Not completely before conifers . . . I see Pinus brutia already in there ;-)

Resin

Thanks Osprey,that's very nice . I recognise plenty of hedgehog cacti (Echinocereus),Mammilarias,Neobesseyas and Escobarias.And of course the wonderful Agaves .Of the two thousand or so 'species' actually known to science,some are very difficult to grow indeed.And that's if you can get hold of them .But the majority do best if you don't pay too much attention to them and leave them bone-dry in winter.You had those outdoors in New Mexico!Lucky you!I'm sorry to hear they got wiped out by disease .It does happen in the wild too.I heard of wholesale death of the much-endangered and very protected Sclerocacti in Utah and Nevada after an unusually wet winter.As long as there is seed in the ground...
I'm sure lots of conifer-freaks have also other pet-hobbies.I know many cactus collectors who also grow conifers,collect minerals or raise Koi-carps.Many are also into stamps. Hey...I don't recall seeing a conifer-on-stamps topic! .
The first time I was introduced to a Araucaria was in a garden in North London UK .I was very puzzled indeed ! The owner (and old boy,long since passed-away) led me through his Alladin's cave of a garden ;there were old sagging glasshouses,grottos,ponds,rockeries and so on and hundreds of plants of all descriptions .And he gladly gave away cuttings of anything that you might just show the slightest interest in.I think that's where I first heard the expression "If you want to keep a plant -give it away",meaning that if your plant happens to die,others might still have decendents of it growing somewhere.
Thanks again for the 'intrusion' osprey!!! T.

I use to be a cactus collector. Nothing on the scale of T or osprey. I think I must have had 50-75 specimens. When I got hooked on conifers I sold them all to a nursery. All my cactus were potted. I would take them out every spring to a desert like setting I created and plant them pot and all. Of course every fall I would do the reverse and take them back inside. Some of them got to be quite huge and a lot of effort was used just in the move. Really enjoyed doing this for a time but it got to be to much for me and I moved on.

Am I seeing a trend here? A bunch ex-cactus collectors now engaged in conifer collecting. Doesn't apply to you T...I still think it is your primary source of fun. Do you wholesale? I would think so just looking at your operation.

Dave

Funny,I find cacti easy to grow-even over here if you have a greenhouse. Unfortunately mine got trashed by high winds,twice! Have just a few left and lots of Aloes. I've always liked succulents since I was a kid. I love ferns too,now they can be tough to keep!

How do you get them to bloom?
I have 3 in a pot,I keep it in side for winter,and outside for summer.I have no clue how to make them bloom.

lp

Osprey...great pictures of another rock garden beautifully done! Did you leave the rock in place and plant conifers instead? Though, now I remember you are a species guy so no cutie cultivars there?
Planted a cactus garden too, back when I was a kid...they all froze one exceptionally cold winter.

What do we all in common: Curiosity? Amazement in diversity? An urge to collect? Well, that describes me!

Barbara

Lp,mine would flower each year with no special treatment. Just lots of warm sun,and a good watering every now and then. And I do mean a good watering. I would let the pots go bone dry and then soak them till they drip furiously from the bottom,then leave till they're dry again. But only in the summer of course

Add me to the list of people that started as cacti collectors. Here are some of them:
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Bill

Oh Dear...Osprey you've started something .If word gets to the Cactus forum...they might start showing pics of their conifers on it! Nice blend of people,though.I think all these plants have definite collectors appeal.You can surround yourself with a few dozen of them and you create a fantastic world.Everybody needs fantasy...to remain sane!
Dave 'a bunch of ex-cactus collectors..' .It does apply to me in the sense that I'm a late bloomer and got a bit suffocated in the cactus world.I needed some fresh air and believe me,creating our own small garden gave me just that.
Whilst looking-up on evergreens I stumbled into the conifer world.But I try not to go over the top .I'm learning how to grow them under our unpredictable climate and for about four years now have been adding about 15 to 20 plants a year.That and everything else keeps me busy enough!
LP They need a cool (best frost-free) dry and bright winter rest (nov-march).That usually triggers flowering in spring.
Very cool Bill .Great looking plants! T.

Upsss.. what've done.. conifer forum????
Good to know there are some others that started the same way I did.

Resin, right, Pinus brutia, but they had more of a functional purpose: windbreak. Those photos were taken on 2004, they grow very fast, I'll try to take a new photo.

Tunilla, no Neobesseyas and Escobarias, all of them are from seeds/cuttings collected no more than 350 km from here. Most of them are Echinocereus, Mammilaria, Echinocactus and Corypanta, all of them hardy to at least -20C. You are right about the giving away thing.. if I've done that before. I lost some that were collected in very remote locations, which I may not be able to find anymore. I still don't know what kill most of them, I believe it was an unusual wet winter we had 3 years ago. They started developing black spots, diying in no more than a month.

Dave, moving 50-75 pots every years is too much for me, that's why I only had hardy plants, but z7 is about as hardy as you can get with cactus.

greenlarry, I tried to grow some of the natives indoors, but they are mostly desert species. Perhaps if I've tried different species.... that was my experience.

lp, They need plenty of sun, and dry winters. I've read that some species need some cold during winter to trigger flowering.

Barbara, there are still some survivors growing there!! I was thinking in growing conifers there, but it gets too hot and water drains extremely fast from there. I may plant some conifer there later!! just need to know what.
I have a need for collecting!! When I was a kid riding my horse in our ranch I used to collect almost anything I could pull out of the ground. My father, who knew the scientific name of most native plants helped with the ID. That's how the addiction started.

Nice collection Bill!!

There are some more photos of them flowering:
Echinocereus arizonicus subsp matudae
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Echinocereus polyacanthus subsp polyacanthus
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Echinocereus chlorathus subs cylindricus
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osprey

"...but z7 is about as hardy as you can get with cactus..."

This is probably true if you want variety, but you can have an Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa) up into Minnesota, Wisconsin and even Canada where it is native. It simply shrivels up like a prune in winter.

tj

Some nice stuff there mckenna. Levelx Echinocereus pectinifera rubra there!

Levelx? I meant lovely of course!

Bill,
that Jade 'Skinny Fingers' really caught my eye!
Fantastic collection.

Josh