Hen and Chicks

Plant Highlights

May

  • Euphorbia caerulescens

    sweet noor, blounoorsdoring, or blue euphorbia

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    E. caerulescens is native to South Africa where it grows in an area known as the Noorsveld.

    Growth Habit:

    It has a rhizomatous habit and forms a 5’ tall dense mass of blue-green segmented stems. The stems have 4-6 faces with rows of paired thorns that emerge brown and mature to grey. Bright yellow flowers standout against the blue stems and are followed by red fruits.

    Growing Requirements:

    E. caerulescens prefers full sun, well-drained soils, and is very drought tolerant. It is hardy down to 30°F.

    Features:

    The specific epithet, caerulescens, comes from the Latin, caeruleus, meaning sky-blue. Noors is the Afrikaans name for upright, spiny euphorbia plants. In habitat, local farmers use this species as livestock fodder. After being cut and allowed to wilt for a few days, the irritating latex sap found in the stems is rendered harmless.

    Where at Lotusland:

    Euphorbia side of the Main Drive

  • Anigozanthos flavidus

    kangaroo paw

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Australia

    Growth Habit:

    A perennial that forms clumps of thick grasslike leaves 2-3 feet wide with flower stalks up to 5 ft tall.

    Growing Requirements:

    Full sun, well-drained soil and moderate water in summer.

    Features:

    Anigozanthos is grown for its unusual flowers, as the common name “kangaroo paw” refers to the way the fuzzy, tubular flowers are curved at the tips like “paws”. Plants will flower from May to fall, and will rebloom best if old flower stalks are removed.

    Where at Lotusland:

    The chartreuse-flowered species as well as bright yellow and reddish-pink varieties can all be found in the Australian Garden, the area around the Visitors’ Center.

  • Tillandsia bergeri

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Native to Buenos Aires Province, Argentina where it grows in rock crevices in full sun.

    Growth Habit:

    This prolific Tillandsia blooms in May with violet and white flowers. Its year-round branching habit and ruffled petals are unusual for a Tillandsia species. It is one of the easiest tillandsias to cultivate and will form a large clump in a relatively short period of time.

    Growing Requirements:

    This air plant is adaptable to different light levels, but will grow best in bright, filtered light. It needs regular watering. If it becomes dehydrated, the plant can be refreshed by soaking it in water for a few hours. T. bergeri can be grown indoors, though they will need misting if the humidity is too low. When grown outdoors they will tolerate light frost, but not freezing.

    Features:

    It is named in honor of Alwin Berger, a German research scientist who specialized in Cactaceae.

    Where at Lotusland:

    Many clumps of T. bergeri are growing throughout the Bromeliad Gardens and there are also some growing on rocks in the Fern Garden.

  • Rhopalostylis sapida

    shaving brush palm, nīkau

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    New Zealand. It is the southernmost naturally occurring palm.

    Growth Habit:

    A single-trunked palm with pinnate fronds. It is slow-growing and may take over a decade to form a trunk. It eventually reaches around 30 ft tall. Young specimens make good container palms.

    Growing Requirements:

    Grows best in filtered light and moist soils. This palm can take winter temperatures down to about 25 degrees and does not need hot summers to grow well. Plant in a sheltered area, as wind will damage the fronds.

    Features:

    R. sapida has very stiff upright leaves and a swollen crownshaft which together give the palm its distinctive “shaving brush” or “feather duster” appearance. The young trunk is light green with rings. Older specimens have spikes of small pale flowers followed by red berries.

    Where at Lotusland:

    There is a grove of R. sapida bordering the Main Lawn near the Lower Bromeliad Garden. There is one other species of Rhopalostylis at Lotusland: R. baueri, native to Norfolk Island. These are found in the Fern Garden and bordering the Main Drive by the entrance to the Cycad Garden.

  • Echinopsis hybrid

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Garden Origin

    Growth Habit:

    Clumps of short (less than 3 feet) stems grow quickly from rooted cuttings. This is a possible hybrid of what used to be known as Trichocereus and Soehrensia. Both names are now subsumed under the genus Echinopsis. Sigs Dunlap obtained the original plant from Grigsby’s.

    Growing Requirements:

    Full sun and well-drained soil are needed. Plants are frost tender, but can be grown in pots and wintered indoors if kept dry.

    Where at Lotusland:

    In several spots in the Cactus Garden.

  • Opuntia robusta

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Northern and Central Mexico

    Growth Habit:

    This prickly pear cactus has large, round “pads” that are actually the flattened stems. Covered with a whitish wax, the overall appearance is gray green. Yellow flowers (and the resultant reddish purple fruits) are formed on the edges of the topmost pads. Plants can grow to many feet in height and width and eventually form thickets.

    Growing Requirements:

    Full sun and well-drained soil are needed. Plants are frost tender, but can be grown in pots and wintered indoors if kept dry.

    Features:

    Both pads and fruits are edible, although care must be taken to remove the one to two inch long spines.

    Where at Lotusland:

    In the Cactus Garden and the Main Drive.

  • Acer palmatum cultivars

    Japanese maple

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Japan

    Growth Habit:

    Japanese maples can grow to become rounded trees with a height of thirty feet. Trees in the Japanese Garden have been carefully pruned in the niwaki style and may be only ten to twelve feet (or less) in height. All are deciduous and some have reddish new foliage (pictured), while others have brilliant fall colors.

    Growing Requirements:

    Tolerant of shade, Japanese maples will also grow in full sun. Regular water and fertilizer are required. Excessive heat and alkaline soils will cause the leaves to burn at the edges.

    Features:

    There are over a thousand different cultivars of Japanese maple. Chosen for their foliage colors, bark characteristics and even fruit attributes, they are a quintessential element of any Japanese style garden.

    Where at Lotusland:

    Japanese Garden

  • Ceratozamia latifolia

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Mexico

    Growth Habit:

    After many years of growth, this cycad may have a short caudex above ground. Typically the caudex remains below the surface of the soil and the rosette of leaves seems to rise directly from the ground. The leaves appear in “flushes” of several leaves at a time, usually once a year. They are tough and leathery.

    Growing Requirements:

    Partial shade and moist, humus-rich soil.

    Features:

    The new leaves emerge a bronze shade and gradually turn glossy green.

    Where at Lotusland:

    Cycad Garden

  • Echinocereus pentalophus

    ladyfinger cactus

    Highlight Month:

    Nativity:

    Texas to Northern Mexico

    Growth Habit:

    This cactus has multiple stems less than a foot in height. The stems are sparsely spiny and have 5 to 7 ribs.

    Growing Requirements:

    Ladyfinger cactus requires full sun and well-drained soil. It is only moderately frost tolerant and can be damaged at temperatures below 20 degrees.

    Features:

    The ladyfinger cactus eventually forms a large clump of stems. When it blooms in late spring, the flowers are large and very showy.

    Where at Lotusland:

    Main Drive

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