Cactus Garden – Creation of cactus gardens basically involves regional collection of succulents and cacti, which are grouped by specific genera and growth forms. While treading through the cactus garden, an individual would be able to witness dozens of species. Popular groups include the Ferocactus, Opuntias (Bunny Ears Cactus), Echinocereus, Mamillaries, Agaves and Columnar cacti. The enormous popularity that the cacti plant has amongst the plant collectors and gardeners is only surpassed by that of orchids and roses. The appeal and beauty of such cactus gardens expands far beyond their original habitat. It has numerous devotees in Europe, Japan and the United States.
Water shortages are on the rise in many areas of North America. Of course, this is not a good thing when it comes to keeping your garden healthy and green. But fortunately, there’s a certain type of gardening that actually likes the hot, dry weather! It’s called xeriscaping.
Ferocactus
The techniques involved in xeriscaping allow the gardener to use plants that need only small amounts of water, or using water more efficiently in your landscaping. Even in desert like conditions, a beautiful garden can be had without using too much valuable water. And cacti are at the top of the list of these drought resistant plants.
There are many advantages to having cacti as the staple plant in your garden. Of course, there’s a lot of water to be saved. If drought happens to fall upon your area, your cacti will survive by using their stems to store water during extended dry periods. There are many types of cactus plants. There are as much as 1000 to 2000 different species in the world. They serve a crucial role by providing food and shelter to many species of animals, birds and reptiles.
But you don’t have to focus entirely on cacti to a have beautiful garden. They belong to a group of plants called succulents. These plants are able to store water in their leaves, stems and roots and are extremely virile. Some types of these plants are aloe, agaves, the century plant, yucca and the jade plant.
Any cacti plant or plants within the succulent family are very durable and tough. It’s not uncommon for them to survive many days without water in extremely hot, dry temperatures. Think about putting your plants in containers as well. Containers come in a multitude of sizes, shapes and color. And as long as it holds water, the container can be just about anything. So when designing the layout of your new garden area, remember, you can put cactus plants anywhere! And research the group of Succulents to see which plants best suits your needs.
