The Cactus Garden

About fifteen years ago I planted a cactus garden. It has always caused quite a stir when people see it, especially when it is in bloom. The blooms are either pink or yellow. There are many different shapes but most of them look like Mickey Mouse. They bloom around the 4th of July and last about a week.

I had reservations about the cactus because of the thorns. If you have ever had a thorn in any part of your body you know how painful it is and usually if you get near the cactus you get way more than one thorn. You never want to try to take the thorns out with your teeth , which is your first reaction, because they can get in your tongue. That has never happened to me but I have heard from different people how painful it is! The best way to plant the Cactus is to use tongs from your kitchen. Also, if you break up terra cotta pieces and place them in between the plants, weeds won't come up and that helps tremendously.

But that isn't what makes the cactus garden so special. Shortly after the cactus garden was really taking off my father decided to add little items to the garden. If he found something little, whether it be a toy car or a small ball, he would hide it in the garden and eventually I would find it. We now have neighbors hiding things in the garden. As the garden grew, some of the finds have gotten covered but we can still find them if we look hard enough and in the Spring you can see everything. If I break something I really love I will put a piece of it in my garden or if it is small enough I will place the whole thing in it.

There are small plastic animals, metal toys, pieces of beautiful crocks. Just a small garden full of little gems. The plants themselves are not large. Approximately eight to ten inches in height. I have no idea how large they will get. They haven't grown much in the last fifteen years but I have seen first hand how large cacti can get. I never water the plants. They get what they need from the rain. Surprisingly the dogs have never gone by the cacti. I wonder if they just know instinctively that they should avoid them. I have seen garden snakes slither through the cactus and wondered about that. Is there skin that tough?

This year I am changing the look of the Rose garden that contains the Cactus. Giving it a different look on two sides and doing something to the lawn surrounding the gardens. Whether planting a different kind of grass or herbs or even decorative stone.

I wish the Cactus bloomed longer but then I think I should just be happy to have them in the backyard, especially where we live.

From our backyard to yours, try growing cacti, they are so easy to care for.

Read more from Julie’s Backyard