Last week on my favorite cacti-forum

Last week on my favorite cacti-forum - on Cactiguide - I've asked a question about cold-tolerant species that might survive the wet and cold winters we have here in Holland. Within a day some people replied to my question and named me some species that are worth it to try and also some some that already have survived here in Holland. There are a couple of species around that can stand extreme cold (up to -20) and are often covered with snow, but none of them can stand cold and wet together... So one person named me two species; Gymnocalicium bruchii and Maihueniopsis darwinii. I could find some Gymnocalicium bruchii seeds very quickly (on ADBLPS, where else?!), but Maihueniopsis darwini is one of those that are a little bit harder to find. Then someone from the forum offered to send me some Maihueniopsis darwinii cuttings...

Within a day the following package arrived and... Well.... It contained a little bit more than I was expecting!

Maihueniopsis darwinii

 This is one of the Maihueniopsis darwinii cuttings I was talking about. He has sent me another one, but that one I gave away to my friend and fellow cacti-collector Bob. As you can see, this little friend can cut you up with those huge and sharp spines! If you don't believe me, you should ask my friend Bob about it. ;-)

And... There was more... A lot more!

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, the Buckhorn Cholla

The following cacti are all in pots of the same size;

Echinopsis subdenudata

Notocactus sellowii

Eriosyce subgibbosa

Mammillaria nivosa

 I have never liked the Mammillaria family a lot, but this one has changed my mind about them! If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I suggest you to just google Mammillaria nivosa and if our taste is similar, you'll understand me.

Matucana aureiflora  (aureiflora means golden flowered)

Trichocereus pachanoi

Hey! That is just nice! Two San Pedro cacti! This, my friends, is another 'medicinal' species that is also used - just like Peyote - in shamanistic ceremonies. I already have one in my collection, which was a cutting that I've bought from the Azarius webshop, but these two are grown from the seed. It takes a little while for them to speed up their growth, but when they start, they do start and grow around 30 centimeters a year. (a little wiki-link for those who would like to read a little bit about this magical plant!)

Gymnocalycium berchtii

Gymnocalycium berchtii, my favorite of the package! A dark flattened species that seems to like dirt.

That's it for tonight. Only wine and Jazz is what's left for me to end this weekend. Ow! And of course my lovely wife that's making her homework in the living room right now! She's becoming better and better in Dutch grammar and sometimes when she asks me for a little help, I have to check fucking Google to be 100% sure that I give the right advise! Can you believe that?! Soon her vocabulary will become richer than mine! Ah well... It keeps me awake and in this way I can refresh my memory about my own language once in a while. ;-). Aahhh... Actually I'm very proud at her! Her Dutch is getting so pretty and... Aah! I'm lucky with her and I love her so fucking much! Back to wine now...