The cholla cactus bloomed a few weeks late this year...
...but now there are blotches of pink everywhere you look. Sort of like a pasture with acne.
See the new growth rising from the dead branches?
This is why I'm adamant about kicking down dead cholla whenever possible.
The stuff has an uncanny knack for resurrection.
My current color palette in the house is based on the colors I see outside –
sage green, stormcloud blue, dirt brown – but I'm not the least bit tempted to add cholla fuschia.
When I think pink, I think of all the times this stuff has poked me or one of the animals,
and who needs that?
The only thing cholla is good for is a pop of color in the pasture for a few weeks every summer
(and an annual blog post to whine about it).
That whining is well deserved. It is like a bossy neighbor pushing their way over the property line.
ReplyDeleteWe have a living one at the edge of our driveway that we want to get rid of. We're trying to figure out how without getting it stuck in us. I'm always amazed how it doesn't seem to bother the birds, lizards, or other small critters. Your pictures make it look pretty.
ReplyDeleteTry wrapping sheets of newspaper around the cactus. If you use 3-4 pages at a time it works pretty well as an insulator. That's what I use to transplant my houseplant cactus. Good luck!
DeleteLaurie - cactus fancier
That's how I feel about thistles. Why such a pretty color in such a vile setting? Aunt Jean
ReplyDeleteToo bad the plant is so lethal as the color is fab.
ReplyDeleteI have to say "Hello, my name is Laurie and I'm addicted (kinda) to growing cactus." I don't know why but I've a fascination with all things cactus even tho I live in Georgia, which isn't a cactus haven. I've been trying to find a cholla on sale around here but haven't been successful so I'm off to find a cactus seed site on the internet. You've got some cactus envy coming to you from the sunny south, heh. I love your pics, they're quite beautiful! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLaurieB
I'd be happy to mail you a seedling if you want to send me your address (the7msn at gmail dot com). My guess is it would survive a few days in the mail without any trouble at all.
DeleteI like the bare skeletons (or whatever it's called) of dead, really dead chollas, at least those that are bent into weird shapes that make them look like beautiful, delicate sculptures. They are even harmless at that point.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say the same thing! I totally agree, I think it would make a nice wall deco in Linda's house. I also have a felling that this cactus maybe good for the soil. Carine
DeletePeople out here do make art out of the skeletons, mainly crosses.
DeleteId be renting a mini bulldozer and nailing those suckers. or do they make a blade attachment for your green farm vehicle? Make a huge pile and burn baby burn.
ReplyDeleteOh no, I was hoping the cactus was taking a sabbatical this year!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on getting that stuff. Can you mow them over with your vehicle? Or would it get the tires?
Mowing them down isn't an option because every little piece that breaks off has the potential for taking root and growing. Some ranchers burn them but I can just imagine me starting a range fire if I tried.
DeleteOmigosh! Those things sure are hardy! I don't know what you are doing that works, but at least you've gotten the numbers down somewhat. Keep up the hard work!
DeleteYou'd make a killing selling the dead cholla online, we use it in our hermit crab tank and others use it for their lizards tanks. I think the fuschia flowers are lovely, but I can understand why you don't like them!
ReplyDeleteLinda, you mentioned in your June 20 post that the cholla fruits are considered a super-food. I checked your picture and I saw that the fruit does not seem to have these dreadful needles. Would you cook some and try them and tell us about the taste? reading about its qualities, could be a fruit of jouvence!
ReplyDeleteThe cholla is really pretty. I'm gonna go look it up. I'd never heard of it.
ReplyDeleteCholla is the most evil of all cactus that has ever existed. I'm pretty sure even wrapping them in newspaper won't be enough; the barbs are long and extremely sharp (oh and they have microscopic hooks on the tips that typically have a flesh dissolving compound or bacteria on them, so you usually get a painful infection after getting pricked). The barbs typically go all the way through thick soled shoes. I have no idea why anyone would want these things. Like 7msn, I fight an annual battle to kill them off. Just awful. They do make good fence line borders, though. Even a coyote won't go near them.
ReplyDelete