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Happy New Year!
I have a cactus that is about 20 years old that has outgrown the space I
have available for it in the house. It's free to anyone who is willing
to come to my house in Minneapolis near Lake St. and the river to pick
it up.
I'm not sure of the exact variety, but it is a columnar cactus about
five inches in diameter at the base and about two feet high. I got it in
Connecticut 20 or so years ago when it was about six inches tall and
dragged it back here years ago.
The plant is in good shape, though on one side some of the plant surface
is brown from southern exposure in a window that gets very cold in the
winter. It is also slanting a bit in its pot from settling after I
transplanted it about three years ago.
(You can see why I will never be a saleswoman.)
Anyway, the plant is in good shape and would be very happy if someone
has floor space in a sunny room or a very tall window. I hate to throw
it out but it is outgrowing the space.
The shape of the column is sort of undulating, which apparently is
normal. Sort of like this:
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: :
/ \
: :
/ \
: :
\ /
: :
: ;
: :
\ /
: :
/ \
\ /
; :
; :
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I guess I will never be a computer artist either. You get the idea.
Anyone who might be interested can e-mail me.
Odd notes: I was at the Half-Price books on Ford Pkwy in St. Paul
yesterday and saw they had copies of two of my favorite plant books for
sale, "Perennials for American Gardens" by Clausen and Ekstrom
(wonderful, wonderful and I believe out of print now) and "The House
Plant Expert." Didn't check the prices but they are usually about $7.
I was doing some new year puttering with the houseplants, wiping leaves
and such and just had to comment on the syngonium I have. (I've always
called it arrowhead and just knew it as the iron-tough houseplant that
grows almost anywhere -- had to look the proper name up.)
About six-seven months ago I bought an unusual arrowhead at Target for
about $6 when they were clearing the houseplants out. I had never seen
anything like it -- it had the arrowhead shape but the leaves are
broader and have a pinkish cast near the center. I bought it for a dark
spot where nothing grows thinking it would look pretty there for awhile.
I am amazed -- it is thriving in quite a dark corner between two
windows, sending up new growth and keeping the pink color. This plant
does not vine like my old arrowheads but keeps sprouting from the base.
When I did a web search it looks like lots of companies are doing some
fancy breeding/tissue culture propagation of these plants, with new
varieties that have white, pink and silver in the leaves and even pink
spotting. I am quite taken with mine and just wanted people to keep an
eye open for this super plant. It has done superbly even though the
temperature in my house never reaches the recommended 70 degree minimum
in winter!
MJ
Henn Cty MG
