I have so much to tell you about last week’s trip to the Montreal Botanical Gardens but I can’t seem to wade through the millions of photos and thoughts without first showing you one of the silliest, most ridiculous crimes ever perpetrated on a plant for human amusement and seasonal decor.
Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.
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14 thoughts on “Cactus Ghouls”
Now theres a interesting desert version of a halloween accessory
I kind of like it
I feel a bit sorry for the cactus, but that’s the best plant-related halloween bit I’ve seen yet!
Wow, that is pretty sad.
A couple of weeks back I did an entry on my blog about C&S nurseries gluing fake flowers on Cacti. Then I went to HD and saw one of the fake flowers companies had glued those eyes that wiggle and are used for crafts.
I can’t believe that a botanic garden does something so tacky.
My friend has a cactus of that species that has modified itself naturally. One year (with help from a bug) it grew a pad w/a hole in it. The next year it put on a heart-shaped pad. The last 2 years, alas, it’s grown “normal” pads…
Oh yeah the glued-on flowers are horrible. THAT is the worst sin perpetrated on a plant for “decorative” purposes. Hmmm… if I think about it there are probably others.
My ex-landlord SPRAY PAINTS her agave plants… red and yellow. Because?? You got me.
I have a hard time feeling sorry for small cacti that have been harmed in the making of a decoration. It’s not like they’re a redwood… or any sort of tree. I don’t feel bad for the bacteria in my dishrag that get killed when I put bleach in my water when I’m going to scrub the sinks, either :-)
I’m not much of a cactus fan, though… and these are kind of cute. It’s like graffiti on an ugly bridge… sometimes the graffiti adds something more interesting (or at least gives me something to try to decipher while stuck in traffic).
I *LOVE* this website Gayla. The forums rock, so do you!
We have one that is naturally shaped like a Mickey mouse head. It always puts a smile on my face every time I see it. It’s more amusing to see when plants or vegetables naturally morphs into different shapes. Like my aunts carrots which we had two that look like legs one with male parts and one with female…. my aunt saved it in the fridge for 6 months and showed it to everyone and anyone.. =)
CoverMe: Spray painted agave…. THAT is truly horrific.
Eliseee: I have a heart shaped potato that I can’t bear to eat.
I almost didn’t read this entry when I saw those ridiculous cacti. It reminds me of seeing cut flowers that are died abnormal/not natural colors.
Glad to see you aren’t a proponent of this!
The glued flowers are bad but I went back and picked up a cacti with craft eyes on it to photo for my blog. Someone from Europe commented on my blog and linked to some photos of cacti dressed as Santas. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so sad.
Googlie eyes and santa outfits — that is crazy.
Do you think this will hurt/kill the cactus? I have seen, in fact I have in my own yard, cactus plants that have holes in them from natural causes and they are still alive and seem to be OK. Do you think these man made holes will hurt the plant?
Cuts made in a plant are like open wounds that could potentially invite pathogens. I don’t think it will kill or harm a healthy plant.
Now theres a interesting desert version of a halloween accessory
I kind of like it
I feel a bit sorry for the cactus, but that’s the best plant-related halloween bit I’ve seen yet!
Wow, that is pretty sad.
A couple of weeks back I did an entry on my blog about C&S nurseries gluing fake flowers on Cacti. Then I went to HD and saw one of the fake flowers companies had glued those eyes that wiggle and are used for crafts.
I can’t believe that a botanic garden does something so tacky.
My friend has a cactus of that species that has modified itself naturally. One year (with help from a bug) it grew a pad w/a hole in it. The next year it put on a heart-shaped pad. The last 2 years, alas, it’s grown “normal” pads…
Oh yeah the glued-on flowers are horrible. THAT is the worst sin perpetrated on a plant for “decorative” purposes. Hmmm… if I think about it there are probably others.
My ex-landlord SPRAY PAINTS her agave plants… red and yellow. Because?? You got me.
I have a hard time feeling sorry for small cacti that have been harmed in the making of a decoration. It’s not like they’re a redwood… or any sort of tree. I don’t feel bad for the bacteria in my dishrag that get killed when I put bleach in my water when I’m going to scrub the sinks, either :-)
I’m not much of a cactus fan, though… and these are kind of cute. It’s like graffiti on an ugly bridge… sometimes the graffiti adds something more interesting (or at least gives me something to try to decipher while stuck in traffic).
I *LOVE* this website Gayla. The forums rock, so do you!
We have one that is naturally shaped like a Mickey mouse head. It always puts a smile on my face every time I see it. It’s more amusing to see when plants or vegetables naturally morphs into different shapes. Like my aunts carrots which we had two that look like legs one with male parts and one with female…. my aunt saved it in the fridge for 6 months and showed it to everyone and anyone.. =)
CoverMe: Spray painted agave…. THAT is truly horrific.
Eliseee: I have a heart shaped potato that I can’t bear to eat.
I almost didn’t read this entry when I saw those ridiculous cacti. It reminds me of seeing cut flowers that are died abnormal/not natural colors.
Glad to see you aren’t a proponent of this!
The glued flowers are bad but I went back and picked up a cacti with craft eyes on it to photo for my blog. Someone from Europe commented on my blog and linked to some photos of cacti dressed as Santas. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so sad.
Googlie eyes and santa outfits — that is crazy.
Do you think this will hurt/kill the cactus? I have seen, in fact I have in my own yard, cactus plants that have holes in them from natural causes and they are still alive and seem to be OK. Do you think these man made holes will hurt the plant?
Cuts made in a plant are like open wounds that could potentially invite pathogens. I don’t think it will kill or harm a healthy plant.