Off Topic Desert Shrubbery

[tanglediver]

Pick any desert.

In North America for instance, each of the four deserts has its own characteristic flora, with the occasional overlap.

To survive on foot in a desert is a contest of character and determination, but mostly on having or finding water.

Plants do so amazingly well.

All the array of spines found on these plants seems to serve as protection against animals devouring them for food. Many of these shrubs offer edible fruit, if you take some seeds from the host along with your mouthful.

It is the spinal array that has my interest.

The search for water, continues...

 

[Ratatoskr]

Are those Folgers cans native, or invasive?

 

[tanglediver]

Those are native to the island of Nantucket. Technically not desert, lots of sand though. (Currently holding Santa Rita Prickly Pear lobes, native to the Sonoran Desert.)
~~
Stolen from wikipedia;
"The precursor of the Folger Coffee Company was founded in 1850 in San Francisco, California, as the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. The founding owner, William H. Bovee, saw an opportunity to produce roasted and ground coffee ready for brewing.[4] Before that, Californians had to purchase green coffee beans, and roast and grind them on their own. To help build his mill, Bovee hired James Athearn (J.A.) Folger as a carpenter. Folger had arrived from Nantucket Island at age 15 with his two older brothers during the California Gold Rush. In the 1850s, kerosene became a cheaper alternative to whale oil, Nantucket's dominant business. Many Nantucket ships were re-purposed to instead bring coffee from South America to San Francisco."

 

[FAL'ER]

Cool thread.
Do those have super deep root systems?

 

[tanglediver]

I want to say that desert plants tend to spread wide and shallow roots to take advantage of brief, flash flood events. Water runs off very quickly, so shallow roots take advantage by quickly absorbing surface water.
The Saguaro, for instance, spreads a root net just inches below the surface, yet as wide as the plant is tall. (see the 5:00 mark of this video);

 

[eveled]

The desert is fascinating. The plants and animals are tough to be able to survive. Yet they can be beautiful. These are from a trip to the Phoenix area

I was really surprised to see the inner structure of this deteriorating saguaro cactus. An inner ring of saplings.

 

[tanglediver]

Them Saguaro bones are something else!
I was a bit surprised to find small ones available for sale. They would be the only ones in my price range. I just finished potting up this 'toddler' this evening.

~~

 

[Crag the Brewer]

My father collects caci, and his father before him.....
A soon to be burden, will be who gets them all?
It's something to think about, similar to having a parrot as a pet. Outliving its owner. I don't have the space, more importantly, I don't have the sunshine.
I know their are clubs and organizations. I'm sure those "vultures" thrive in the shadows waiting for a widow to come and feed them.
Haha...... I've seen it Here too, with knives.

 

[tanglediver]

Yea, people all over try to grow cactus! They will be put in windows, green houses, anything to keep them warm and dry with as much sun as possible.

I know these plants easily have the potential to outlive me. But, like I say, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, I've gotta get some seedlings going! Just a few...

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Many people don't realize cactus are native throughout the united states
Here in the Great Lakes region we have Opuntia: O. fragilis (Brittle Prickly Pear) and O. macrorhiza (Plains Prickly Pear)

A fun little story......many years ago it was an early Sunday morning.
I was digging a rockery out in my front yard. It's basically a rock garden.
I was going to plant some cactus, and they need good drainage.

I was quietly digging, waist deep when the neighbor across the street came outside to get her newspaper. She sees me.
Shuffles over in her robe and slippers.
Curious, she asks about what I'm doing.....?

I'm Really excited, and explain the flowers I'm going to plant.
Why I'm digging the hole.
Stressing how they are native, and rare. I'm feeling she Should be impressed.....


She says...... "Oh........ Because I haven't seen (she names my wife) in awhile".
Haha.... That's funny, I kinda lite heartedly chuckle.....
She then says......."No, I'm Serious."
She's a typical bossy lady. Kinda stern. No fun.

It's been awhile since I've been accused of murder.
I stop my digging, I paused a few seconds. I look her in the eye and tell her.

Thats what the Hole in the backyard is for.....

Her eyes Widen.....
She just turns around, shuffles back to her house, and we never talk again.


The nerve.

 

[tanglediver]

This poor guy.

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Whereas we small gardeners may like them, here is one group who does not like a good prickley pear.

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... and another...

 

[tanglediver]

I just came back from a local, native, plant nursery. It it the only one of it's kind around here that I am aware of. Google shows some closer 'botanical gardens', but I don't know how much selling they do. So I took the drive down to San Juan Capistrano to this exact nursery having watched the video.

Very nice place to visit, and they've got a good selection of plants that should do well around here. I got a couple more cholla, and they are rooted already, which is a big bonus, because they can go right in the ground.
~~

 

[tanglediver]

I took a ride out for a look see on Christmas Eve, any excuse to go for a motorbike ride.
This trip was to a real, deal, cactus retailer.

I only had a wee bit of room for a passenger in the saddlebags.

I had been looking for Creosote bush before, so that was cool to find it.
But the heavy weights were in abundance.

I HAD to return with the truck. Since I got the day off today, and since there were some Teddy Bear Cholla's calling to me, I went back again with a purpose.

I picked out a Twin-flowered Agave, a Mexican Tree Ocotillo, a Cane Cholla, three Teddy Bear Cholla's, a Saguaro look-alike called Trichocereus Terscheckeii and an Old Man of the Andes cactus.
Now to get them home and in one piece.

The ride home went as well as can be expected, Morongo Valley is over 75 miles from us.
I got myself over to the outside fence at work just before sundown, (it's barely a mile away), and planted the Agave, the Chain Cholla (tall slender one), 2 of the Teddy Bear Cholla's and the Mexican Tree Ocotillo. This hedge row is gonna take a lot of work to create.
I held onto the best looking Teddy Bear, the one they call 'Fat Boy' (Trichocereus Terscheckii), and the Old Man of the Andes for now, maybe longer.
Planted the Old Man of the Andes, they don't get very big, and grow very slowly.

 

[tanglediver]

Creosote herbal benefits...

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An excellent primer for anyone trying their hand at Saguaro raising.

 

[tanglediver]

The cool of winter is my best transplanting season, this project will largely be put on hold over summer.
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The 'project'.