Echinocereus subinermis

[macdafydd]

My Echinocereus subinermis (height 11 cm.; diameter 10 cm.) has produced 18 flowers this year, 15 of them at one time. I thought you might like to see some pics, taken on 23 June:





The flowers lasted several days. The following photo was taken on 26 June:

[Diane]

Beautiful flowers! But I can only see the third pic, the other two are !

[Peter]

A super plant, congratulations!

[Diane]

I can see them now!

[Asclepiad Stevo]

Fantastic! I've had more blooms on many plants this year in my un-heated glasshouse, and I'm thinking it's due to the very cold winter. Also dozens of tree species have germinated in the garden; holly, horse chestnut particularly. In Brighton, until last year we rarely had temperatures below or even near freezing all winter. We had Californian poppies survive (ephemeral normally) and I became so complacent that I planted out a Haworthia and a couple of Aloe aristata, they thrived for two years until this last winter.

E. subinermis flowers smell of citrus don't they. What's the top dressing you've used Diane?
Stevo

[Diane]

. What's the top dressing you've used Diane?
Stevo

I think you mean Macdaffyd. Stevo? Not my pics!

[macdafydd]

The top dressing is what is referred to here in Spain as "granitos". It's a sort of crushed granite. In the photos you see white granite, which I used initially, but now I also have "pink" (more a sort of peach colour) and a mixed tan and grey, which I am becoming more fond of. (These small chippings are really meant as wall coverings -- they're sort of sprayed onto wet mortar.)

You can see the granitos better in some of the photos in one at http://picasaweb.google.com/david.neale/Yellow# (one of my Picasa albums).

If you'd like some more detailed pics of the stuff, let me know and I'll post them here.

[Asclepiad Stevo]

Hi and thanks macdafydd (not Diane),
I've been after crushed granite here but hard to find. I can just see some of the rest of your collection in the background. I am soooo envious! I dream of living in a climate where you can happily grow spec. outdoors most of the year. Do you have any photos of plants you have planted out? Agaves grow all over the Costa Blanca (mind you americana will grow outdoors in Glasgow probably!). I suppose it depends on the rainfall in your area as it does get chilly in Spain in winter.
Cheers,
Stevo

[Tony R]

Hi David,

Love your photo albums, both the "Yellow" and "Not Yellow", and other albums too.
By the by, how is the iPad working out?

[macdafydd]

Here's a general overview of the front part of the garden, where most of the cacti are located:



(Photo stitched from two separate images.)

We have some more cacti at the side of the house, together with a load of non-cacti succulents.

All the plants stay out all the year. Only the non-succulent shrubs, a spruce-like tree and a palm are actually in the full ground, all other plants being in pots. This part of Spain (the south-east, on the coast between Alicante and Torrevieja) has very mild winters: last winter was particularly cold, however, with the temperature on several nights reaching as low as 5 degrees. The cacti didn't seem to mind. Rainfall here is little over the whole year, though when it does rain, it can be torrential.

You can see more photos at the Picasa site indicated earlier (it contains several albums that show some of the cacti in the garden) and also at my Jalbum site at http://macdafydd.jalbum.net/.