Christmas Cacti

This weeks job:

•   This is a good time to get your mower in order. There is nothing like a good service.
• Give all your hand tools a good clean and oiling any wooden handles. I use olive oil for this.
• Dig any empty beds
• Check roses for black spot and burn the leaves.
• Sow hardy pea varieties in pots or trays

Christmas cacti make great gifts:

• It is possible to buy them quite cheaply and then pot several different varieties of plants into interesting  containers
• Christmas cacti are best grown  in groups.
• you will need a layer of gravel
• and a layer of charcoal
• arrange the plants adding compost as you go
• top up with stone chippings
• given some sunshine you should get lovely  flowers

The cacti mostly live in deserts where  they do not get much water, indeed in the winter months they do not need any water; just essential for their growth to water during the summer months. 

                Go and take a look at Cacti in your local Glasshouse. Kew is well worth a look!