Ruby Euphorbia Trigona

The Ruby Euphorbia Trigona is simply a red-colored version of the Euphorbia Trigona. As you can see from the image it is not red all over - in fact, there is not as much red as you might expect a cactus with the "Ruby" in it's name to have. The older leaves are red and the younger sections of the plant tend to be red. As per usual, the brand new growth is bright green and it will slowly turn red as it ages a bit. This cactus is not quite as leafy as I would expect it to be, however this is not necessarily an indicator of health. I think the plant is currently more focused on new growth than on putting out leaves. Since it is Summer the cactus doesn't need as many leaves for light collection, it will most likely switch to leaf growth as we transition into Fall.

Just like its solid green sister, this cactus typically has three sides. Though the arms tend to start with just two sides and will eventually shift to three sides as it grows.


I've had this plant for a little over four years now and it is just starting to come into its own. Within in the last month it has sent off starts for four arms. I'm exciting to see how it grows over the years to come.


I only water this plant once every other week right now, but I give it slightly more than half a cup for each watering session. Unfortunately, I recently found out that the glazed pot it is in is not glazed along the rim on the bottom. So when I moved it a couple of weeks ago I found a lovely water stain on the wood beneath it - quite disappointing.

Even the spines are red!

I currently have this cactus placed in bright, indirect sunlight. It is by a south facing window, but at a distance. It definitely is enjoying this location a lot as it has responded with a ton of new growth. Though, as any other plant, it will have its growing seasons so I'm sure the placement is not wholly to blame. 


This is an extremely easy cactus to grow (just like its green sister) if you can actually find it in the stores. I found this one at a specialty - and very expensive - local garden store. I was so excited I couldn't help buying it. I have never seen it since then however. The ruby color is a fun addition to my collection of cacti. I'm always on the look out for other colorful plants to break up the sea of green that is my living room. 

Euphorbia Heptagona

I noticed something quite exciting about my heptagona yesterday so I thought I would post about it!

I have had this cactus for at least three years now. Only within the last few months has it really changed since I originally bought the cactus though. It has shot up about two inches in height since January! What I noticed yesterday afternoon, which made me even more excited, you can just barely see in the picture below.

 If you look closely on the right side you can see that it has two tiny "arms" that it is beginning to grow. They might not make it, - especially since my cat has decided that this pot is great pot to walk through! - but it is always an exciting find nonetheless.


 What first attracted me to this plant was it's lovely spines, which were a deep red then. You cannot see them well here, but right about where the shadow begins is the original height of the cactus, and where its only "large" spines are. For whatever reason it has not grown anymore of those spines since I have had it. It makes it look a little funny sometimes, but I still love it!

In this picture you can see it's beautiful ribbing. Normally these cacti will have 5-7 ribs with deep grooves in between each rib. Mine clearly has 7 ribs, which is very fitting considering its hepta name.

As the cactus starts to grow, it is rather thin. The deep grooves become much more apparent as it thickens up though. 

Apparently this variety does grow leaves, though I have never seen them myself.

I personally love this picture. You can see the whole cactus clearly and you can see the different growth periods that it has had over the years. It looks a little funny now because it is so tall and thin. Maybe these are like it's equivalent awkward middle school years! If those new arms do anything, I think it will be a much more attractive plant.

As a side note, the cactus growing past the heptagona I think is a dragon fruit plant, also known as pitaya. Perhaps my next post should be about that one! It is surprisingly easy to grow :)

Until next time, everyone enjoy your beautiful cacti and succulents!

Crassula Ovata Gollum

I had the good fortune of being give a new succulent for my collection. A very large and healthy crassula ovata gollum to be specific. This plant is incredibly beautiful! I hope that I can keep it thriving so that it only gets bigger.

I noticeably need to work on my photography skills, but I'm sure you get the point. I can't believe how lucky I was to be given this. A neighbor was moving out and decided that she could not take the plant with her, so she gave it to me! I was so happy :)

I've taken a couple close-up pictures so that you can see a little more detail.

The leaves a cylindrical so that they can soak up lots of sunlight while allowing as little evaporation as possible.

Succulents never cease to amaze me. They do everything possible to hold as much water as they possibly can. They are truly "drought tolerant" plants.


In recent years I've noticed that the crassula ovata gollum is growing in popularity. I often see it in home improvement stores with other cute little plants on the shelves. It is also in those little mixed cacti/succulent plants that are atrociously priced. Those plants are clearly not nearly as old as this one is though. They are all green - like the ends of the branches above.

I plan on taking off a few of the smaller arms and planting them in some small pots for friends and family as Christmas gifts this year. I think they will make great gifts!

Unknown Leafy Cactus

If anyone recognizes this lovely cactus, please let me know because I can't seem to figure it out...

Anyways, my husband brought this cactus home for me as a surprise gift one day six months ago. I fell in love with it immediately. It is extremely spiny and always has leaves on the top half of the cactus. It is approximately 6 in tall and, at its widest (because it tapers at the bottom and top), 1.25 in wide not including spines. The spines are about 0.75 in long and the leaves are a whopping 8 inches in diameter! It was originally potted in a tiny square blue pot, so I recently re-potted it with an aloe bulb in a larger terra cotta pot.

I would like everyone to note that cacti are supposed to have crazy huge root systems. The roots also tend to grow more horizontally instead of down so that they can get more water. I try to pick my pots accordingly, but it's not always easy.

Just look at that gorgeous set up! 


I can't wait to post some pictures of the aloe that I pulled the bulb off of. It has bloomed three times in the last three years. It is one happy plant! I'm hoping these two do well together.

I plan on adding some crushed brick on top of the soil to make it look a little prettier. The soil is a "special cactus blend" that I got a while back. So we'll see if it actually performs any better than my other plants.

Right now I'm watering it once every other week. I'll alter waterings as necessary. I find it best to just learn the signs of a thirsty cactus - which is not as easy as it sounds sometimes!

Euphorbia Trigona

This Euphorbia Trigona is my baby! I love this cactus. It is insanely easy to care for and is quite the beauty too. In all technicality, this is actually my husband's cactus. He broke a small arm of his grandfather's plant... and, well, let's just say its grown a bit.

 Every once and while we intentionally break an arm off to start a new plant, but usually it just gets bumped into accidentally. We have around 6 or so plants right now. It amazes me how quickly this cactus grows! It goes through "seasons" of growth every couple of months. During each season it will grow between 1 and 3 inches! Crazy fast, especially for a cactus. Pretty soon I think I will have to put it on a lower table, or even on the floor. It is getting so tall it has almost grown past the top of the window. Therefore, to encourage growth I think it would be best to let the top receive the most light that it can possible get.

 I think my favorite thing about this big boy is that it has leaves. So many leaves! I love that! It took me a while to realize that there are actually quite of few cacti that have leaves, but traditional it's kind of weird. Right? I think so :)

I want to tell you all how old this cactus is, but I'm not sure! I will have to update this post later after I ask my hubby. Until then, enjoy your cacti and succulents!!

UPDATE:  My husband got this cactus approximately 10 years ago off of his grandfather's cactus (which was touching the ceiling at the time - CRAZY). He literally pulled off one of the arms from the main plant and it was only 10 cm long. I honestly can't believe how much it has grown since then.