T-rex Plants Blog
Published weekly. Ish. You can also follow along on Instagram at @trexplants
Gymnocalycium anisitsii – the Cactus With Many Names
This cute little cactus is one of the first Gymnocalycium species I ever took home - excluding the ubiquitous Moon Cactus, of course. It was my first foray into less common cactus species, and I was enamored with the deep red-pink color of the body. Little did I...
Variegated Monstera deliciosas – Thai Constellation and Albo
These two monsteras are two of the jewels of my tropical plant collection. Easy, forgiving plants that thrive even with our temperature extremes, haphazard fertilization schedule, and even more haphazard watering regimes. I posted about my Thai constellation several...
Sulcorebutia arenacea – Beautiful Bloomers
These cacti are attractive, dense little plants that produce large displays of vivid, orange-yellow blooms throughout spring and early summer. I picked one up in late 2021, and have been enamored with the attractive, dense growth since. Distribution These are native...
Growing the stapeliad Huernia pendurata
This funky looking plant is an easy to grow, fairly hardy stapeliad that produces unique flowers consistently through its blooming season. I've had mine just under a year, and absolutely adore it. Origins This is a nursery hybrid between H. hystrix and H. pendula, and...
Care Diary: Astrophytum capricorne
Many people love the Astrophytum myriostigma and its lack of spines (and many cultivars), but there's a different cactus in the Astrophytum genus that holds my heart: Astrophytum capricorne. There are, as with the myriostigma, many cultivars and clones of this...
Care Diary: How to Grow Astrophytum asterias
These small little cacti are extremely popular for how small they stay and their complete lack of spines. They grow in a single, small globe shape, with their growing and blooming season in summer. Grown well, they are rarely more than 3” tall, and can get as wide...
Care Diary: Glandulicactus uncinatus
This little cactus has the dubious distinction of having a ridiculous number of genera ascribed to it. I recently entered mine in our winter cactus club show & sale, since as a winter bloomer, it's a fantastic little cactus to show. Deciding on the category took...
Care Diary: Gymnocalycium andreae
I am, of course, obsessed with the Gymnocalycium genus. As a part of that, I have a habit of picking up pairs of species I haven't seen before any time I spot them. Gymnocalycium andreae is no exception. I spotted these as small plants at Grigsby's cactus gardens,...
Care Diary: Stenocereus beneckei
The Stenocereus beneckei is one of those cacti that when you see one grown in greenhouse conditions, or sheltered from natural rainfall, it absolutely takes your breath away. The ghostly pale body and stark contrast of the spines draws the eye no matter who you are. ...
The Other Mesembs – What You’re Missing by Focusing on Lithops and Conos
My visit to Steve Hammer's greenhouses included a number of amazing mesembs that weren't the typical lithops or conophytums most people think of. Like Steve, I love these other mesembs! There's so much to discover in the Aizoaceae family, which is much, much larger...