Jewels of the desert :)

27 comments

Some of my cacti have small flowers, which look like jewels when they glisten in the sunshine,
and they have given a good display this summer :o)

I’ve put the big showy ones in a previous blog, a few weeks ago,
so now I’ll show you these small ones, which are rather lovely really :)

First of all are the Rebutias and Gymnocalyciums,
which grow in the central area of South America
(Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia) …

Rebutia senilis :-

Rebutia muscula :-

Gymnocalycium damsii :-

Gymnocalycium mihanovichi :-

(That is an old photo – I didn’t get around to taking one of this year’s flowers, and I wanted to show you the green petals … so I ‘cheated’ a little bit lol
… anyway, it looked exactly the same this year as it did last year !)

Gymnocalycium pflanzi :-

I’ve had the above one a few years, and am pleased to see it flowering at last, although it’s rather a strange looking flower :o)

Lobivia scheiliana grows in Bolivia
and the name is a mixed up version of that country’s name :-

Weingartia neocummingii grows on the Andes mountains in Bolivia and Paraguay :-

Copiapoa humilis, which is native to the area around Antofagasta, in Chile :-

Mammillaria is the biggest genus of the Cactaceae family.
They are northern cacti, which grow in Mexico and the south west USA …

Mammillaria bocasana
is found growing on the Sierra de Bocas mountain range in central Mexico :-

Mammillaria boolii :-

It’s name commemorates Herbert W Bool, a plant collector in central America …

Mammillaria celsiana, is rather a large plant, which I’ve had since the 1970s :)
and every year it gets a ring of little flowers all around the top :o)
:-

Here’s a photo of the first flower ever on this little cactus,
which rejoices in the name of … “Mammillaria decipiens camptotricha marnier-lapostollei curvispina” :-

The name commemorates Anne Therese Marnier-Lapostolle, the first wife of Julien Marnier-Lapostolle, owner of the famous plant collection “Jardin Botanique des Cedres” in France.

Mammillaria polythele :-

Mammillaria schiedeana plumosa :-

The flowers wouldn’t open properly this year. I don’t know why :(

I believe the next one to be Mammillaria spinosissima, but I am not exactly sure … :-

Mammillaria surculosa :-

And here’s one which isn’t a cactus at all …
It’s a very spiny succulent native to Madagascar, and it’s called Euphorbia milii :-

I bought it in Lidle’s … lol

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my cacti in bloom.
They are my best friends, and have helped me through many difficult times :D

All the ones featured here have been flowering in July and August :o)

9 Sep, 2014
20 likes

Comments

Marjories

Hello Hywel
What a fantastic collection . It makes think that I would like to grow them again. Are they
in a cold greenhouse?
Best wishes
Marjorie

9 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Hi Marjorie, thanks for reading about my cacti :o)
They are in a covered area (similar to a greenhouse) during the summer.
I bring them into the conservatory for the winter.
I didn't realise you used to grow them. It would be nice for you to start a collection again :o)

9 Sep, 2014

Kidsgran

Hywel they are beautiful cacti and what with your fuchsias and all your other plants you must spend some really enjoyable days in your garden .

9 Sep, 2014

Klahanie

Wonderful display of beautiful flowers of your cacti Hywel.
Thanks for the show. Very well photographed as well. We have lots of Euphorbia milii in the place we rent in Mexico growing in the ground. I had a conversation with you about this sedum and there is an Euphorbia milii in the background . Neat plant but very prickly.

http://www.growsonyou.com/photo/slideshow/283025-for-hywel/member/klahanie

9 Sep, 2014

Marybells

now that rocks!!! beautiful photos with so much detail!
so much beauty these blooms have :-)
thats one neat succulent!
Mammillaria surculosa would be the one to go for if i was thinking of acquiring a cactus
but i would be foolish not to like them all!

of course the plants still the show and are well cared for!

9 Sep, 2014

Dottydaisy2

An amazing collection Hywel, you must be proud to have produced so many wonderful plants, so professional, and so are the photographs.

9 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Thank you all for your nice comments about my plants and photos :)

10 Sep, 2014

Pamg

Who wouldhave thought such beauty would come from spikey little cacti.......
great photos too Hywel x

10 Sep, 2014

Dianebulley

You are truly scientific gardener Hywel.
I like Mammillaria best.

10 Sep, 2014

Simbad

Great blog as usual Hywel really enjoyed it,such beautiful flowers on them all :-)

10 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Thank you all :)

10 Sep, 2014

Meanie

You will have to stop posting photos of your cacti Hywel as my list of wants is now getting so big that I face financial ruin!!!!!

10 Sep, 2014

Melchisedec

You're right, Hywel - they are just like jewels. How lovely it must be to see them in their natural habitat.

10 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Thank you both :o)

Meanie lol you'll be so engrossed in your collection, you won't notice that you're skint :D
(like me !)

Melchisedec, I would love to see them in the wild ! Most people would want to go to Disney World or somewhere, but I would choose the Andes lol ... :D

10 Sep, 2014

Lincslass

I'd join you Hywel, it would really be something to see them growing where nature intended.
Another blog added to my favs, great photo's, I like and appreciate it when members like you add the names as well, especially as there are so many in the reference books it gets very confusing....

10 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Thank you :)

11 Sep, 2014

Waddy

What a fantastic collection! I'm sure lots of people (including myself) realised how beautiful so many of them can be. Wonderful photos, thanks for sharing.

12 Sep, 2014

Grandmage

What beauties Hywel, indeed jewels and so glad they brighten your dark days. x

12 Sep, 2014

Stroller

Each one beautiful in its own right, and all well tended by you. Have thoroughly enjoyed looking at them all.

12 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Thank you all :o)

12 Sep, 2014

Steragram

I bet your collection beat's Kew's Hywel. Theirs might be bigger but yours win in my book. My favourites are the gymnocalyciums.

14 Sep, 2014

Davids

All stunning pics Hywel: I have recently bought a cactus,
which I think is a mammillaria; what do I need to do to induce it to flower?

David

14 Sep, 2014

Hywel

Thank you Sue :) I went to Kew many years ago, but don't remember seeing any cacti ...
so size isn't everything :D

David, thanks.
Keep them dry and cool in the winter. Give them a high potash feed in the spring - e.g. tomato fertilizer :o)
Mammillarias usually flower easily.

14 Sep, 2014

Steragram

I went a couple of years ago - there was a large glasshouse with some really big ones but not the variety you have, unless I missed some!

14 Sep, 2014

Hywel

There could not have been many there, or I would remember seeing them.

15 Sep, 2014

Davids

Thanks for the advice on flowering Mammillaria Hywel;
I shall give it a try.

David

18 Sep, 2014

Steragram