Confessions of a Pinoy Cactophile

It was a pleasant surprise!  Three from my collection of mother Black Pearls have yielded variegated pups.  Must be my lucky stars! "Black Pearl" is the common name for the black variety of the Gymnocalycium Mihanovichii species.  In the cacti world, variegation although not rare, is a natural aberration highly prized by collectors.  A variegated specimen of a species commands a high price in the market.  More so, I suppose if it's a natural mutation such as what happened to my mother plants, rather than propagation from an already variegated species. In any case, check out my Black Pearls and their oddball pups: This beautiful pup shows patches of yellow, orange and some bits of green.  Such a captivating sight with the pup's patch of colours in contrast with the mother's black skin. This pup from the second mother Black Pearl even has a flower bud of its own.  Guess what?  It has an identical twin pup.  See the next picture. This is the twin o

Today is a special day.  Last week I bought a gigantic ECHINOCACTUS GRUSONII, otherwise known as the Golden Barrel cactus.  It arrived this morning.  Up to this time, I cannot contain my excitement.  I took pictures from when it arrived at my doorsteps; up to when it was placed in its designated position in my windowsill garden.  I want to run these photos down with you, something like "unboxing" through pictures.  So, without further ado, here's my 999.9 pure and fine gold(en) bar ... rel cactus: I bought the small Golden Barrel from the seller I met in the Grow and Show Exhibit at the Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City.  The gigantic Golden Barrel is from the same seller.  It now sits comfortably in its pedestal.  By the way, the pot that the small Golden Barrel is planted on is from the artist and potter Jezzel Wee.  Lovely, isn't it? This is how the package looked like when it arrived at my doorstep.  I booked Lalamove to pick up the cactus from a bus

When I started collecting, I decided to focus on cacti.  They require less care and (I am sure of this) will thrive on my windowsill garden albeit nestled in a surprisingly humid urban jungle also known as my living room.  I was rather happy getting along quite nicely with my cacti for a few months now.  This deal so to speak however, was broken.  Because here came along the Haworthias. It was my first time to attend a cactus and succulents convention.  It was a 3-day event at the UN Square Mall and Prince Hotel along the United Nations Avenue in Ermita, Manila.  I did not attend the talks but went on to see the booths selling cacti, succulents, gardening accessories and artisan pots. On the very first day, the booth of a Taiwanese seller is jam-packed!  I went over to see what the brouhaha was all about.  There were Haworthias.  It was my first time to see those and jumped on purchasing three pieces for a thousand Pesos, adding them to the rest of my cacti loot.  The pruchase made

My name is Rhome and I'm an addict.  A cacti addict!  No need for intervention.  I can manage.  Really!  xoxo

Just created a Facebook page of the same title, " CONFESSIONS OF A PINOY CACTOPHILE" . Should I have used the word " cactoholic " instead, even though it's not a word?  Anyway, I uploaded this photo of one of my  Gymnocalycium Anisitsii s as the Facebook page's profile picture.  Gorgeous isn't it?  Actually, I had this cactus for free!  When I bought a mammillaria, this one was sticking out from the side of the plastic planter where the mammillaria was in.  I was quite fortunate, don't you think!  xoxo