Chock-a-block Cold Frame

[Christian]

This is a really nice section of the Forum, and I long toyed with the idea of sharing some photos of my collection. I've finally got round to taking some. Nice sunny days and weekends didn't really coincide recently, so I keep missing the flowers, but there you go.

I grow most of my plants in two cold frames - we've moved around too much to bother with a greenhouse. Plants here get minimal winter protection during frosty nights (hort. fleece and newspaper), and during longer periods of frost I simply move everything in an outhouse. The bulk of my collection is made up from Rebutia, Sulcorebutia and Gymnocalycium. More reccently I started to grow smaller Opuntias and reasonably hardy forms of plants from other genera. Inside the house I grow Stapeliads, Haworthias and some Aloes.

Here's the first frame:

[Christian]

I did catch a few favourites in flower. First one up is a Sulco with a lovely dark body and light-ish pink flowers.

Here is a group shot of several Sulcos:

The next one is a seed-raised plant with a lovely flower colour.

And finally for now, this is Rebutia muscula with a nice pale flower - nothing special, perhaps, but again a firm favourite of mine.

I hope to get a chance to take some more pictures at some point soon...

[Paul D]

That's very interesting Christian. What temperature do you get down to in winter?

[Christian]

Minus a few degrees - perhaps -3 or -4? But as I say, I don't normally keep the plants in the frames during prolonged periods of frost... not sure they would survive that.

[Tina]

Hi Christian
The collection looks lovely, I'm surprised how well they grow in a cold frame and lots of flowers.

[rodsmith]

Lovely displays, Christian. You keep your collection in really good condition. I couldn't cope with the constant bending and kneeling!

[Paul D]

Lovely plants, indeed. And lovely cold frames!

[Christian]

I couldn't cope with the constant bending and kneeling!

Hi Rod, yes, there are disadvantages in keeping a collection in frames, and that's definitely one of them Watering can be a bit tedious.

Tina, I am surprised myself that this works reasonably well, but at the time a frame was the only way to expand the collection and so I continued with it. I've started to add a few Mammillaria and Thelocactus, following some interesting discussions here on the Forum, as well as some Mesembs and certain bulbs (Massonia).

Thank you for your kind comments!

Christian

[caretaker]

I am very impressed as I have only a small greenhouse 6x4, I can't wait to get started, if I can have a lovely collection like yours I will be very happy.
Reg

[CactusFanDan]

Very nice Christian! I wouldn't be worried about frost with those Sulco's, they should be pretty tough, the same goes for the little Opuntiads. Be careful with bulb plants like Massonia. Massonia are 'gateway' bulbs and before you know it you'll be growing 50+ species of African bulb plants like me.