TACSS Fall Seminar 2017 in Houston

by | Oct 13, 2017 | Cactus Are Cool

I had the pleasure of traveling to Houston for the  2017 Texas Association of Cactus and Succulent Societies (TACSS) Fall Seminar on Saturday, October 7. I also had the pleasure of staying with old friend Jenice Williamson who now lives in Houston, and she ferried me...

Hang this Huernia High

by | Oct 4, 2017 | Cactus Are Cool

Several years ago Delores Harvey gave me two succulents, a stapelia lepida and this huernia macrocarpa, the plant to the right of the donkey tail sedum.  I have enjoyed both and have written about both, but always found it hard to appreciate the blooms on the...

Trying Another Sage Bush

by | Sep 25, 2017 | Cactus Are Cool

I was in Lubbock the other day after our general area had been blessed with quite a bit of rain; nothing like Harvey-drenched Houston, but some good rain. Various varieties of Texas sage were absolutely outdoing themselves all over town. Bright lavender/purple...

The Tucson Ferocactus Finally Bloomed!

by | Sep 8, 2017 | Cactus Are Cool

I went to my first Cactus and Succulent Society of America (CSSA) convention in 2011 at Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society served as hosts. One thing they had done to welcome everyone to their city for the convention was to provide everyone who...

Trimming the Yucca

by | Aug 28, 2017 | Cactus Are Cool

One of my oldest cactus beds is a raised rock garden with very few cactus, a constant supply of agaves that come up from the roots of deceased plants, sedum for ground cover, snowy mound artemisia, rocks, and large yuccas. I always keep the bed weeded but have been...