As March is women’s history month with international women’s day on the 8th March, here at Barry’s Cactus Club we are celebrating with our first ever female cactus.

She’s beautiful, she’s fabulous, she is… The old lady cactus (Mammillaria hahniana).

She is no ordinary lady and is native to only three locations: Guanajuato, San Luis Potasi and Queretaro where she can be found basking in the warmth of the Mexican sunshine. Her kind can be found in abundance on steep slopes in the Sierra Gorda mountains under evergreen shrubs and deciduous forests. Her quirky name refers to the wiry white hairs that spring out from her stem that can grow to a whopping 5cm long.

Caring for the old lady

Take care of her by keeping her in the sunshine and watering regularly, especially now that we are in the spring season. Find out more about caring for your cacti in spring by checking out the caring for your cactus during the growing season blog. Feed during the growing season with cactus food and repot regularly as she is a fast grower. As she is waking up, she will begin to need watering. Barry shares his top secret watering technique in our latest watering blog! In the spring, the old lady comes into her own, growing a beautiful tiara of pretty pink flowers as the queen of the cactus club.

Grandma’s spring gift

Like my own grandma, she never visits without a gift. This time she brings a cactus dahlia tuber that will produce beautiful creamy white spikey flowers up to 20cm in diameter. These flowers are the perfect addition to your garden and can be used to create a stunning border around an existing flower patch.

Planting your delightful dahlia

Dahlias are great for gardeners of all levels and are easy to grow.
Start off indoors in a pot under a glass, or Plant them outside in the spring once all the frosts are gone. Make sure to position them in full view of the sun and plant at a depth of 12cm.
Within just a few weeks you will be able to see large green leafy stems blooming from your pots. You will be able to see them flower from July to October!

Your cactus dahlia in full bloom! Photograph by Lisa Klette, (Lilydaydreamer)

Don’t forget to share photos of your cacti family with the club using the tags #mycactusclubcollection and @barryscactusclub for the chance to win a £50 voucher for more cacti goodness!

Not yet part of the club? Join by visiting barryscactusclub.com

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