When the Flowers Fade - The Quiet Side of Lobivia
When the flowers fade, what are you left with?
With Lobivia, you’re left with something I’d describe as an incredibly variable genus in terms of overall aesthetic.
They range from tight clumpers to more upright forms. Some stay small and compact, others lean toward a more barrel shape. They rarely get huge, but there’s a lot of variation in how they present.
This isn’t a post where I’m going to try and convince you to like the bodies.
You might not like them - and that’s fine. Everyone sees plants differently.
But for me, when the flowers fade, there’s a whole other level of appreciation.
Because I know what they’re capable of.
Some of those moments are captured through the 1-Code system - where a single plant is selected at its peak and given a unique identity, never repeated.
A lot of them are quite unassuming. Still attractive, but not loud. Not demanding attention. You look at them and they just sit there quietly.
But I look at them and think:
that one’s got a bicolour flower
that one’s got a rainbow bloom
that one’s going to do something special
It’s like looking at something that hasn’t happened yet.
There’s a kind of quiet magic in that.
See what they’re capable of → Lobivia in Bloom: Behind the Scenes at Spine City
I talk a lot about how manageable Lobivia are, and there’s a reason for that.
With a lot of cacti - and succulents in general - they can become unmanageable over time. It’s not something people think about when they’re buying a small plant.
You start with something neat and contained…
and a few years later it’s taking over.
Lobivia don’t really do that.
They stay relatively small. Controlled. Contained.
Most of mine sit comfortably in pots up to around 125mm. That’s more than enough. You can go bigger if you want, but with most you don’t need to.
They stay… humble.
Easy to live with.
Sitting amongst them now, there’s so much variation.
After working with thousands of plants as Australia’s leading Lobivia producer, that variety still holds my attention.
Some are tall and spiny.
Some have completely filled their pots with offsets.
Some have that glaucous blue skin - almost like an Ariocarpus.
Others are the classic cactus look - green body, long spines.
There’s no single look.
And that’s the part I enjoy.
Yes, the flowers are the headline. Always will be.
But even without them, there’s still something there.
Something quiet.
Something waiting.
You can leave them alone over winter.
Come back in spring.
Give them some water, a bit of feed…
…and it all starts again.
Ready to explore what made it through selection?
Browse the Lobivia Collection
