A trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens made me rethink cacti

I visited the Denver Botanic Gardens last month and spent time in their greenhouse. I always thought cacti were just spiky, boring plants you forget to water. But seeing over 200 types, some with tiny pink flowers and others that looked like fuzzy brains, really got me. The guide said one species only blooms for a single night each year. Now I'm looking at my own little potted cactus totally differently. Has anyone else had a plant they totally misjudged at first?

4 comments

4 Comments

paul_taylor212mo ago

Honestly... I get the wonder but I've never really come around on them. They still just look like prickly green rocks to me, even with the flowers. All that waiting for one night of blooms... I'd rather have something that feels alive and changes more often. My sister gave me a cactus and it just sits there, same as the day I got it. The whole point of a garden, to me, is growth and color you can actually see.

kelly3852mo ago

You might be watering it too much, paul_taylor21. In my experience, they do more when you forget about them a bit. Try a sunnier spot and see if it plumps up.

the_jana2mo ago

One night a year? That’s wild.

robins8324d ago

Funny you mention that, because I was totally the same way with succulents. My sister kept giving me these little rosette things and I just saw fat green lettuce. Then I put one on a south facing windowsill and forgot it for two months. When I finally noticed it again, it had pushed out these long pink stems with tiny bell shaped flowers. The leaves had turned a deep purple at the tips. Now I check on them every few days, they surprise me all the time with how they shift colors or get those little offshoot babies. Sometimes you just need to find the right spot for them to do their thing.