32 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
THE DROUGHT RESISTING CACTUS 
To that Spare Dry Spot in the Garden, Where Nothing Else Succeeds, 
the Plants of the Desert Will Add a Wealth of Unique Interest 
ROBERT STELL 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade 
The flowers of Echinoce- 
reus Engelmannii are some¬ 
times 2 y 2 " long. Their 
color is a purplish red 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade 
The Cereus genus com¬ 
prises about 100 species 
which show many varia¬ 
tions. This one is fulviceps 
Photograph by Julian A. Dimock 
This is one of the so-called “ night-blooming ” Cereus group. Only 
a small section is shown here; the entire blossoming area is about 
100 square feet 
A T least to the average gardener, the 
cactus is essentially a product of its 
natural environment. Less academically, it 
is a plant of the desert, by the desert, for 
the desert. Where other growing things 
would wither and die in the moistureless 
glare, the cactus waxes fat and high. When 
rain does fall it is sucked up and stored in 
the plant’s body. Minimum surface com¬ 
bined with maximum thickness reduces the 
loss of moisture by transpiration through 
the cactus’ pores. Foliage leaves it lacks. 
Heavy outer walls surround the natural 
reservoirs within, defenses against dry 
times. In a word, the cactus is one of 
Nature's own shining examples of the 
value of preparedness. It is forearmed. 
Then why, since 
a garden is no 
desert, consider 
these desert prod¬ 
ucts for the gar¬ 
den, do you ask? 
Well, for two par¬ 
ticular reasons: 
In the first place 
the cactus family is 
a novelty, in the 
sense of being 
composed of mem¬ 
bers that are dif¬ 
ferent from all 
other cultivated 
flowers. They are 
grotesque in form 
and often beautiful 
in flower, certain 
to attract the eyes 
and comments of 
all who see them, 
and to add a unique 
touch to plantings 
which are not too formal. Again—and this 
is a genuine recommendation—many cacti 
will grow where nothing else worth while 
will, in the full sun of midsummer and 
through the long droughts which often then 
prevail. Many an otherwise bare and neg¬ 
lected corner can thus be made to bloom 
and hold the interest with its freakish crop. 
Summer Culture Outdoors 
It is perhaps needless to say that with 
the exception of a few species such as the 
hardy Opuntias, cacti cannot stand expos¬ 
ure to our Northern winters. Some flower 
lovers who grow them as house plants make 
it a practice to set them outdoors during the 
summer months, transferring them from 
the pots into the open soil of the garden. 
In many cases this plan is successful, but 
as it involves danger of bruising when re¬ 
potting the plants in the fall, a safer scheme 
is to plunge pots and all, without disturbing 
the roots, in the chosen garden spot. In 
this way the same effects will be obtained, 
inasmuch as the pots will be entirely buried 
in the earth. With the return of cooler 
weather it is a simple matter to install the 
plants in the house for the winter. 
Successful cactus culture is largely a mat¬ 
ter of proper soil and perfect drainage. A 
half-and-half mixture of good fibrous loam 
and fine siftings from the old lime rubbish 
of a brick building, with a little clean sand 
added, will fill the bill as far as soil is con- 
cerne d. As for 
drainage in the 
summer, select a 
warm, well drained 
spot outdoors 
which is sunny and 
has a good circula¬ 
tion of air. It is 
best at all times to 
avoid breaking or 
bruising the plants 
in any way. Es¬ 
pecially does this 
apply to the late 
fall and winter, 
when growth is 
most nearly dor¬ 
mant. During the 
spring and early 
summer such in- 
juries heal and 
form calluses more 
quickly, and the 
danger of resultant 
disease is lessened. 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade 
Opuntias include many widely differ¬ 
ing forms, one of which is here rep¬ 
resented in the flowers of purpurescens 
Photograph by Graves 
Some of the Phyllocacti have espe¬ 
cially large blossoms. The genus is 
characterized by flattened branches 
