Gymnocalycium gibbosum

This was just a tiny thing when I won it in the CSSM raffle in April this year - it was hardly green and had been offset in March so was just starting to grow. I chose it off the raffle table even though there were other bigger and more attractive plants to choose from because I just have this weakness for Gymnocalyciums (and I didn't have gibbosum).




I got it home and transplanted in May, and it started to grow.



Now it is putting on spines and looking like a real plant. It even has a small pup buried under it and I hope it doesn't perish before it is big enough to detach and set up on its own.


I'm glad it is doing well, because the seedlings that I had from a batch sowed in March have perished. I'd love another one, though, so I'll be trying to set more from seed again soon.

Mexican Fencepost race

I just agreed to a race with some others from The Garden Forums, where I hang out with other cactophiles/cactoholics and succophiles/(succoholics?) from around the world.

The race is to see whose Lemaireocereus Marginatus (Mexican Fencepost) will do the best. We are still deciding on the rules and goals, but I need to get mine out of its pot and planted in the ground where it can live up to its full potential.

These are the competitors:

Mine (in Jamaica, West Indies) - 8" tall


Borrego's (in Southern California, USA) - about 6" tall


Drakey's (in Victoria, Australia) - about 9" tall


Kate's (in Utah, USA) - 9 1/2" tall
Not sure if she's agreed to be in the race yet but I think she should.



May the best (wo)man win!

EDIT: 7:41 p.m.

Kate's in, and we will see whose is the tallest come September 2007.