Monday, January 14, 2008

Gone, But Not Forgotten


After this Parodia magnifica bloomed last spring, I decided to transplant it from its pot into my garden. I had a perfect place for it in front of a landscape boulder. It would receive the afternoon shade requisite to many cactus plants in our Zone 9b. All was well until mid-summer. During an especially intense hot spell, it became evident that this cactus was not going to make it. Its skin was burned badly, and within a couple of weeks, it had completely dried up.

Perhaps I under watered it. This particular cactus needs regular water in summer, and I may have underestimated its needs. When it was potted, I watered it once a week in summer, and kept it dry in winter. Usually potted cactus requires more water than when placed in the garden, so I only watered it every couple of weeks.

With its fine, hair like spines, symmetrical ribs and gorgeous yellow flowers, I've always loved the P. magnifica. I hated to see it go. If I see another nice specimen this coming spring when I start shopping for new cacti to add to my collection, I plan to replace this departed cactus. This time, it will remain in a pot.

6 comments:

Jocelyn H. Chilvers said...

Thanks for sharing this story with us. Even we "experts" sometimes have failures and lose plants. There are so many variables that influence the life of a plant--- it's really tough to anticipate them all. All we can do is try and figure out what went wrong and move forward.

Julie said...

It sure was a pretty little thing!!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flowers, Aiyana. They nicely complement the spines along the accordion folds (I'm sure there's a proper name for these things).

Pudgeduck said...

I want one!

Aiyana said...

Julie,
Sorry to see you stop your postings. I enjoyed your blog and thought you did a great job, but I certainly understand the need to move. Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end is not good for the bottom. I know whereof I speak!
Please continue to visit. I've always liked reading your comments.

kate said...

I hope you'll be able to find another one that looks as good as this cactus does. The flower is beautiful!

And my, how I agree about blogging hasn't been good for my hips!