"Fat Plants" : cacti,succulents, caudiciforms, whatever..

[Ragged Robin]

Interesting thoughts, thanks Cohan.

[Maggi Young]

May I suggest that you Cactus lovers take a look here :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4868.0     

[cohan]

May I suggest that you Cactus lovers take a look here :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4868.0     

i saw the heading, but hadnt visited the thread yet...will look more closely..

[KentGardener]

I don't grow them any more - but here are some pictures of my greenhouse I had when still living with my parents.  When I flew the family nest I had to sell the complete collection as I had no space for a greenhouse in my new garden.  

I mainly collected Cristate plants, as I liked (and still like) the weird stuff, and hybrid Echinopsis for the stunning flowers - but I also had a fair scattering of other stuff too.

It was thanks to cacti and succulents that my love of gardens and plants developed. 

[ranunculus]

An amazing array of beautiful plants, John ... a very difficult decision to part from them?

[Ragged Robin]

John, what a fantastic collection - just amazing how succulents can perform given the expertise of the grower    Which would be your top choice to grow now without a greenhouse?

[KentGardener]

I don't actually grow any cacti now - but I have some friends who experiment with growing them outside in the UK - with rain shelters over them in the winter to keep excess water off - but no added heat during winter.

These are a few snaps I took in there gardens during summer 2009.

[Ragged Robin]

What a challenge!  Quite a different sort of garden for the UK....    what type of rain shelters do they use?

[KentGardener]

The first picture has a poly tunnel that cover the complete bed (you can just make it out rolled up for the summer at the top of the picture).

The other two build individual structures, out of 2x2 wood and plastic, over any plants that require them.  Often referred to as looking like 'a shanty town' during the winter.   

[johnw]

Such flowering on the Echinopsis! Well done John.  I never managed to flower one (Paramount hybrids as I recall) in the 20 years I collected Cacti.

And that garden is surreal.

johnw

[cohan]

I don't grow them any more - but here are some pictures of my greenhouse I had when still living with my parents.  When I flew the family nest I had to sell the complete collection as I had no space for a greenhouse in my new garden.  

I mainly collected Cristate plants, as I liked (and still like) the weird stuff, and hybrid Echinopsis for the stunning flowers - but I also had a fair scattering of other stuff too.

It was thanks to cacti and succulents that my love of gardens and plants developed. 

good show on the echinopsis i've started over with plants a few times, too, but never got rid of that many at once...

[pel1]

hi all,
This thread has gone a bit quiet lately, here ae a few pelargonium photos from my collection to hopefully start things up again. Does anyone out there have any tips for getting section polyactium (ie triste, gibbosum, x ardens etc) to flower? I have never got one of these wonderful plants to bloom, even though the horaea section gives me no trouble, perhaps these plants need to be large to flower? I know they get quite big in habitat.

[Maggi Young]

James, all but one of your photo uploads failed.... I've deleted the links to save people opening non-existent files!

Interesting to see these pelargoniums.... I know nothing about them!

[pel1]

thanks maggi, having another go!

[Maggi Young]

All three there fine this time..... you are quite sure these are not vegetables, James??