See it!
If you like the look of cactus
gardens, you’ll love Cactus
Country, a huge 2.6ha collection
of more than 4000 species of
cacti and succulents.
Where: 4986 Murray Valley Hwy,
Strathmerton, Victoria 3641.
When: From 9am-5pm every day,
except Good Friday, Christmas
Day, Boxing Day and during June,
Cost: Adults $9, children $3,
seniors $7.50.
More information: Call
(03) 5874 5271 or visit
www.cactuscountry.com.au
3. Mix and match succulents
and cacti for a
texture
contrast. Here, a
carpet of
pigface
(Carpobrotus
glaucescens)
produces an
abundance of
pink and
purple, which
is interspersed
with the flowers
of spotted
aloe. The area
is framed by
clumps of
Aloe arborescens.
4. Bigger isn’t always better.
If you'd like a smaller
cactus,
try
Mammillaria spinosissima.
It grows in clumps
and
reaches up to
30cm in height.
■ When working
with cacti,
particularly those with fine or
barbed spines, use thick gloves, a paper
collar or barbecue tongs to prevent your
hands from getting spiked. You can make
a paper collar by folding a length of
newspaper into a
5
cm-wide strip. Wrap
paper strip around stem of plant and lift.
■ If you do get spiked,
you can use
tweezers to extract any spines that have
become embedded in your skin.
■ For more info
about growing cacti or
succulents, contact the Cactus and Succulent
Society of Australia, www.cssaustralia.org.au
5. The cheery yellow
blooms
of
Trichocereus
sp.
soften the plant's
harsh-
looking spines.
6. For visual intrigue, grow
Cleistocactus jujuyensis.
It
has unusual tube-shaped
flowers and long, spiny
stems that twist around each
other like little snakes.
7. When the fabulous,
glowing orange-red flower
buds on
Ferocactus stainesii
open, they look like a
great ball of fire.
