Monday, June 8, 2020

Jungle cactus in my garden; Clifford as seasonal host

You guys, I've got it bad. This time of year is the magic-zone where my heart and brain forget all about winter. I've had time to play in the garden, plenty of sunny warm days behind me and months of sunny warm (sometimes HOT) days ahead. Pure bliss! (yes, I'm ignoring the fact this weekend was a complete and total washout, over an inch of rain on Saturday and showers continued on Sunday). Please forgive me as I pretend that I live in Zone 9 or 10...where winter won't bring freezing temperatures. Where I too can have jungle cactus growing through my trees...

I admitted to being hooked back in February, when I wrote that Jungle Cactus were my latest obsession. I'd bought a few and committed to finding a way to make them work, even if I couldn't grow them epiphytically on trees and other plants or surfaces.

After scheming for a bit I decided burlap was the answer.

First I tried sewing little pouches to hold a bit of soil and roots. But those pouches didn't want to nestle into Clifford's crooks and crannies (Clifford being our big-leaf magnolia, M. macrophylla).

I ended up sort of wrapping the base (soil and roots) kokedama style with burlap and brown twine.

I left long "tails" of twine off each bundle and tied them around Clifford's branches.

Then I hid the burlap and twine with Tillandsia usneoides and completed the picture with larger tillandisa. It's pretty convincing—meaning you might think it's a permanent planting rather than just seasonal—if you don't look too close.

Hanging nearby, a chartreuse container from Gainey Ceramics holds an assortment of epiphytic cactus...

Including Lepismium cruciforme...

And Rhipsalis ramulosa which I brought home from my visit to Dustin Gimbel's garden.

Besides the various epiphyllum and rhipsalis, there's a huge tillandisa (NOID) up there...

Over on that far branch is a Rhipsalis houlletiana...

This guy...

And the magic continues on around the other side of Clifford...

One issue I've discovered, which also occurred with the bromeliads I've perched up here in previous years; the damn squirrels are destructive!

This lepismium in particular is thrashed as they climb up Clifford's branches to jump on to our garage roof.

Perhaps a little squirrel destruction is the price I'll have to pay to pretend I live in a climate where this type of planting thrives year-round?

Weather Diary, June 7: Hi 61, Low 47/ Precip .38

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

20 comments:

  1. It looks fantastic, of course. Will spraying with a hose will be sufficient watering? Lepismium cruciforme... looks like a bug staring right at me :-D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Mother nature has been doing plenty of watering over the last few days...but yes, once summer returns the hose should be fine.

      Delete
  2. This is purely wonderful. They do look like they live there year round. I feel your pain about the squirrels. They destroy my potted plants regularly. It is so frustrating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There seem to be more squirrels this year too...and they're not at all skittish around me either, it's a little disturbing.

      Delete
  3. what a great idea...has me looking around at my trees to see which ones might be able to host a few of my epis. How DO you water them though? And how often?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well that depends on your climate. Here I've sprayed them with a gentle shower from the hose a couple of times during a dry spell.

      Delete
  4. You elevate landscape design to a whole new level, Loree - literally and figuratively! You also put my own sorry efforts with Epiphyllums to shame.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks good. It adds interesting touches to a very handsome tree.

    Wish I could give you our 90-100F days. You are welcome to all of them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I'd take them! Our high last Saturday was 52. Our HIGH! On June 6th. And all the rain. Junuary indeed.

      Delete
  6. I'm sure Clifford feels quite honored to host your collection for the summer. It looks quite natural!

    ReplyDelete
  7. So glad you got the name of the rhipsalis from Dustin! Mine rooted too. Clifford looks like he's got big strong arms and can take anything you throw at him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arms Andrew wants to cut off...can you believe it? He's of the idea that Clifford needs to be limbed up...

      Delete
  8. This looks amazing. I hope you documented the process, I can imagine some clever book title about unique container and containerless planting ideas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, thanks! No documenting more than this blog post. But of course things can be recreated for the camera...

      Delete
  9. Wonderful! Last month I toyed with growing epiphytes kokedama style, but couldn't see how I could wrap moss and chipped bark in twine. Burlap. There's the answer. Yet another idea of yours I may pinch. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The burlap worked great, and of course the fact it is the same color as the tree and the twine helped too.

      Delete
  10. How the heck did I not see Monday's post? You truly have created my dreamland, and you have visually fulfilled my passion of what makes me feel comfortable in my surroundings. It takes a lot of different gardening experiences to discover what we really love. I do have all the spikes that make us both happy!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you did eventually see it, and thank you!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!