Gone Gardenin’ – A blooming succulent is a sure sign of spring

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/03/2012 (4919 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Spring is coming! I know this for certain because at this time of year, when spring is just around the corner, exotic blooms begin to appear in my sunroom.

You might be surprised to find out that the exotic blooms to which I am referring are actually blooms on my many cacti and succulents. Not usually grown with the idea that they are blooming plants, many members of these plant families put forth some very unusual and beautiful blooms in the spring.

I think the combination of increased length of day and the increased warmth of the sunroom at this time of year, when the strong rays of the late winter sun stream into the sunroom through the windows, stimulate the plants into blooming mode. My cacti and succulents, for sure, are true harbingers of spring in my indoor garden.

The first to put forth flower stalks are several of the gasteria plants, among them the well-known aloe vera. From between the tightly packed, fleshy leaves emerge flower stalks — usually one at a time, that soon get to be quite long — sometimes well over a meter in length.

On these flower stems are innumerable buds that hang down from the stalk like coral teardrops and the buds soon open to reveal exquisite coral, funnel shaped blooms. Although the individual blooms are not large, a whole stem, when in bloom, is very attractive.

As the gasterias continue to produce flower stalks, another genus of cacti, the mammalarria, also begins to bud and bloom. This genus of cacti is often referred to as the pincushion cactus because the plants usually form clumps of short stems that are round and tubular.

Some of the mammalarrias can be as much as 20 centimetres tall, although most are much smaller. The flower buds form in a circle — or in concentric circles — on top of the stems.

I have a quite short one that produces greenish-white buds and white flowers, while another taller one has bright pink blooms. The blooms are funnel-shaped and quite tiny but when the entire ring of buds bursts open, the effect is quite spectacular.

I always know when the cacti in my collection that are part of the barrel cactus genus are going to come into bloom because the buds form on top of the plants. Barrel cacti have distinct ribs, long sharp spikes, and grow in a columnar fashion.

Probably the most famous of the so-called barrel cacti is the saguaro cactus found in Arizona. The blooms of barrel cacti are usually yellow or yellow-orange and the resulting fruits, which are also quite decorative, also are yellow in colour.

Some of the mammalarria cacti form fruits as well after they have bloomed. One of mine produces a bright red fruit, much smaller than that of the barrel cactus, but quite attractive still.

Cacti and succulents are quite easy to grow as pot plants indoors. I grow mine in the sunroom and the cool winter temperatures in that room mimic the cool temperatures of their natural desert habitat in the winter.

I am careful to give them just a bit of water now and then during the winter when the plants are dormant. About this time of year I water them a bit more frequently, but more cacti are killed by overwatering than by getting too little water. We have to remember that in their natural environment they can go without receiving water from rainfall for many months.

As well as blooming, many of my cacti and succulents, at this timer of year, begin to produce offsets, often around their bases; some of the more columnar cacti will produce offsets along the main stem. These baby plants will be left in place until mid-summer when they will have grown large enough to be separated from the parent plants and potted up.

I often plant these small plants into dish gardens and watch them develop during the summer. Some of the plants that I planted in this fashion last summer are producing bloom this spring, increasing the attractiveness of the dish gardens even more.

If you like a flush of colourful bloom that is both attractive and unusual, you might rethink the term “flowering plant” and add a few cacti and succulents to your indoor garden. When the blooms appear, you will be glad you did.

Albert Parsons is a consultant for garden design and landscaping who lives in Minnedosa.

» communitynews@brandonsun.com