I bought myself a present yesterday. Ordinarily I wouldn't let loose of the kinds of $$$ this cost, but I do love stone and have wanted one for a long time. The stone is supposed to be volcanic tuff. The cavity chiseled into is prox 5"x7"x 5"d. It's very heavy, so I won't be moving it inside and out. That means the tenant is going to need to be cold hardy.


A side view:


A side view with a 4" pot w/miniature rose that I picked up on clearance (wish I'd quite doing that):


I considered my native barrel types and Echinocereus reichenbachii would be ideal because it's cold hardy, relatively small, makes a small colony and adapts well to container culture. I rejected it because it's subject to squirrel meals here. They eat the buds and chew the barrels badly without protection. I think it could do with more serious spines for it's own protection. Still I think I'd like a smaller barrel type that would stay in the container for a while. It would need more serious spines than E reichenbachii. The other native that would be a good option would be Escobaria vivipara var neo-mexicana, but I have that growing already and would like to have something different. The squirrels don't bother it and I attribute that to it's spine cover. I could be wrong. It could be flavor I guess.

Any suggestions? Winter temps tend to be relatively mild mostly, but we are subject to the teens and single digits Fahrenheit on occasion and this past winter set a cold record dropping below zero one night. That extreme did a lot of damage to some plants that would ordinarily overwinter outdoors without any problem. I'm not familiar enough with the cactus family to know what may be available commercially that would fit the criteria.

It wouldn't have to be a cactus necessarily, either. But a lot of succulents here are subject to squirrel damage. They will try something even if they end up spitting it out. That kind of damage tends to be a scar forever. Things tend to be hanging or elevated somehow to discourage that and this is far to heavy for that. It could be located in either full sun or dappled to deeper shade. Some of my little cacti grow under the dappled canopy quite well. Probably even gives them a little protection from the occasional hail event.

I love your rock!!

I have a hollowed "feather rock" with a stone crop but I don't have a problem with squirrels and the bunnies don't seem to like it.

How about a Euphorbia?

Are all Euphorbias cold hardy? I have E. tirucalli, but I bring it inside during the winter months. It's also grown a lot. It's bordering on being a large plant at the present time, so I'd be happy to start leaving it out and exposed. Squirrels don't eat it and that was one reason I wanted it. However, big rats aren't shy about nibbling on it. That's the only euphorb I grow. I'm aware of how different and varied a family it is. Did you have one in mind I could view in the database?

I think Escobaria sneedii susbp. leei could work.

There are quite a few Euphorbias that grow in peoples' gardens around here, including one annoying Euphorbia that is trying to take over the desert.

BlueOddish said:I think Escobaria sneedii susbp. leei could work.

Based on the temperature range, I think that would be an excellent choice. I've never seen that offered so I'd probably have to locate a source online. Thanks!

Do you know what the difference in that and Thimble Cactus (Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis) is? In so many ways they appear to be similar. Taxonomy classifications puzzle me sometimes - and then they change after I start learning the name . I have the latter and was thinking earlier that it would look really good in the new container. However, it couldn't handle the coldest spell last winter and there isn't a listed range for it in the Database. It was in a much thinner walled container and elevated, so that might make a difference Both these would have the same colony type growth like a sempervivum which would look great. I grew that in a sandstone rock and it really liked growing in the rock, but after a time the squirrels would make off with them so I finally gave up. Squirrels did not bother the M. vetula which surprised me. It not that spiny. I have reacquired it and it's still waiting to go back into the container. I just can't figure out how to secure the container and still be able to bring it inside.

DaisyI said:There are quite a few Euphorbias that grow in peoples' gardens around here, including one annoying Euphorbia that is trying to take over the desert.

Small plants?

The smallest I know of is one called 'Tiny Tim' - added bonus, its evergreen and blooms ALL summer.

The Mammillaria will break into pieces if you look at it. The Escobaria is a much more compact and sturdy mound former. It also branches from the base, unlike the Mammillaria.
I got mine from High Country Gardens but they sell out extremely fast so checking with them often wouldn't be a bad idea.
https://www.highcountrygardens...

Here's another store selling it and their picture. 😍
https://www.google.com/search?...:

BlueOddish said:Here's another store selling it and their picture. 😍
https://www.google.com/search?...:

I need this.

BlueOddish said:Here's another store selling it and their picture. 😍
https://www.google.com/search?...:

Thanks - I think . At my age I need to be re-homing plants and then I'm looking at a lot of temptation and instantly started thinking - well less water, they could hold up in our frequent dry spells, I could leave them out in the winter months instead trying fill up every nook and cranny inside . Too easy to begin justifying acquiring new plants.

I love that he's so clear about the winter temps they can endure. Thanks for the link.

This is what mine looked like in May of this year.

I don't want to put a damper on your Escobaria thoughts but, they are native to some of the driest deserts in the America's. How dry is Eastland Co., Texas?

DaisyI said:I don't want to put a damper on your Escobaria thoughts but, they are native to some of the driest deserts in the America's. How dry is Eastland Co., Texas?

::bubble bursts::

Less than 30" annual rainfall on average. I'm not sure of the exact average now. It dropped a bit after the last big drought. That average seesaws around quite a bit and isn't always a good reflection of the growing conditions here. Driest months are usually in mid-winter. Dry spells can be unpredictable anytime. Many plants I grow in containers I just don't give any supplemental water. I've been growing a lithops outside for two years now, but we just had a rainy spell and I brought it inside when more was predicted. I probably would have done it sooner, but I forgot. As soon as it cleared up, it went back out. It tends to be dry, but it's not a desert.

I've read about people growing this in the ground in the upper Midwest but with excellent drainage of course.

Hamwild said:

::bubble bursts::

Maybe not. That last webpage lists some rainfall tolerances as well the cold tolerance. Very useful info. I have a relative who is a friend of one of his friends. Best I can tell, this is coming from a dedicated, experienced and knowledge manager. His remarks about what he has listed are worth a read. It should help prepare you to get it planted correctly at the beginning. Home gardening is frequently about mitigating some of the drawbacks of types of plants. I can grow tropicals, e.g., successfully because they can often take the warm nights. They'd like more humidity, but they can manage. On the other hand, true alpine plants from dry areas are more difficult. They don't adapt to the lack of cool night temps and that's really hard to mitigate.

BlueOddish said:I've read about people growing this in the ground in the upper Midwest but with excellent drainage of course.

Actually, 3 of the 4 native barrel cacti here are only seen growing on very sloping ground with lots of gravel and two are happiest growing where the slope has exposed a limestone layer which has been crumbling due to erosion for a few centuries or longer. They are not seen in the better soil where the river has laid down a lot of silt and even in really heavy rains of long duration, the layer containing their root system drains and dries out rapidly. As for as moisture, I just have to plant those to duplicate that drainage. Containers tend to dry out here rapidly as a general rule, so that part works out pretty well. I only get concerned about precipitation in the winter when growth is at a standstill and sometimes the containers don't dry as fast as they do in warmer months.

needrain said:

Maybe not. That last webpage lists some rainfall tolerances as well the cold tolerance. Very useful info. I have a relative who is a friend of one of his friends. Best I can tell, this is coming from a dedicated, experienced and knowledge manager. His remarks about what he has listed are worth a read. It should help prepare you to get it planted correctly at the beginning. Home gardening is frequently about mitigating some of the drawbacks of types of plants. I can grow tropicals, e.g., successfully because they can often take the warm nights. They'd like more humidity, but they can manage. On the other hand, true alpine plants from dry areas are more difficult. They don't adapt to the lack of cool night temps and that's really hard to mitigate.

We'll probably end up with double the amount of rainfall you've had so far, once the year ends. It's been crazy this year with rain! I think I'll stay away from more desert loving plants than those I have.