Hardy Cacti For The Winter Garden

On Wednesday, March 8, the Town and Country Garden Club will sponsor a program entitled “Hardy Cacti for The Winter Garden,” to be given by John Spain.

Mr Spain, who has been an avid rock gardener for many years, will be giving a slide presentation showing the step-by-step development of a rock garden he designed and developed over a period of ten years. These slides will display various elements within the rock garden such as conifers, shrubs, bulbs, and special rock garden plants. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

In addition to rock gardening, Mr Spain has been collecting various winter hardy cacti specimens for over thirty five years. He said he began being interested in cacti because he had traveled so much for his job that he needed to find plants that would survive while he was gone.

He has a large greenhouse devoted to cacti and succulents.

When asked if he had any favorites, he replied, “Well, today’s favorite is always the one in bloom.”  Mr Spain also maintains an extensive outdoor cacti collection.

Mr Spain has written a book entitled Growing Winter Hardy Cacti in Cold, Wet Conditions, a perfect book for a New England cacti grower.

The program will begin at 7:30 pm at the Senior Center on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. It is free and open to the public.