Via the ABC.

Cacti in the Arid Garden were hacked with a sharp implement, such as a machete or axe, according to the garden’s staff.

About 80 per cent of the columnar cacti and succulents were attacked, staff said.

Many of the plants were more than 30 years old and the collection contained some rare and threatened species.

The garden’s chief executive, Tim Entwisle, says the damage had shocked staff and visitors.

He says it is difficult to comprehend.

“Someone’s come in overnight and they’ve just hacked away at some of the biggest cacti in our collection – the tall, column like ones. Just broken them off, left them there,” he said.

Mr Entwisle said “it would take decades for any replacements to reach the maturity of the plants that were destroyed”.

A sad day.

Time to morn and investigate, but it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity for renewal or creation.

I’m sure Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardeners will have great ideas as to what to do. Here are some suggestions for anyone else who may suffer a similar fate whether by the hand of man or nature.

Cleanly cut the branches and leave to heal, somewhere dry. Then stake up on top of some cactus mix, seed raising mix or similar in either a nursery or preferably in the plant’s final destination.

With so many branches a Frida Kahlo style fence is one option.

New branches will explode out of the remaining cacti. Give them a good feed.

North Carlton Melbourne.

These magnificent specimens are in Brunswick Melbourne.  Not only were two flowering simultaneously, each Agave had those multiple flower heads. I have never seen these multiple flower heads before. Have you?

And lastly, a close up of my Foxtail flowering. And yes it was worth the 15-20 tear for the flower spike! From start to finish the flower bought beauty into our lives for seven months.

It’s Aloe Butt Day! So let’s celebrate with a couple pics of my two favourite aloes.

The top pic is a fan aloe (Aloe Plicatilis), it a massive old plant that has been moved around a lot.The other pic has an Aloe Ferox in the foreground with Cleistocactus strausii (silver torch or wooly torch) dominating a few cool cacti in he background.

Here’s some older pictures of the aloe’s flowering.

The tree below is in Parkville. However examples can be found on Rathdown St in CarltonNorth.

This harmless enhancement of our environment is often frowned upon by local government sticks in the mud. Perhaps their mummies made them wear too many scratchy knitted jumpers when they were little ‘uns. Those council bores are probably trying to work out some permitting system, but hopefully guerilla knitters will keep doing their thang.

My favourite cactus flower is in magnificent bloom again. I love the lilac fringes. These flowers are tall trumpets.