“Life is like a cactus, prickly but very beautiful”
Fish Hook Barrel Cactus ‘Ferocactus wislizenii’ in bloom
The house we bought here in Arizona came with three different cactus gardens. One very large one out front, and two smaller ones on each side yard. Twenty four different varieties in all. If you had told me a few months ago that I would enjoy learning about cactus, I would have probably told you “nope, not me…I am a rose, perennial-big flower type of person”. Well, it turns out I am now becoming a “cactus” person. I had no idea that the blossoms could be so big, that the shapes could be so different and that there were now thousands of new plants to learn. I have visited the local Arizona Cactus Botanical Garden so often that we are on a first-name basis. I have mapped out the area to try and identify each genus, and I have even sat with my tripod for hours at a time in the evening trying to catch the quick opening of the trumpet cactus as she puts on her show. I still find myself down at the local independent garden center once a week or so to peruse the perennial beds filled with color, but I think this new area of botany will keep me busy for a while.
