August 28, 2022

Enjoying the Cactus Rockery

We live in sub-Tropical Queensland where the average rainfall is around 1200 ml (4 feet) per year.


It's hardly the place you would expect to find a cactus garden!


But that is what was in the back yard when we arrived.


It was neat and tidy and pleasant to look at, so we didn't see any reason to remove it. The bonus is that the occasional flowers bring great delight, even if they are very short-lasting.


It has a variety of heights so has a pleasant balance, from the tall pony tails with their giant bases, plus a couple of the cacti that are 4 or 5 metres tall, to the sweet round balls hugging the ground.



I confess that there have been occasions when I have regretted having cacti, such as when I have tripped and fallen into one of them, or grabbed a tall one to stabilise myself! Those thorns and prickles sure do a lot of damage!



Our large rainfall has seen the loss of a few plants over the 12 years we have been here, but the majority seem not to mind the climate. One tall cactus blew over in a storm. Our younger daughter spent a lot of time and effort to remove a very aggressive cactus that wanted to take over the whole garden, complete with its toxic latex sap! It's interesting to compare photos of when we first arrived and now. There certainly has been a lot of growth!


Succulents are more 'body-friendly' without the thorns!


I only discovered the white flower below this year. I hadn't seen these tall cacti flower at all but I suspect they may have in previous years and I had missed them. A few months ago I opened the blinds when I got out of bed, and there they were. Plan was to have a shower and then definitely go out and photograph this beauty. Only trouble was that the flowers were closed up half an hour later when I had camera in hand. I quickly worked out it must be a night flowering cactus. Next time the photo was taken before the shower! It often has three or four flowers open up the stem, but you have to be a bit of a night owl to see them! 


I've recently added some non-cactus species that I had over from the makeover of the front garden. It now feels a little less sparse with a bit more greenery.


I hope you've enjoyed the wander around my little rockery. How wonderful that God shares such beauty with us.


Val

4 comments:

Susan said...

I loved it! It was wonderful to see species so closely related to my Arizona (southwestern US) beloved cactus. Yes, you quickly gain a respect for those stickers, especially the ones with little hooks on the ends of them. Our dog learned the lesson the hard way when we first moved there, but it only took the one lesson. He was smarter than I was!

Createology said...

Hello Sweet Val. Your rockery is lovely and looks very similar to our front and back yards here in the high desert of Southern Utah. We had to spend big dollars to get this look that is pleasing and beautiful. Our water feature really makes the world peaceful in our private space. Enjoy your flowers dear.

FlourishingPalms said...

My goodness! So pretty! It looks well-planned and maintained. You've done a good job keeping up with it. I really enjoy seeing the variety you have there. I don't know a thing about cacti, but it's apparent they're all happy living where they've been planted. That night-blooming one is fascinating. Thanks for sharing your views.

DIGBY said...

Thank you for sharing the pictures. What a lovely garden. I would love to have something like that but here in Minnesota USA I don't think they would survive our cold winters. I do have mother hen and little chicks that survive each winter. Please keep sharing! Cynthia