One plant I like to introduce from my succulent collection is the rat tail cactus. I love it when they bloom, as the flowers come in an orange red color.
When I first got a small cutting of this succulent (a few years ago) it was just one prickly stem. And now it’s just spilling out all over the pot.
Rat tail cactus originate in the highland plateaus of Mexico, but are cultivated throughout Latin America. In my case, they are growing very well in our northern California climate.
Agave isn’t just grown for it’s syrup. It’s actually a very pretty ornamental succulent that could liven up any yard. Especially yards in in the South West or Western part of the U.S. I came across these great photos of different varieties of agave used in landscaping in California from Sunset magazine. I aspire to have a dessert garden someday.
“The light green leaves of a colony of A. attenuata contrast in this combo with the nearly black rosettes of Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’.” - Sunset Magazine. I like the contrast of green and deep purple in this garden.
“The thick spine-tipped leaves of Agave parryi add a touch of blue to the yellow-greens of sedums, aloes, and aeonium.” -Sunset Magazine. I really like this combo of 4 different types of succulents. The large aloe would provide me with great aloe vera gel.
