Succulents (which include most cacti) are always a challenge to the grower. How much water to give them, how much light, how often should they be potted, what pests and diseases afflict them?
These are questions of which nightmares are made. Succulents are designed to survive in regions of very low rainfall, some in areas getting no more than an inch or two every few years. They have adapted. They don’t need it. They will often die out if they are given too much of it.
Succulents survive in a variety of ways. Most develop thick waxy walls like the Sedum, Crassula and Kalanchoe. Some (cacti) cover themselves with prickles and hair to reduce the flow of air over their surfaces (the prickles serving to deter animals looking for a quick drink). There are many plants which have developed mostly below ground (Lithops, the ‘living stones’ of Africa), whilst others have enormous water-storing trunks with just few leaves or branches (the baobab). That’s all in the wild. In cultivation the gardener often has difficulty grasping the essential difference between the succulents and ‘normal’ plants. The golden rule with succulents is don’t water them too frequently. Keep them in good light and away from water drips. In other words, try to grow them as though they were in a desert. Don’t use soil-less composts or any soil-based composts. If in doubt use crushed brick and stones – anything that will drain water away quickly.
Grow them under cover if you can, and watch out for mealy bug and scale. Dip and dab. (Dip a paint brush in meths or Malathion and dab the beast.)
If you have a garden exposed to strong breezes, and you have delicate little seedlings making a bid for maturity then protect them to windward against damage or drying out. Do this by putting up a screen of cut bags nailed to posts, or get a wattle-type fence. If you want something more permanent, then plant a living screen that can be controlled by pruning or clipping.
Try and have your lawn cut every week so that it becomes thick and tight. It’s an odd thought that often those people that start with lawns full of weeds and junky old grass and cut them regularly for a few years are likely to end up with a lawn just as good as someone who has had it planted with a proper lawn grass.
Marianne North was a Victorian, an intrepid explorer in search of subjects to paint. Her subjects were flowers in their natural environment. She produced wonderful paintings which she gave to the British Crown during her lifetime, and which are housed in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in a special gallery. There are eight hundred and forty eight of them, all painted over a period of 13 years (1872-85). She travelled throughout the world, widely in South America, dressed in totally impractical clothing, unprepared for dangers, armed only with brush and paints and a burning wish to paint flowers in their natural settings. If you ever visit Kew Gardens you absolutely must visit the Marianne North gallery. You’ll see many old friends.
Until next week may your God go with you wherever you may go.
