Enda flere kaktus og sukkulenter...

Når en ikke bor fast i Spania blir kaktus og sukkulenter fort kjærkomne planter i hagen. Der finnes en mengde ulike former og farger å velge blant. Sukkulenten ovenfor kommer årlig med mengder vakre blomster som bretter seg ut i all sin prakt så fort solen skinner. Om kvelden lukker de seg for å spare fuktighet og varme.
Dette bildet er tatt i April i år, så den har ennå ikke kommet i blomst. Men jeg synes likevel den er vakker i sin vinterskrud der dens farger varierer mellom rødt, gult og grønt. Etter hvert vil de røde "bladene" tørke inn og falle av, mens planten får nye grønne skudd.

Growing a garden in a country you only visit a few weeks a year, may prove to be quite a challenge. I have therefore discovered the beauty of cacti and succulents. They can withstand sun and extremely dry conditions for months left on their own. They have a wide range of forms and colours to choose from and will annually flower in all their glory as soon as the sun shines. At night the flowers fold themselves together to save moist and heat.
These pictures are shot in April this year, so the plants have still not started to bloom. Still I find them beautiful dressed in their winter colours. Soon new "leaves"will shoot leaving the red to fall of and creating a fresh green colour.

Vi har begynt å plante kaktus og sukkulenter i fat som står på utebord hele året. Der står de helt uten vann, men like frodige virker de hver gang vi kommer tilbake! Hva i all verden lever de av??
We have started planting cacti and succulents in bowls that we place on our external tables when away. They are left there completely without watering, but are just as lush next time we return. One could wonder: What on earth is giving them nutrition? The answer is evening dew. Since we live near to the shore, the plants are covered in moist every night. The plants are designed to transport every drop down to the roots so that they can survive - and even thrive with hardly any water at all!

Disse plantene er fortsatt i sin vinterskrud. Kaktusen til venstre er nesten rosa, mens "pengetreet" varierer mellom gult, grønt og rødt. Også disse står i et flatt fat året rundt.
These plants are still dressed in their winter colours. The cactus on the left is almost pink, while the "money tree" varies between yellow, green and red. Even these are planted in bowls and pots all year round.

Denne potten har vi plantet grupper med små kaktus. De kommer etter hvert til å vokse seg store og ser som oftest ut til å stortrives i fellesskap med sine artsfrender! Beklager ugresset i enkelte av pottene. Det er en av bakdelene med kaktuser i potter: De er ikke så lette å holde helt ugressfrie ;-)

Enda en beplanting av ulike kaktuser i en potte. Den brune stilken er ikke død. Den mister bladene om vinteren, men får dem fort tilbake når temperaturen stiger.

In this pot we have planted small groups of cacti. They will eventually grow themselves big and appear to thrive in company with their relatives! Sorry about the weeds in some of the pots. That is one of the disadvantages by growing cacti: It is not as easy to keep them free from unwanted weeds due to the sharp spikes. ;-)

Yet another combination with diffierent types of cacti. The brown stem is not dead. It looses its leaves during winter, but they grow back when the temperatures are rising.