual habitats are dry sand and stone plains, waste rocky places, and crevices of rocks. They live in regions where no rain falls for months of the year, and have in their tissues small cells which enable them to store water for months. This alone should help to make the cactus popular, as little attention is required with the hose. They can be compared with the camel, and are the ships of the desert which provide themselves with a large quantity of water and are able to dispense with further supplies without taking injury. There are thousands of varieties of cacti, and with the exception of a few species, they are plants of the new world. They are most abundant in Mexico and South America, and present numerous shapes and forms. Cultivation. —Cacti ar*e not difficult to grow. They thrive in almost any soil, although loose sandy loam is best. As pot plants, their capacity for standing

dust and neglect is marvellous, but they require plenty of sunshine, which is the most important factor in their cultivation. When grown in pots, they require ample drainage and a mixture of half sand and loam with very little lime. In fact, broken mortar is the best form of lime to apply. Artificial manures are not required for this species of plant, and more harm than good has been done by using them. ■When in cultivation it is not necessary to withhold their water supply except perhaps for a few weeks during the winter, and many successful growers do not keep them dry even at that period. Throughout the year they should be watered frequently, provided they have a fair supply of sunshine. They will not die if kept dry for a long period, but they will not benefit by it. The best types are grown by those who never allow their plants to shrivelor be checked in growth for want of -water. Some Hardy Varieties to Grow.— Although many of these plants may not seem likely, a lot of them belong to the amaryllis and narcissus order (Amaryllidaceae). The most noted are the: Agaves, commonly called American

aloes. The fibre of some of these species is made into ropes and papei and the juice into an intoxicating called pulque, from which brandy is distilled. There are hundreds ot species, both green and variegated in foliage growing from two to eight teet high. Propagation by division ot suckers. Cereus, a large and important group of the cactus genus in three groups, namely, climbers, tall, column-like, and short-stemmed varieties. Sometimes referred to as torch thistle. The climbing varieties make handsome specimens trained on the side of a brick wall or shed, and can be obtained in shades ot scarlet, white cerise, and yellow. Propagation by cuttings well dried oft before planting in dry sand, charcoal and brick. . Echinocactus. from echinos (a hedgehog) and cactus in allusion to the numerous spines covering the plant. A short-stemmed variety often conspicuously furrowed and clothed with bundles of large spines. Their handsome flowers open in the sunlight and are always attractive. These can be propagated by seed or offsets, which should be removed with a knife. Gasteria, (from gaster a belly) alluding to the swollen base of the flowers. Most varieties are from Africa, and require similar treatment to the aloe. Thev are dwarf in habit, with unarmed mottled leaves or covered with raised dots of grey. Nearly all bear red flowers. Propagation by division of suckers. Opuntia. the prickly pear or Indian fig, is characterised by broad, flattened, prickly stems of numerous heights and sizes. Many are clothed with long barbed spines, and are used as hedges in tropical countries. Their flowers are usually yellow. One or two of these, especially at the back of a rockery often make a good finishing effect. Propagation by cuttings of pieces at the joints. These are only a few varieties that

are easily grown, and not hard to procure. There are many varieties of succulent plants that should be grown in conjunction with cacti, including rhipsalis, stapelia, sempervivum, mesembryanthemum, kalanchoe and keleinias.