Cactus garden

[cookieangel]

I am always fascinated with cactus and wish someday to have my own cactus garden, even just a small, compact one. However, I am hearing stories and advice not to put a cactus garden in the home because it is believed to be a bearer of bad luck. The thorns, according to them, give bad luck. It is like thorns always give wounds and bleeding, and in real life, they say, the cactus will make the lives of the owners bleed and full of problems and challenges. It is an old saying, but I am also afraid that this can be true, so as much as I want to have a cactus garden, I am putting it on hold for the meantime. What can you say?

 

[jennywrenwrites]

If it helps at all, while India may have a superstition that a cactus in the home causes death the Greeks think a cactus in the home wards off the evil eye.

 

[claudine]

I'm not a superstitious person, I don't believe that a plant can cause bad luck. Also, in my country people often grow cacti and I've never heard of anyone who would be unhappy because of them.
So if you want to have a garden like this, don't hesitate, I'm sure everything will be okay
Personally, I'm not too fond of cacti because I prefer plants that are more delicate and romantic

 

[cookieangel]

Thanks for being one with me. I also do not believe in the saying, but the old people surrounding me (my neighbors, of course) think that the bad luck might extend to them. I want to ask them "what, is it gonna go over your fence?". I know I should not be paying too much attention on what others say. Besides, it is not the cactus fault if it's natural beauty is like that--filled with thorns.

Maybe when my son is a bit bigger and can fully follow instructions, I will have cactus garden. Right now, not the superstition is stopping me, but my son. He is fond of staying in the garden and won't listen to me when instructed on what not to do. I know the cactus will attract hi and he might hurt himself with the thorns.

 

[RoyalFeather]

There are many types of succulents which are types of cacti that are not thorny. Perhaps you could plant a few of those.

 

[claudine]

RoyalFeather, I agree, succulents are a perfect idea. Some of them look really gorgeous - in my personal opinion much better than regular cacti - and kids can touch them without getting hurt.
Here is a beautiful picture:

 

[Nath]

I have grown Cactus for many years in doors with never any different luck than normal and niether am I supersticious. Also back home in Mexico Cactus such as Nopales (Opuntia) are a staple diet and delicious in soups and barbecued, the fruit we call tuna is also delicious and nutritious but both the leaves and the fruit which we eat have some wicked thorns on them. Mexico is now exporting Nopales to Japan because of all the healthy properties they contain for food.

I say build your cactus garden and enjoy it there are so many varieties to grow. many that even survive here in the UK where I now live. When they flower they can be exquisite.

 

[jennywrenwrites]

I have never tried cactus in food. I would like to try it. Thank you for reminding me. I have drunk cactus nectar and enjoyed it very much.

 

[Nath]

I really like barbecued leaves of Opuntia with (Melted Fondue Cheese) Queso fundido and hot salsa on it along with fried spring onions in lime juice.

I guess Aloes are of the same family as Cactus and Savila as we call it or Aloe Vera has great medicinal properties for burns, and mendinging scar tissue. Not to mention seems to be in tablet form nowadays and also as a shampoo. Agave is used to make Tequila, I suppose there are many uses for cactus plants.

 

[cookieangel]

Cactus as food! I have never heard of that before! Thanks for informing me/us about it.

Aloe Vera is a member of cactus family, you are correct there jennywrenwrites. I have tried to use that as a hair grower during my younger years but I just could not take the smell! It smells like a stinky underarm LOL! Since then I have not tried it yet. I am not sure if other aloe vera variety has the same stinky smell, but what we had in our old house smelled really awful.

 

[claudine]

I've never eaten any cacti but I tried opuntia tea some time ago. It was very sweet - a little too sweet for me. I wonder if I'd like Opuntia fruit.
I had no idea that Aloe Vera is a member of cactus family! I'm a big fan of aloe gel, I can't imagine my life without it. Fortunately it's odorless.

 

[orclev]

I'm not superstitious,so I wouldn't worry about whether or not having a cactus garden might bring me bad luck. I've always thought they look really beautiful though, and succulent gardens as well! If your neighbors really are that concerned about the cacti, I wonder if succulents more like the picture claudine posted might be okay with them since it seems to be the thorns that brought on this superstition.

They sell little succulents in individual pots where I live, and I've been thinking of picking up a variety and repotting them all together in a little container garden like this. It would be really pretty! But cacti with thorns are really pretty and tempting as well...

 

[yellowbird]

I love the idea of a garden of succulents--so gorgeous!

 

[Pat]

Of garden of succulents would be very pretty in any setting. My favorite is the Jade plant and of course Aloe Vera, because it is one useful plant for first aid and stomach aches and pains.

 

[gata montes]

Having just read through some of the responses it made me realize - that for anyone who hasn't grown cactus or succulents before it may be well be very difficult to determine which was which - especially as there are many cactus plants that look like succulents but do in fact belong to the cactus family and many succulents that look like cactus but don't belong to the cactus family.

Which is why in order to avoid confusion I would just clarify - that as Aloe plants do not belong to the Cactaceae family which all Cactus plants belong to - but the plant family known as Xanthorphoeaceae - Aloes are not a cactus.