The Unc-tanical Gardens

[unclefishstick]

there is still federal money available here,as well as the local electric company,unfortunately im not like a real person and i dont own the house...yet...im still working on coming back above ground so to speak...the gardens,the house,the landscaping,getting the workshop together,buying a trailer for my bicycle...all part of an interlocking long term plan...

 

[hippie_lettuce]

Here's the cactus. The pot is probably a couple or so inches across..

 

[unclefishstick]

does the tag say Cleistocactus candelilla? it looks like most of that family group are generally hearty and have a sort of tubular flower,you likely wont see flowers for years yet,it will need to be bought indoors during the winter once it drops below say 40 degrees,for now you likely dont need to water it or bother with repotting until it gets warmer outside,keep and eye on it and once it begins to show sign of growth its time to start watering and putting it outside,dont dump it in the full sun right away,let it aclimate in a shady spot first,morning light for a couple hours is fine...a sunny south or west facing windowsill is best for now...

 

[hippie_lettuce]

What kind of medium should we use? Does it flower depending on how old it is? The tag just says Cleistocactus species.

 

[unclefishstick]

i use cactus medium for that kind of stuff,normally black gold,sometimes i get another brand but i cant remember what it is off the top of my head,regular potting soil will work to,just add something like lava rock or coarse gritty sand,it needs to drain well and quickly..

 

[unclefishstick]

a little garden update....theres a number of different garden projects going including landscaping the front yard so i have been picking up plants for the that as well..

been cheating and buying plant starts,its time for me to start seeds indoors for many things,i can start putting things in the ground in another couple of weeks,then a big rush of things in april...
at any rate,the red cabbage and broccoli starts are looking good..
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got an herb box all planted up,feather leaf dill,lavender,rosemary,greek oregeno,chocolate mint and peppermint[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

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some of the bedding plants,kalancoe,sedums,yucca
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corkscrew grass,blue fescue,echeveria (hen and chicks)

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local cactus cuttings,pretty sure they are all rooting,the big one is starting to stand up...
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[hippie_lettuce]

I wanted to start an herb box too, but I don't know where to put it. I don't have any good windows for herbs so they'd have to go outside. Don't forget the basil!

What is that plant in the third pic, in the top row on the right?

 

[lost in a sea]

are they ^^ opuntia unc? i love how prickly pears grow..

 

[unclefishstick]

thats an euonymus sometimes called a spindle plant,there should be a variety suitable for your climate zone,im not sure of the specific cultivar on this one aside from it being a "variagata"

 

[unclefishstick]

are they ^^ opuntia unc? i love how prickly pears grow..

yes,most of those are opuntia family,actually i think all of them are...i know theres a cows tongue,a santa rita,a chain cholla,an engleman's,i think an imbricta.... they are some of the few cold tolerant species from around here,im trying to find a white sands claret cup and a bonkers hedgehog,golden barrel cactus are also native but they are expensive for a legal specimen of any size....also looking for an occotillo...

 

[Mr.Fastcast]

I would of gave you my Ocotillo had I known you wanted one.I took it out of my front yard because it got to big and was by my front door.

I always love the spring when they start to bloom,along with all the wild flowers we have.

 

[unclefishstick]

i hope we get some rain here soon,just about time for the mexican poppies to bloom,they just carpet some of the hillsides around here...

it shouldnt be too hard to find an ocotillo around here,i know theres at least one desert plant nursery here...its one thing to cut some pads off an opuntia species,quite another to go and dig up a whole plant from the desert...i know the cows tongue is almost extinct in its home area,the plant i got mine off of was someones landscaping cast offs that rooted...

 

[unclefishstick]

its a good thing i have so many living plants here since im responsible for deforesting a small state in my insatiable lust for 2x4....


got about half way through converting the front porch into a greenhouse today...the plastic will just be temporary until i can afford to buy double or triple pane greenhouse panels,even just the corrugated plastic panels would be sufficient i think....i can always heat it with waste heat from the mj garden in the winter if need be,it would only take a trip into the attic and a hole in the porch ceiling and free-ish heat...

so you can see,this is just the plant stand from inside,i added some corner braces to tighten up the structure and three 2x4 to tie it to the porch lintel,nice and solid...just wrapped in 6 mil plastic,tomorrow i will make a door and close it off...

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[unclefishstick]

yes,i think i have a tiny plant problem...

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[hippie_lettuce]

Wish we had a house! I'd be doing the same thing with the greenhouse. I may try to look for some euonymus. I read that ferns are good at cleaning up air, so I will be looking for ferns.
My Phalaenopsis orchid opened a bud. It already had several open when we bought it but it's got several more buds yet to open. I guess I am doing something right?

 

[AZ steez]

did you work at sog?

 

[lost in a sea]

I read that ferns are good at cleaning up air, so I will be looking for ferns.

you want a spider plant.. Chlorophytum comosum.. one of the best air cleaning plants.. they absorb allsorts of crap..

 

[unclefishstick]

or a sansevaria otherwise known as a mother in laws tongue...they are also good air cleaners...it really only takes 15 or so plants to keep the air inside your house relatively clear

 

[hippie_lettuce]

I'm not much of a spider plant fan. I do like plants with big thick leaves or something like a bamboo palm. My mom had a peace lily that was easy to care for & it had a pretty flower now and then.

I think you need more plants, Unc.

 

[unclefishstick]

im making space as fast as i can! almost have the front porch closed in then the bulk of whats in the living room goes right outside...