New Jersey Cacti

I read David Salman's article on cold-hardy cacti (March/April) with great interest. We have cold-hardy Opuntia here along the Atlantic Coast, but they are not widespread and few people seem aware of their presence. I was given two or three pads more than 25 years ago. They were collected in Cape May, the southernmost tip of New Jersey, and I have since seen them in some protected coastal nature preserves.

Over the years, these particular plants have been grown in an apartment window, an east-facing patch in the backyard of our first house, and now in a shady south-facing yard in our current home. In their natural habitat-where they receive full sun and ample rainfall year round and grow in very sandy, rather infertile soil-the cacti remain compact and grow slowly. Here-where the soil is rich and direct sunlight is rather limited-the cacti grow like weeds, with the pads reaching eight or nine inches in diameter. Multiple yellow flowers bloom profusely on pads from the prior season.

About four years ago, we transplanted some cuttings of these cacti to our second home on the Barnegat Bay in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. There, the conditions are more like those of their natural habitat. Though taken from the same stock, the two sets of plants bear little resemblance to each other except for a willingness to bloom.

I have read that the larger cousins of these Opuntia were exported to the Mediterranean for use as natural fencing for cattle ranches. Apparently, these plants soon became a nuisance, forming forests and taking over. I have seen examples of such forests in the Hawaiian Islands, where similar problems were experienced. I suspect that, when grown in rich soil, most Opuntia behave badly. Ours must be rigorously pruned each spring to keep them under control, and everyone to whom we give cuttings is warned to be cautious about where and how many they plant.

Brian A. Carlin
Rutherford and Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Editor's note: Most likely your cactus is Opuntia compressa, which is commonly found on sand dunes in the coastal Mid-Atlantic region.

Timely Tips

I was a subscriber to Wild Garden and was not sure if I would renew my subscription to your magazine-that is, until I went out to my front yard yesterday and noticed a patch of violets blooming in my lawn.

You see, in 1982, when I purchased my home, a well-meaning relative gave me a small clump of "some kind of violet." Over the next 18 years this clump gradually enveloped an area the size of Delaware in my front yard and lawn. Last fall, I removed nearly all of this enormous patch of violets before a biking accident put me out of commission for three months. Just yesterday, while going out to check the mail, I noticed a little hold-out patch and thought, "Yikes, what am I going to do until I can get to them?" I opened the mailbox, and there was your March/April magazine. I made a fresh cup of coffee and opened the magazine and started to read. Which article first? "Native Violets," of course, and there on page 32 was a sidebar on violet control. Wow! That's what I need to do: deadhead until I can get to them once and for all! Well, I have decided to definitely renew my membership in AHS. Thanks for a great magazine and the tips and hints that you just never know will be useful.

Dala Williams-Amberson
Rancho Cucamonga, California

Applauding Violets

As president of the American Violet Society, I commend your March/April issue. Marc Cathey's reminiscences of placing violets in glass jars with "right-sized" hands in his "Inside Look" column evoked a delightful picture of an enterprising 11-year-old boy. I also found the descriptions of SmartGarden(tm) practices interesting: My response to the concerns about "invasive violets" is to recommend using the leaves and flowers in recipes!

It is encouraging to those of us who have been promoting Viola odorata for years to read the articles on violets by Kim Blaxland and Janet Walker. Thank you for featuring violets in your publication.

AnneBelle Rice
President, American Violet Society
Long Beach, California

Encouraging Nature

Thank you for publishing such a wonderful magazine. I eagerly read each issue, although I admit I still miss Wild Garden. I plant natives exclusively and am trying to achieve a natural look-what some would call organized chaos. Please consider emphasizing wildlife, restoration of habitats, and native plants. It's the best thing we can do for the planet next to recycling. You carry some material with this emphasis, but I would love to see even more.