Autumn Joy, Donkey’s Tail and Few Others…

Sedum telephium 'Autumn Joy'

One of the very popular plant from the Crassulaceae family is Sedum. As succulent which is also known as Stonecrop plant, sedum is juicy fleshy and it comes in many different colours and shapes…. around 400 different species. Many of them are trailing and pretty, so they are very suitable to be planted in hanging pots and baskets. Some are plump and rounder, some have flatter leaves or come in rosette. Most of the flowers are star shape.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Sedum telephium “Autumn Joy’ is quite popular lately. People grow it for the flower display in autumn. When the clusters of flower are still in buds and green, they look a little bit like broccoli. The plant will die down in winter and leaf buds will start to grow when the weather is warmer in spring. It is better to plant this sedum species in the garden in a sunny spot.

Sedum morganianum 'Donkey's Tail'

 

Sedum morganianum ‘Donkey Tail’ or Burro’s Tail is an odd looking succulent. The plump leaves grow in long strands and the small cluster of reddish flowers grow on the tip of each strand. The leaves are very brittle and can easily come off the stem. This succulent is best grown in a hanging pot as the leaf strands can grow very long.

 

Sedum rubrotinctum 'Aurora'

Sedum rubrotiinctum is the most popular sedum species. It is commonly known as Jelly Bean plant. It comes in some different colours and it will be very pretty to be grown in a pot in a sunny spot around the house. Just like donkey’s tail, the rounder leaves are very brittle and easily fall off the stem with a slightest touch.

Sedum confusum

Sedum confusum can be grown as ground cover or in a pot. The small rosette leaves will have copper colour tinge when they mature. It will have star shape yellow flowers. The slightly trailing and compact growing habit make this plant suitable as gound cover and it will grow very nicely in a hanging basket.

Sedum nussbaumerianum

Sedum nussbaumerianum is less popular. It will be green if grown in shady area but will have yelowish copper colour in the sun. A nice species to be planted in pots. The flowers are small and white in colour.

Powdery 'Sedum allantoides'

Sedum allantoides is one of the largest sedum. The fleshy leaves are grey green and covered with white powdery substance that will stain your clothing (especially if it is dark colour). But don’t worry as it will be easily come off if you clean it. It will be good to plant in in the garden along the border. The whitish grey green colour is a sharp contrast to other colours. The flowers are soft yellow with long stems.

Succulents are getting more popular every year as they are very hardy to grow in milder climate. They do not need a lot of water to waste and will tolerate neglect and poor sandy soil. Can be easily grown from cuttings.  

Fuzzy Kalanchoes

Kalanchoe succulent plant belongs to the large family of crasulaceae. It has about 250 different species. Many people grow kalanchoes for the bright and colourful flowers, but others appreciate the beautiful foliage. I like the fuzzy and hairy ones that have large leaves. It is a fact that most of the unusual and strange succulents are native to Madagascar Island. Many others are native to southern parts of Africa and Asia.

Kalanchoe beharensis is also known as Elephant Ear.  The leaves are triangular in shape with irregular lobes. The green leaves are fully covered with fine hair to make them look smooth and velvety. Kalanchoe beharensis will multiply quickly in well drain, warm and sunny spot of the garden. If grown in a pot, it has to be large enough as the plant can grow over 1 meter high (ours only grow up to 75cm high), and can be quite heavy.

Kalanchoe baharensis aka. Elephant Ear Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii ‘Silver Spoon’ is another unusual succulent. The leaves grow as big as a dessert spoon. They are silver colour, fuzzy and fleshy. During the warm weather the plant will bear tall orange colour blooms. This plant with woody branches will quickly grow bushy to form a nice and compact shape. It needs well drain soil and is very hardy and can tolerate mild frost.

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii ‘Silver Spoon’

Kalanchoe orgyalis ‘Copper Spoon” has large brown copper colour leaves on the top side and greenish gray colour underneath, but the leaves tend to be slightly green if grown in the shade. I find that this plant is less tolerance to frost. It grows slower compared to silver spoon and can grow up to 1 meter high. The brown copper colour and the furry smooth leaves are very eye catching. It is best to be grown in well drain soil and away from frost.

Kalanchoe orgyalis “Copper Spoon’

A little fact about Cactuses/Cacti and Succulents: 

“All Cactus plants are Succulents….. but not all Succulents are Cacti…………..”

Jade Plant – Crassula ovata in Full Blooms

This time of the year again in early winter when the jade plants are flowering. The small white flowers almost cover the whole plant. It brightens dull winter days.

For those who believe that jade plants bring good fortune, this is a bit of information from White Lotus Fengshui.com :

The Jade Tree is also called the Money Plant. It is an auspicious plant because its succulent dark green leaves resemble pieces of jade or coins, therefore represents earth or metal energy, which adds nourishment and stability.  Earth chi helps relationships. The jade plant also signifies wood energy or growth. 

Placement:

East for family harmony, health, initiation of projects, scholarly pursuits Southeast for wealth luck

West for creativity or children luck

Northwest for the luck of mentors and helpful people 

To go to previous entry on Crassula ovata:

http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/crassula-ovata-the-fat-plant/

Euphorbia obesa – Our New Babies

Our search was finally over. Now we have not only one but two more Baseball Plants which is the other name for Euphorbia obesa. They are still small, and it will take a while for them to grow, but I am very excited. 

I used to have two of them that I bought long long time ago, but one of them died last year. The other one that is still alive has grown quite big for this kind of cactus. It is about 20 cm high. We bought one of the new little ones last March in Victoria Market, and the other one which is better in shape was purchased two days ago in Garden World. In Victoria market at that time only one Euphorbesa obesa available there and the shape was not perfect but we bought it anyway. It is a surprise to me that they are finally available in Garden World. There were only three of them. One was quite large and beautiful but it was much too expensive and the other two were small. I decided to buy one of the small ones. A little bit pricey still, but it was worth it for such a rare cactus plant.

Euphorbia obesa do not multiply, so the only way to grow it is by seeds. This is one of the reasons why this cactus is dear beside the fact that it grows very slowly. We will never know the young baseball cacti is male or female until they flower. They say that the male E. obesa usually grow taller than the female.

To go to my last post on Euphorbia obesa:

http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/euphorbia-obesa-rot-in-peace/

Sunrise Cactus

The name of Sunrise cactus comes from the fact that the flowers will start to burst open in the morning when the sun rises and will close again when the sun goes down. So if you keep the plant indoor when it is flowering and it is too dark, the flowers will never open.  This flowering jungle cactus is also called Easter cactus, Spring cactus and it’s botanic name is Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri.

Sunrise cactus is a distant cousin of Zygo cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, Crab Claw cactus).  The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is by looking at the stems and the flowers. Sunrise cactus stems are rounder in shape while Zygo cactus stems look a little bit like crab claws. If you look at the pictures of the two different stems, the left one with rounder stems are Sunrise cactus and the right one is Zygo cactus. Sunrise cactus flowers are star shaped and only open during the day, while Zygocactus flowers are irregular tubular in shape and keep on open during the night. The pictures of two different flowers, left is Sunrise cactus and right picture is Zygo cactus.

Both these jungle epiphytic cacti are native to mainly the rainforest of Brazil, so they both need very similar growing requirements. I have them, but from my very own experience, Sunrise cactus is harder to grow compared to Zygo cactus. Sunrise cactus is more sensitive to sudden changes of location. For example if your Sunrise cactus is already happy and thriving in one location, it may not so if you move it to other place. All of sudden the stems will all droopy in the new place. I don’t really know why, but maybe in the new place the amount of light and humidity is not exactly the same.

This time of the year, it is the end of autumn here in Australia, and my Sunrise cacti have plenty of ripe fruits. I have already picked them and later I will try to grow them. I know it will be easier to transplant few stems, but I am curious to try growing them from seeds.

• Sunrise Cactus, Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, Easter Cactus, Spring Cactus
• Flowering time: Spring
• Pot, Containers or hanging basket only
• Best temperature 10 – 34 deg Celsius (50-75 deg F)
• Need high humidity
• Indirect sunlight
• Growing media:  cactus mix (but I use 1 part of orchid barks and 1 part of potting mix)
• Tap water is better as rain water can be too acidic. Avoid using water that is too cold.
• Need longer cold dark nights during the winter time for the plant to flower well.
• Propagation by transplanting stem cuttings or by using seeds.

Blooming Zygo Cacti – 2011

We have been having strange weather lately. For the last few weeks the sun hardly ever shined at all and today is very much the same. It seemed that the days were short and dark, and it is a very good condition for Zygo cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, Christmas Cactus) to grow more flowers. Yes, it is said that in order to bloom better, zygos need longer darkness before the flower buds start to grow in Autumn.

I noticed that the sudden chills lately changed the colour of our white zygo (and other light colours). Although the flower buds haven’t opened yet, I can see that they will have a slightly pinkish tint to the normally white colour. I will take more pictures when the flowers open.

Even though this year all the zygos produce much more flower buds compared to last year, the lack of sunshine makes them very slow to open and once they open they will wilt quickly.

As a member of jungle cactus, zygo cactus need to be trimmed by breaking the segments. Do this after finish flowering. This way it will encourage the plant to grow more stems. With more stems, the plant will grow bushy and will bear more flowers as each flower grows from the tip. The cuttings can be planted by sticking them (bottom part down) in potting mix in a pot. You will see that the next year you will have more new plants to share with family and friends.

Once I read that zygo cacti can grow for a long time and it can be passed down from generation to generation. If you love potted plants, zygo cacti are very easy to grow and will look very good in hanging pots. They will need well drain potting media ( I use half regular potting mix and half orchid mix). Slow released complete fertilizer can be added during the growing season in Spring. The best location for places with moderate climate is a shady spot, while in very cold climate can be grown as indoor plant. When the plants are not in growing season, water only when the soil is dry.

To go to previous entry on Zygo Cactus: http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/our-blooming-zygos/

 

 

 

 

Senecio globosa – Rare Cactus

 

Senecio globosa is one variation of Senecio articulatus (=hot dog or candle cactus). Many times it is also referred as Senecio articulatus v. globosa. The globosa’s jointed segments are more rounded compared to those of the articulatus species.

Not much information about this rare succulent. There are many different species of Senecio plants and mostly are native to South Africa and Madagascar. Just like any other cacti and succulents, S. globosa has to kept drier during winter months and moderate watering during warmer months.

Nothing really spectacular about this dainty plant except the odd shape and the interesting leaves are quite pretty. The small globular stems seem to be stacked in a precarious way that you may be afraid they are going to fall. Ha, ha…… I read somewhere that this plant has flowers, so I cannot wait to see mine flowering.

 

 

 

Update January 18, 2012:

Senecio globosa is supposed to drop leaves in the winter time, but here in Melbourne is summer now and ours is still bare. Some new growths are not round, instead they are long/more like cucumber. Weird! So far I have moved the plant into a better pot.

Senecio articulatus v. globosa - January 18, 2012

 

Orchid Cactus 2010

 

Our orchid cactus/Jungle cactus with very large red flowers is blooming. At first I was not so sure what kind of epiphyllum it was, but now I have a strong feeling it is actually Epiphyllum/Disocactus ackermannii. Such beautiful flowers but they don’t last very long. They start to wilt on the third day after the flowers open.

Epiphyllum/Disocactus ackermannii - Flower buds

Very large bloom: Epiphyllum/Disocactus ackermannii

 

Red Epiphyllum/Disocactus 'Ackermannii'

It is a very different story with Nopalxochia phyllanthoides aka Epiphyllum ‘Deutsche Kaiserin’, this species has long lasting flowers. The candy pink and white small flowers open slowly and will continue to grow bigger until they are fully open. A prolific bloomer which is perfect for a hanging basket. This year they are doing very well, many more flowers compared with last year.

Nopalxochia phyllanthoides / Epiphyllum 'Deutsche Kaiserin'

Nopalxochia phyllanthoides aka Epiphyllum Deutsche Kaiserin

 

The other epiphyllums that have finished flowering:

Chiapasia nelsonii / Epiphyllum nelsonii / Disocactus nelsonii

Yellow Epiphyllum (Fruhlingsgold???)

Sadly, our “Sunrise cacti /Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri”  are not doing very well. (Note: Sunrise Cactus is not really an orchid cactus, but it is also a jungle catus). The stems are droopy and only have few flowers. Today is raining and dark, so the flowers don’t open fully. Just like Mesembryanthemums, the flowers only open when the sun light is bright. I read that Sunrise cacti are the hardest to grow compared with the other jungle cacti. I am not going to post the picture of the Sunrise cactus now. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny and the flowers will open properly . Then I will take some photos.

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The next day….. it is overcast but bright enough to make the sunrise cactus flower open.

Pink Sunrise Cactus

Sad looking Sunrise cactus

 Links to other blogs on Orchid Cacti/ Jungle Cacti:

http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/epiphyllum-%e2%80%98gold-coin%e2%80%99/

http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/our-blooming-zygos/

http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/our-jungle-cacti/

Stapelia – Hairy and Smelly

Our Stapelia plant is flowering. The flowers are star-shaped, hairy and smell like rotting flesh. The colour is dark red like the colour of meat. Though the smell is not as strong as Corpse flower (Titan arum), it is good enough to fool some flies. Flies think that the flower is some kind of rotting carcass, so they lay their eggs/maggots inside the flower. So the missions are accomplished for the plant! The flies have helped the flower with polination. When I took the pictures yesterday, I saw tiny maggots near the stamens inside the flower. Not very long they will die as there are nothing for them to eat in there, within 3 or 4 days the flower will also wilt away.

Stapelia Plant

• Stapelia is originally from southern Africa and also known as Carrion or Starfish flowers.
• There are about 40 species.
• It is succulent plant and not a cactus.
• Attractive fleshy, smooth and spineless velvety long stems which can grow to about 20 cm long. Green or grey-green with purple tinge in colour.
• Large flowers and the flower buds grow like balloons before they open.
• The flowers are hairy, mostly are 5 points starshaped. Once open, they will last for a few days (3-4 days).
• The flowers come in many different colours: dark red/maroon, yellow, cream, greenish or spotted/mottled. 
• It needs similar growing requirements as other succulents. Sandy but rich well drain soil.
• Full sun position, keep in sunny place indoor in winter.
• Much less water during cold season.
• Liquid fertilizer during the growing season.

Stapelia Flower Bud

Stapelia sp. just about to open.

Star-shaped Stapelia sp.

A fly is attracted to the flower.

Maggots inside the flower.

The Amazing Wonder of Nature….. Sometimes it is just bizarre! 

 

 

 

 

 

Epiphyllum nelsonii – Chiapas Beauty

 

This Epiphyllum nelsonii is a jungle cactus species from the high mountains of Chiapas in Mexico. It is also called Chiapasia nelsonii  or Disocactus nelsonii . This Chiapas beauty has large and pretty mauve pink blooms.  Another early bloomer )