Surprises

..."he brought me a little cactus with a cactus flower on it"...

Abe Burrows Cactus Flower


I found this little cactus with the improbably long name of Echinocereous pectinatus at a cactus and succulent show at the Los Angeles County Arboretum several months ago. I have increasingly tried to include more succulents in my garden - I think of them as "garden Jewels", but I know almost nothing about cactus. The beautiful and intricate patterning of this plant intrigued me, so I bought it with the idea of using it as a small specimen plant. And now it has surprised me in this lovely fashion: a beautiful flower, pale, delicate, so transitory, and all the more appreciated because like many good things in life it was totally unexpected.