It is insanely hot here now. And don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I
absolutely love it. In fact, it makes me crazy to have to sit in the air
conditioning when the weather outside is so lovely. The downfall is that it
has been necessary to water at least three times a week and some things
everyday.
A few things have gone wrong this week. First, I almost lost the
cantaloupe, it still looks like it is on its last leg, but I am
hopeful that it will pull through. Second, I think my cucumbers are
infected with cucumber mosaic virus. I am very tempted to pull all of
them, but I have been enjoying eating cucumbers every night in a salad.
There are some that need just a few days more to mature so I am waiting for
them. I just hope it doesn't spread to the beans, while I anticipate my
feast. I should really pull them tonight.
The tomatoes and green beans are doing really well on the other hand. I have
had green beans and tomatoes for dinner every night. yum! I will say that I
am not that impressed with the fruit of the Italian Gold, they look
pretty, but are a bit bland for me, maybe they are best in sauce. The
Husky plants have turned out to be my favorite. Both of my Husky
plants got hit pretty hard with caterpillars, so despite their outward
appearance, the fruit is quite delicious.
 Last weekend was the annual cactus and succulent sale at the Huntington
Gardens. Well suited for the heat. It was really cool to see all of the
varieties, there were hundreds of them. I bought twelve little succulent
plants. I figured that I could find room for a few small ones here and there
so I stuck to 2 and 3 inch pots. I didn't realize at the time that some of
them can reach over six feet in height. The good thing is that it takes
years for them to get that large and hopefully by then I will have more
garden space.
 My favorite is the adenium. It makes a really beautiful specimen,
with pretty flowers and a very interesting trunk structure. I have never
really gotten into the whole hobby of cactus collecting, although now I may
be hooked. In the past I have bought them due to their unusual forms or just
picked off a few branches while out for a walk and planted them. I think
that is my favorite thing about cacti and succulents, they are so easy to
propagate. Also they seem to tolerate my bits of neglect when things get too
crazy with work.
I ran into my friend Laura at the sale. She swiped up a large striped
agave Laura was a teacher of mine in school. She teaches fine art and
also garden design. Her garden is amazing, I am so envious. Since she and
her husband are both artists, the garden has a very sculptural quality,
almost like a living installation. I love going over there to visit, it is
always so inspiring.
 In addition to the sale there was a cactus show put on by the Cactus and
Succulent Society.
Most of the specimens in the show were mind blowing. I couldn't believe how
perfectly some of the species were grown. It was amazing. I am including
some photos so everyone can see.
I don't think I will ever be able to grow anything to that sort of
perfection, but it was nice to see that it is a possibility.
A photo collage of cacti and succulents form the sale and show.
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