I Love Cactus

I think I was given my first one in college as a joke by a friend because I “couldn’t” kill it, of course I did; but that had more to do with over watering than anything else. After college I moved to New Mexico were the cacti run free.

I had never seen more than your average small hot-house varieties and suddenly I was surrounded by huge patches of prickly pear and tall antler looking groves. Strong plants that managed to stand tall in the sun and make shade.

I also fell in love with succulent plants. The most common of course is that aloe vera plant. In the heat and sun my aloe grew to be over two feet tall and three feet wide. It was such a beautiful plant.Agave and century plans are in the same family. If you have never seen a century plant bloom it is a sight to behold. It grows a stalk ten to twelve feet in the air and a small shelf of yellow flowers grows on top. The talk will stay most of the season. It is amazing to be dwarfed by a plant.

I don’t know why people don’t seem to like cactus, I think they have wonderful texture and personality. But I think their heartiness is the main appeal to me. They live on almost no water most of the year and then when the rains come the desert is covered in a blanket of vibrant color.The fist spring I witnesses this amazing transformation I knew that the desert had claimed a part of my heart forever.