Agaves and Cacti in Snow

[MJPapay]

Winter isn't over yet, but here are some survivors still shining through. Tonight will be the second episode of 8 degrees Fahrenheit, being the second episode also of 30 hours below freezing.

[MJPapay]

Agave parryi huachucensis

[MJPapay]

Agave schidigera 'Durango Delight'

[MJPapay]

And two Trichocereus (Soehrensia) formosa...

[MJPapay]

A larger specimen standing tall...

[Eutow_Intermedium]

Stunning. Esp on the Agave's and Trichocereus

=^_^=

Snow really does transform all. Make sure you take full advantage of snow. Taking photo's like this is one such way.

[bluetexasbonnie]

I am always drawn to COOL cactus & agave pictures. Even though I know with my brain that there are many that survive and thrive in the cold, they are eternally hot weather plants in my heart. The textures of the snowy agaves is endlessly fascinating. Hope all yours survive and thrive. Thirty hours and counting of freeze is hard -- and doubly so if that freeze includes single digits. brrrr.

[Harriet]

The weather up your way has been pretty miserable. I hope your plants can handle it! In the meantime, snow on agaves is always worth seeing!

[MJPapay]

Like you, I find the that snow compliments the architecture of these plants - though I doubt they'd welcome the addition except as a blanket to deeper cold. Last night we hit 7F (-13C). I hope the Trichocereus formosa pull through. The agaves, I think, should be perfectly fine.

[xturmin8or]

That is very cool( pun intended)!! I hope they all come through this cold snap for you.

[Tiggy]

Lovely photos! Snow on plants is always beautiful I think, as long as it doesn't start to melt and then freeze they seem to be quite resistant. I'm always amazed that cacti can take this sort of weather.

Susi

[MJPapay]

Thanks! It is good to hear that you enjoyed the photos.

A list of barrel cacti that have survived many cold and snowy winters and hot rainy summers in my North Carolina garden. Lowest temp so far: 7F (-13C).

Denmoza rhodacantha
Echinocactus texensis
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Gymnocalycium baldianum
G. bruchii
G. chubutense
G. gibbosum
G. radovanii
G. uruguayensis
Lobivia aurea leucomalla
Notocactus apricus
N. agneta
N. allosiphon
N. concinus
N. courantii
N. corynoides
N. floricomis
N. leprosorum
N. mammulosus multiflorus
N. mammulosus paucicostatus
N. mammulosus rubrispinus
N. mammulosus submammulosus
N. mueller-melchersii
N. mueller-meolleri
N. roseiflora
N. schlosseri
N. tabularis
N. vanvlietii
N. werneri (aka uebelmannianus)
Pterocactus tuberosus (non-barrel bizarre cactus)
Trichocereus bruchii
Trichocereus formosus

[Mark]

Very cool! I like your list, I will need to try some of those out here!


Mark

[John C]

Beautiful photos! Too bad it is the cold stuff. Hopefully everything pulls through without issue.

Thank you for the list. I am interested in trying as many of those as possible. I am always looking for new cold hardy plants. Especially now that I am writing an article on a cold hardy species once a month for my local cactus society. Those gymno seeds you sent me some time back are still growing well. During this summer I thought I would lose them as I lost my entire tray of seedlings from that year of sowing. THANKFULLY they survived and are now looking like little gymnos. They are out of the baggie and sitting on a shelf in my greenhouse. Can't wait for them to get a little bigger so I can plant some outside and see their flowers. Thanks again!

[MJPapay]

John - That's great news about the Gymno's pulling through the summer. Here's some more great news - the parent plants pulled through 7F and more than 30 hours of freezing weather! As it is, my sister seedlings (of the seeds I sent you) are overwintering in my greenhouse. Hopefully by summer 2015 they will be large enough to flower. I look forward to see what colors they make. My success with the seeds you sent me was regrettably poor. However, I am happy to report several seedlings of E. missouriensis that look very good.