January 31, 2013

Real or Fake?

Found myself at Home Depot in hopes of finding something in bloom and wasn't disappointed because there was a full shelf of colorful blooming cacti. Didn't buy one because P3 already has a couple cacti at our house which, by the way, never bloom. See photo of him below doing a little repotting on the kitchen counter.

Back to the cacti in bloom. I started wondering about this and did a little digging. According to MrBrownThumb, the growers glue on straw flowers to make the plants more appealing to shoppers. Maybe everyone knows this, but I didn't and now must go back to Home Depot to check it out for myself.


Saw this squirrel out in the yard and was happy that he'd found something to eat, but had my fingers crossed that it wasn't one of my tulip bulbs.
'Passionale/Shirley' Tulips
May, 2012

15 comments:

  1. Happy to see you blogging again . . .

    I can't believe growers glue on straw flowers on the cacti. I am going to make a trip to Lowes to check this out as well.

    I hope the squirrel population is less this year . . . such a greedy sort they are!

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  2. How crazy is that, gluing on straw flowers? Good grief...I'm going to check this out.

    That squirrel better not be eating your tulip bulbs because I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your spring flowers (since it's the only way I see these beauties any more.)

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  3. Yes the last one that I ever bought had the dried yellow flower on it. It is deception and yet if I like the cactus I go ahead and buy it. Then I water it too much and it dies. I enjoyed seeing all of your photos.

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  4. Ha ha, did you find out about the glued flowers?? just dying to hear! Someone told me that shredded Irish Spring soap spread around the plants keep the deer away, maybe that would work for squirrels too? They're so cute but wreak such havoc!

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  5. What beautiful tulips to look forward to.

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  6. I had no idea the flowers on cacti are phoney! Another reason not buy those big box plants!
    Your grandson is getting so big!

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  7. Oh yeah, they are fake flowers. I find it so humiliating to the succulents themselves! I found a gal once who had one like this FOR YEARS in her office, in low light, and she believed it had been in bloom all those years! I couldn't tell her. hehehe. But sometimes a pretty flower is just needed, whether real of fake, anyway! I like fake flowers too. Was contemplating putting some in my front garden just today actually!!! (Seriously)! xoxo- Julie

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  8. P.S. Hello to Philip!!!

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  9. Oh, say it aint so! Well, good to know and I loved Julie's story!

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  10. Haven't seen cacti in the nursery here with fake flowers. have a few collection and hoping one of them will flower this year. Love the tulip photo. Please say hi to P.

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  11. Well I'll be darned. It only confirms my tendency towards skepticism these days. What can you believe.....:(

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  12. Hello my sweet lady friend. I never new they would trick you like that. I'm gonna check it out next time I am at the nursery.
    Hope you're all doing fine.
    Hugs Dagmar

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  13. That's funny that growers would glue on blooms. Maybe they know that we Northern gardeners are so desperate to see something blooming, we'll buy anything this time of year:)

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  14. Yes, many of the cactus flowers you see in stores are simply straw flowers stuck into them. Another trick they do is to graft flowers onto the cactus. I don't really know who many are real, but I'd guess not many!

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