So, Do Not Water is good advice for anyone with a cactus garden. As a teenager growing up in a sunny location, I had a cactus garden in a little section of our acreage.
My mother, who also loved plants, would occasionally buy me a little plant or cactus to grow which I got to pick out.
Unfortunately, instead of the bright sunlight, I planted the cactus garden in the shade of a live oak tree. The cactus garden was encircled with a row of sandstone rocks.
However, I believe the cactus plants never got enough sunlight. But, also, when first planted my cactus plants were definitely overwatered. Overwatering probably caused a few of them to get root rot.
Today, I live in climate zone seven. So, basically, cactus plants around here only survive as greenhouse or indoor plants. The winters are too cold and, again, they need careful monitoring of water. I’m not one for indoor plants as I only have a couple of small window ledges, I can grow plants on.
These white fox aloe plants are pretty easy to grow. They are succulents and are priced at $21.99 each.
The below Barrel Cactus is a favorite of Trail Diva who, at one time, had a large one growing in her home.
The barrel cactus grows in a squat tube-like shape. The have densely packed spines covering the fleshy-looking plant. And, yes, those spines hurt if you accidently brush against one.
Cactus and Succulent Plants in Do Not Water – Living Stones
The below photograph shows rows of the plant with the unusual name of Living Stones or Lithops. They are actually small succulents native to South Africa area and are, also, called pebble plants or flowering stones.
These plants rarely grow more than an inch above the soil. Much of the plant is underground. In particular, the Living Stones plant need particular care when watering. In fact, living stones are dormant in the summer and, my online research states, they should not be watered at all during that time. They also need to grow in bright direct light in full sun. To me, it would be hard not to water a plant all summer long so probably not a good choice for Farmhouse Magic Blog.
The String of Peas is appropriately named and actually looks like green peas. This houseplant can be dry between waterings.
I often see the below Moon Cactus plants sold in grocery stores or other places. The top of the plant is grafted and can grow at a different rate from the bottom of the plant. Also, be careful that this plant does not sit in standing water or has prolonged wetness.
I’m not sure what the garden center calls these plants, but I looked online and they are named Moon Cactus or Ruby Ball Cactus. The tops are skillfully grafted to the lower plants.
Ending Notes
Of course, all plants need water to survive so “Do Not Water” is a bit untrue. But knowing the amount of water a cactus or succulent plant requires is a little bit of give and take.
In particular, during the winter months be careful with the water.
All of the plants on today’s blog are grown in a greenhouse environment and are available for sale at Merrifield Garden Center.
A big thank you to Merrifield Garden Center for allowing me to take photographs and to blog about their great garden store.
Resource Sites: www.thespruce.com and www.quara.com