#23 Relocation of the Cactus Garden

The madman’s current project is relocation of the cactus garden. We never thought his hobby would grow to this extent. The madman was introduced to the world of cactus and succulents years ago. He had always been a collector and if he saw a plant he liked, he got it. I should have seen the pattern: sunny window, low maintenance. How did it get out of hand?

Ethel M. Chocolate Factory

We were in Las Vegas for a professional conference and the madman came up with a road trip to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory to entertain the kids one afternoon. You may think he is a chocolate freak, but actually he wanted to see Ethel’s cactus garden – he had read so much about it that he wanted to check it out.. The kids and I were impressed. The madman was blown away. “I’d like to do this,” he thought. “Too bad we live in the Northeast.”

In this garden the cactus were part of the actual landscape. We had seen plenty of cactus, but they were always in pots in a sunny location or in a greenhouse. The image of the garden simmered in the back of his mind for years.

Cactus Growing Wild on Rattlesnake Mountain

About the same time, he heard rumors of a cactus patch growing on top of Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington. The madman loves urban legends, so this patch always fascinated him. Come to find out this cactus colony was started sometime around 1980 by a New Britain hiker who cleaned out his cactus garden and wondered “What if?” A man who thinks like the madman-interesting.

Present for the Doctor

Back to the madman’s cactus garden – at the time, he didn’t know the truth and figured that if cactus grew on the mountain, it should do well in our yard. What finally did him in was a conversation with a patient who said “Oh yeah, I have cactus growing all over my yard.” A week later she returned to the office with a present – a box of cactus pads, a book and the advice “Plant these, read this, good luck.”

The cactus was Opuntia humifusa which is native to southern Connecticut. Who knew? The book was Growing Winter Hardy Cacti in Cold Wet Climate Conditions by John N. Spain, the recognized authority on growing these plants. He actually lives in Connecticut and maintained a large greenhouse and a spectacular hardy cacti and succulent garden. The madman devoured every word of the book. Then he said to me “I can do this, all I need is a good place and drainage, drainage, drainage. You see, cacti can stand the cold; they just don’t like to be wet. If I could keep the roots dry, I’d be all set.” I just shook my head wondering what was coming next.

Planning the Cactus Garden

 That winter was a time for planning. Where was the sun? How big should the garden be? How do we drain it? When do we start? As usual, February came along and we visited the Hartford Flower and Garden Show. One of the landscape companies used succulents in their landscape displays. The madman suddenly realized that these potted plants were buried in sand to look like they were actually growing. Eureka! Not all the plants in his cactus garden had to be native and permanently planted – he could add indoor plants to the area by digging them in. He just had to remember to bring them back inside before frost hit.

Building the Cactus Garden

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 The madman hatched a plan. He selected a location. And, he called Bill. That spring Bill excavated an area that had been neglected for years. He installed drainpipes, built a frame of landscape timbers and filled the 12” hole with sand. The madman was off and running and we had a gorgeous cactus garden. But, Mother Nature is always changing. The madman started to notice that shade was creeping into the garden as surrounding trees got bigger. Cutting the trees was not an option, especially since not all of them are on our property. The garden steadily declined. Without full sun, the cactus no longer bloomed.

The Ouch House

Last summer, the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society planned a road trip to a private cactus garden called “The Ouch House,” in Carlisle, Massachusetts. Sounded fun so we signed on, expecting an interesting day. What we got was amazing inspiration. The garden was planted inside a giant heated geodesic dome creating a southern desert environment in the Northeast. Large cacti had been trucked in to live full time in the pseudo-desert, but the madman found some smaller varieties that looked just like his.  

An afternoon walking the paths in the Ouch House sparked the madman to think about what to do with his own cactus patch. He wasn’t going to build an Ouch House, but he needed to revive his own garden. He started walking around our yard looking for an acceptable spot. We designed our first bed as a destination. That was before we built the treehouse. Since we like to sit in the treehouse and enjoy a view of all our gardens, the new cactus bed had to be in direct view. The madman found a perfect spot between edge-of-forest and the row of death. It just had to be long and narrow. It also meant we could get rid of more lawn. His selling point to me was that I could also see it from the house.

Relocating the Cactus Garden

We called Bill again.  Last fall we built four raised rectangular boxes and set them down in their future site. Although we planned to prepare the beds in the fall, life got too busy so a fall project became a spring project. We removed the sod and dug down a couple of inches in order to set the boxes. Then the madman dug out the center of the boxes – after all, the cactus need drainage, drainage, drainage. With the holes dug, the rains came and the madman was ecstatic. Heavy, constant rain would let him determine how effectively these boxes would drain. Bingo! Great drainage, no need to put in pipes.

Filling the Cactus Garden

When the rains stopped, the madman began hauling. First, he brought in 1” stone to fill the bottom. Then he moved the coarse sand from the original bed to the new ones. Then it was time to plant the new beds. He was so excited to move the Opuntia humifusa back into full sun – they may not bloom this year, but wait for next year. When all danger of frost has passed, he will move out the rest of his cacti and succulents – not all are cold hardy. That’s what we call moving day.

 In the meantime, we will edge the boxes with stone and begin to add special features to the bed. I notice that there is already a skull out there. And a couple of dead logs. And an interesting rock. And a pole for the Pereskia aculeata – a vine that is actually a cactus.

Visiting a Spectacular Green House

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We just got back from a Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society meeting that ended with a tour of President Chris Allen’s personal greenhouse. He had an incredible collection of specimens, many of which were in full bloom. Many of the flowering cacti are not kept in the greenhouse, but are in an attached cold frame that stays just above freezing throughout the winter. Apparently these plants need the cold in order to get the message to flower. When it warms up, Chris also moves his plants to summer homes, but Chris’s moving day is much longer than the madman’s.

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The madman has noticed that cacti kept in his greenhouse are starting to bloom now, but those cacti kept inside the house are not. Next year all cactus will overwinter in the greenhouse if not outside. Right now he is entertaining ideas on how to keep roots dry in the cactus beds over the winter. Anyone have extra umbrellas? We’ll keep you posted.

But, it’s cold and rainy again so we are debating – cocoa or lemonade?