Sunday, October 07, 2007

Hooked on Succulents ...

First of all, thank you to everyone who has sent links for the Garden Bloggers' Retro Carnival. People have sent in some really nice posts, including some with stupendous photos. But don't worry if you're still thinking about it - there's time yet. Just leave me a comment with the link to the post you want to nominate.


The BBC seems to be hooked on succulents at the moment. Every time I go into their Science and nature news site there seems to be an article on some cactus bursting into flower. A couple of days ago I found
this feature about a Hoodia plant, which has flowered for the first time ever at the Eden Project. It's native to South Africa and has always been eaten by bushmen in the Kalahari desert to ward off hunger. Research is currently being done to see if it can be used to fight obesity - hopefully it's not the flowers which they need to use.

But at least at the Eden Project they don't have
the problem caused by an Agave Americana at the University of Wales in Bangor. If you have one yourself, don't plant it in your greenhouse ...

A friend of mine gave me the mother plant of the succulents in the picture (I've forgotten their name). These are cuttings I took a year or so ago. They've grown at a rate of knots, but they haven't flowered yet. Should I be worried?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

It looks like a Crassula to me (possible C. argenta, the money plant). I've never seen one flower... mine certainly hasn't and I've had it several years.

Sue Swift said...

Yes, you're right. As soon as I read Crassula I remembered the name, but I hadn't known it was Crassula argenta. I found a photo on the net and it's exactly the same. Thank you!

Why is it called the money plant? Is it supposed to attract it? If so, I have to report that sadly it isn't working. Oh well, keep buying the lottery tickets ...

Sue Swift said...

PS. I've just checked again on the net - it does flower,in the winter, with quite pretty, small white or pink flowers. However, there was one guy complaining that he'd grown them for fifty years and never seen a flower ... They'll only flower if they're getting limited light, so maybe that's why they don't if they're in the house.

LadyLuz said...

Hi Sue

I've just submitted today a bit for the Garden Bloggers Retro Carnival and hope that this is the right place and way for it.

With thanks to you again for suggesting it.

Sue Swift said...

Hi Ladyluz,
You misinterpreted what i said a bit - everyone else has sent me the link and I'm going to publish them all together in a "carnival" in November. but I like your way too. Maybe we'll do it like that in the future!
Sue

LadyLuz said...

Isn't it wonderful that so many of the summer plants are still flowering when the autumn ones start up.

I was interested in the Agarve story. We put in a variegated one 4 years ago - 6" to 4 ft with babies all around it - and radical action is now necessary as its leaves are lethal. The sap, if it get onto the skin, causes burning. A beautiful drought-resistant plant and a bit of a nuisance.

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