Pretty Prickles

All cacti are succulents but only a few succulents are cacti. Succulents are so called because they have thick, fleshy water-storing leaves, stems or both. Ok, definitions aside, I'm loving these succulents which now grace our back deck. You may remember my interest in succulents beginning three months ago with my handsome Black Prince which is thriving as you can see above, behind the new-comers.

The assortment in the large bowl-shaped container are succulent trimmings which my mother brought from her extensive collection when she visited for my birthday earlier this month. I had fun potting them up and love the variety of shapes, colours and textures.

The most colourful one at the moment is Miss V's cactus which she bought at the markets three weeks ago. My previous post featured its flower without the spines visible and Silvina correctly noted it was a cactus, just like one she has at her home far across the ocean.

Miss V's cactus was a promise of flowers late Tuesday afternoon (above) and they all opened Wednesday morning! Each evening they close up again only to reopen the following day, continuing to delight us for several days.

Back in August I plucked off and planted some of my Black Prince's lower leaves (after leaving to dry out for a few days). I'm excited to report that some baby princes are growing! I'm looking forward to repotting these when I buy some free draining succulent potting mix.

Low maintenance, hardy and pretty as well. They seem just right for our outside table and gladden my heart each time I see at them. I'm guessing my collection will continue to grow.....