Zoe-Lee Skelton

Cacti succeed where many other plants fail. These odd little natives of desert, plain and jungle are widely popular with people everywhere who are in search of an enjoyable hobby or the perfect indoor companion. Demanding but the absolute minimum of care, they lavishly reward the indoor gardener with a constant interest at all times. They do not require watering frequently and for the most part not at all temperamental.

Their bizarre and grotesque shapes, coupled with their air of distant places and strange, weird lands, afford unending attraction and lend themselves well to the decoration of all windows, sunrooms, various sunlit spaces or more commodious quarters. They are wonderful plants to bring nature into your home.

If the plants can be coaxed into bloom and this is possible, their exquisite blossoms are often more or equally as showy as the orchid, and in size out of all proportion to the modest plants which bear them. All cacti are strikingly individual and possess a personality all their own not found in any other plant group.

The usual mistakes beginners make after acquiring a cactus plant or two, is they often kill the plants by too much pampering. The plants are watered all too frequently because the fern, geranium, begonia and rubber plant demand it. Again the soil given is of a rich, loamy substance to which an addition of fertilizer in one form or another cannot be resisted. Also, the idea prevails that all cactus plants must be potted in extra large containers to give room for development and it cannot be understood how a cactus plant could thrive in the proverbial thimbleful of soil.

Remember These Are Desert Plants

Amateurs, in order to be successful in the practice of their cactus hobby, are reminded that their plants are true children of the desert waste places and therefore are not accustomed to a rich diet. In their natural environment, these plants usually grow in loose sandy or gravelly soil, and also in the crevices and fissures of rocks, where you’ll find very little humus concentrated. It is necessary to keep the plants on the dry side since in their habitats only a limited amount of moisture is available. When given too much water, their plump forms and juicy stems are susceptible to rot diseases.

Cacti and succulents like the bird’s nest snake plant prefer a tightly fitting container, and so it is recommended to use a pot that would seem rather small for, the more ordinary type of house plant. Frequent repotting is not necessary. After selecting the right container, fill the bottom with drainage material in the form of broken pottery or coarse gravel. Purchase a specialty cactus or succulent mix or make your own. A good porous soil for potting consists of a mixture of:

• 1 part coarse sand
• 4 parts bagged potting soil
• 5 parts perlite

In acquiring a new specimen, it is wise to thoroughly examine the plant before potting. Broken or bruised roots, or any portions of the plant showing signs of rot, must be cut off with a clean, sharp knife and allowed to heal over before placing in soil. Rapid healing is possible by exposing the wound to the hot sun for several days.

In potting, a slightly moist soil should be pressed around the roots, anchoring the plant in the soil firmly. Water must not be applied for at least two weeks and then only sparingly until the plant begins to show signs of new growth. After this, watering is permissible about once or twice weekly. During the winter, plants should be kept dormant in a cool place and watering reduced significantly.

Displaying Your Cactus

Attractively display cactus and succulents near a bright window, and don’t forget they make wonderful desk companions. Many homeowners “show off” their cactus and succulents by placing them in unique styles of colorful decorative containers that complement their design. No rules, whatever appeals to the individual.

Alcove windows and sunlit porches, of course, are the ideal locations to grow these desert plants, but if no such location is available, it is often surprising what a fine lot of cacti can flourish in a normal window. All cacti subject themselves as decorative plant material for a modernistic interior as long as sunlight is accessible to the plants for several hours each day.

Small cacti in little pots will flourish and present a pleasing appearance when set into a small tray of sand that forms a miniature desert scene. Likewise, they can be arranged in decorative or Mexican pottery; they can be planted together with other succulents in a dish garden, or individually potted for display in the window. The plants also lend themselves admirably to glass gardening.

These “desertariums,” as they were called 60 years ago, require very little care once established and should last for a good number of years. Use any suitable clear-glass container, although the most popular are the drum-shaped aquaria of one or two-gallon capacity and the regular rectangular fish aquariums. To insure adequate drainage place a layer of gravel in the bottom, on top of which two to three inches of porous soil is added. To keep the soil “sweet,” it is necessary to mix a handful of charcoal into the soil. Avoid overcrowding when planting and use slow growing varieties of medium size. Colored rocks and miniature figurines will add interest to these glass-enclosed deserts.

Attractive dish gardens offer fun to those who wish to create pictorial arrangements with miniature figures, rocks, and plants. When arranging a desert garden, the tray or dish chosen should be of a size and shape to be easily moved, so that a sunny window may hold the platter during the day while at night it can grace the living-room table, mantel or wall niche. Dish gardens need little moisture, but occasional thorough waterings are recommended rather than frequent sprinklings.

Cactus bowls and various pottery novelties are a source of enjoyment to everyone, and these look particularly striking when set on glass shelves built across the window. Care should be exercised to employ only seedlings or plants with shallow root systems in these receptacles.

There are hundreds of varieties of cactus plants offered online, by collectors, specialty nurserymen, and growers throughout the United States. The varieties range in size from the diminutive to large and luxuriant plants. There’s bound to be one perfect for your home.

This weekend, with our new National Trust membership in tow, we visited Wimpole Estate, a country house set on the outskirts of Cambridgeshire. The estate contains a hall, a working farm and a Folly, as well as beautiful walled and landscaped gardens. We could have spent hours there but as you can imagine it was busy and very HOT. We managed to get around most of the estate and I took a fair few shots of the inside of the hall as well as the grounds which I have shared below.

The house itself is the largest in Cambridgeshire and boasts impressive pseudo-Roman and baroque style architecture. From a beautiful bath house in the basement to the opulent yellow drawing room, the two varying styles married surprisingly well. Overall, the decor sits within the eighteenth century but it was clear to see that the various owners throughout the centuries had wanted to place their on mark on the interior, which is why there are such differing styles and furnishings from room to room. There is also a chapel in situ which is not something I have seen before on my travels, however the biblical murals on the walls are impressive.

The house is bulging with paintings. In every room there is at least one large feature painting of either owners past or of somone who was once connected with the house over the centuries. Plus, there are over 50,000 books in the library which is a darkened room to help preserve the covers and texts.

A mile away is The Folly, which is a fake ruined castle. If you take a walk over to the folly, you’ll venture past two vast lakes teaming with fish and determined grazing cows that you’ll need to side step! Once you reach the folly you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the estate looking directly back on the hall, landscaped garden and the rest of Cambridgeshire. It’s definitely worth the walk just to take in the scenery and to admire the graffiti etched into the walls.

On our way back to the house we detoured through the walled gardens replete with fruits and hundreds of flowers colorfully in bloom. It’s a working garden so spaces had been raked ready for new seeds to be planted. It’s reassuring to see that your entry fee goes to good use.

If you have a free weekend, the estate is definitely worth a visit – expect to spend a full day here but don’t go over a bank holiday weekend like we did as it was crowded in areas.

Have you been to any National Trust sites recently? Where do you recommend?

Everyone has waste in their homes, because we don’t use everything we buy! Whether it’s leftovers from food, spare boxes that were used as packaging or just something we don’t want anymore, everything and anything can get throw away! However, there are lots of things you can do with the stuff that you throw away, so here are 3 things you can do with your waste.

Compost Bins

If you grow vegetables or flowers at home, or are looking into it, this is a fantastic thing to do. Compost bins are possibly the most simple way to turn unwanted food into something good! They work by literally just leaving waste food in a bin with soil and let it decompose! It helps if you stir it around every few days to get an even air exposure to boost the decomposition. You can either build one yourself as pictured above, or you can buy one from companies like OrginialOrganics, just pick one that suits your size and needs! Compost, when fully “made” is very beneficial to plants because of the nutrients it contains from the broken down foods, even if you’re not going to use it you can sell it, or give it to someone who will use it!

Making Ornaments

Every house needs ornaments for inside the house and outside, and you can make them out of things that you would usually throw away! There is very little guidance here because you can do whatever you want! You could make a birdfeeder out of a used tin can, or you could make a key holder out of a ruined cheese grater, the possibilities are endless! You can get some more ideas here for making things out of your waste, but sometimes items are just too far gone for you to do anything with. Proper waste removal is a must for things that you cannot use, so if you’re on the lookout for quick waste removal, take a look at Dirt Cheap Rubbish Removal. These services will take away any rubbish that you don’t want instantly, regardless of size or nature (as long as it’s not illegal!).

Donate To Charity

This goes for anything that you might throw away, maybe it’s a piece of clothing you no longer wear or a book you no longer read, perhaps even a toy that you’ve kept or one that your little ones don’t use anymore! The majority of things are welcome at charities like Cats Protection, and all of the proceeds go towards a good cause, so if you’ve got a lot of stuff you would otherwise just bin, donate it to charity! You never know who it will help. You could also sell them online and donate the money to a charity that way if you so wish, there are many things you could do. You could also drop them off at clothing banks, a much easier and quicker way than going into a charity store but still achieving the same effect!

So there you have the best 3 things to do with your to-be waste! All of these things are useful in one way shape or form, not only to you but to other people as well! Making compost and giving it to other people is a wonderful gesture as it takes quite a while to make, and donating old clothes off to charity is a very benevolent thing to do too! If you’ve got some spare card that you’re going to throw in the bin, read this for some good seasonal things to make out of it instead of throwing it away!

*this is a collaborative post