The sunny side of a wall is best. In this case, the planting shown is in Tauranga, but similar plantings are possible in cooler, wetter Wellington. A collection of Mammillarias in fruit. The one left of centre appears to be Mammillaria hahniana. The fruits taste like watery strawberries and contain small black seeds.
Mammillarias are popular with collectors, being mainly dwarf, free-flowering plants.
These unusual plants come from Central America, The Caribbean Islands and Brazil. They are moderately difficult to grow as they require warmer conditions than most cacti all year around. Faint growth lines can be seen in this cephalium, indicating that it has been developing for about 8 years. A tall Trichocereus growing in an extensive outdoor planting near Wanganui. In this genus, the flowers are mainly nocturnal, large and white, and bats are one of their prime pollinators.