Tabletop Garden – Cactus Garden
Cactus makes very good tabletop gardens. There are many species of cacti, some with outrageous colors, some with small yet flashy flowers, and some with weird shapes and sizes. We can use cactus to make a very big tabletop garden crammed with various types of cacti, or we can use some baby cacti to make a petit tabletop garden as small as a coffee cup.
Ideas of cactus garden are limitless. Just be creative and give it a try. I guarantee that you will find a lot of fun in making tabletop gardens with cactus too!
I went shopping in the morning and got myself 8 pots of cacti. There were so many different species of cacti in the market. Many of them were very beautiful, with pretty flowers, flashy colors, funny shapes and sizes. If I didn’t make any effort in stopping myself from buying more, I probably would end up with many more cacti than what I have now.
Before actually starting to plant any cactus into my garden, I tried to get a better idea of the garden layout first. Since my container garden would be viewed from the front, taller plants should go in the back.
Phallic cactus – The phallic shape of this cactus didn’t hit me until I brought the cactus home and got the plant out from its pot… haha
Originally, I wanted to cover my cactus tabletop garden with a layer of small, off-white stones. But since I couldn’t find any on hand, I used some bigger stones instead. The tabletop garden actually looks pretty cool with these big stones.
What kind of soil do you use to put them in? What is the name of the green and white striped plants? I have 2 of them.
Wanda, I mix my own soil. Yet, for simplicity sake, I would suggest you to use pre-made cactus mix that is available in many gardening stores. The succulent with white strip is a type of aloe.
Wanda, I mix my own potting medium. Yet, for convenience sake, I would suggest you to use pre-made cactus soil that is available in many gardening stores. The succulent with white strips is a type of aloe.
I have a really small version of this green and with white stripe plant. I noticed today that its tips are slowly becoming brown. How do you care for your plant? I water it about once a week. The man I bought it from said that it was a cactus and needs water once in 15 days… He also said I will not need any repotting. It hasnt been very long since I bought it, and am wondering if I did something wrong. However, since it doesnt look all that healthy, I would like to know what all you do to take care of it.
Hi Neetha, sun and water are the two main factors for growing healthy succulents. This “green with white stripe plant” is commonly called Zebra Haworthia. It is easy to grow. Instead of watering it according to a set schedule, water the plant only when the soil is dry to the touch. This plant is perfect for indoor, it does well with light shade to bright light. You want to protect it from strong midday sun, and it may be sunburned if you move it from shade/indoor into full sun too quickly. Hope this help! Happy Gardening
Just wanted to ask what kind of plant is the one above with white stripes. thanks.
Hi pj,
It is Haworthia Fasciata, commonly called Zebra Haworthia.
Hi! I was wondering what is the specific name of the jade looking plant? It looks like it’s purple! Thanks!
Hi Rovie,
I am not very sure, but would guess that it’s a Haworthia, maybe a Astroloba or Poellnitzia…
hell0!nice cactuses!i love them very much!could u plz put their names under each pictures??
Hi Chaz,
Since I bought my plants in local flower market where everyone identifies plants by Chinese common names, I actually do not know the botanical name of every succulent in this cactus garden. But, you can try this website – http://www.cactus-art.biz. They have a good cactus & succulent gallery which I often find helpful.
Cheers!
…guys can i ask something bout the true and proper soil mixture for cacti! I find it difficult to grow cacti here in the Philippines for, i dont know exactly what type of mixture do they want! I’m looking for cacti and succulent books but I can’t find one!
The most important characteristic of the soil mix for cactus and succulent is good drainage. For convenience, you can find readymade potting mix especially for cactus and succulent in gardening stores. Or you can add some river sand (don’t use sand you find on beaches) into your regular potting mix for better drainage. As for ratio, there is no hard and fast rule, you need to experiment a bit.
What is the problem with your cacti? It may be caused by some other problem instead of the potting mixture, for example, overwatering
Happy Gardening!
i still prefer to use plain old clay garden pots instead of those that are made of plastic.’;~
Ceramic pots or Clay Pots are still the best garden pots.;`.