February 11, 2025
Plant Profile: Euphorbia ‘Wakefieldii’
The next time you come to Belgian Nursery, do yourself a favour: head down to the Cactus & Succulent House, walk through the display gardens (feel free to “ooh” and “ahh” as needed) and keep going until you reach the very back of the greenhouse. Then, look up and say hello to our very own Euphorbia ‘Wakefieldii’ or, as we’ve lovingly named her – Killer.
“Killer” has been a staple of Belgian’s Cactus & Succulent House since its creation back in the 1990s, with her huge tree-like form towering over display gardens and customers alike. She is an unusual specimen, to say the least, with her thick trunk that’s lined with sharp spines and topped with long prickly dreadlock-like branches. Those branches keep growing and growing – they don’t seem to realize that there’s a glass roof in the way – so we have to give her a “haircut” several times a year. Oh, and she’s well over 100 years old at this point, so she’s seen some things through the years!
The Euphorbia ‘Wakefieldii’ is originally from Kenya, but our “Killer” did not have to travel that far – in fact, she’s from just down the road! She was a gift from a fellow greenhouse, a cactus collector in Hamilton who was retiring and wanted their prized specimen to go to a good home. Luckily, Belgian’s Cactus House had a raised stone bed just waiting to be filled by something of her magnitude! The one small flaw in the plan was that she had been potted into a metal garbage can and could not be removed, so they just cut off the bottom of her “pot” and placed the whole thing in the bed! You can still see its silvery edges around the base of her trunk.
Metal trash can aside, there’s one other big difference between Belgian’s ‘Wakefieldii’ and most other typical cactus: propagating. Nearly all cacti can be propagated by cuttings, and typically with high success rates when following the proper care instructions. But this is not the case with “Killer”! After several failed attempts by cutting, we discovered the secret: seeds. Yes, we grow our ‘Wakefieldii’ from seed and it takes a very, very long time! Germination can take well over a year before any new growth can be seen; it’s another 2 to 4 years of further care before they are large enough to be repotted from seeding trays to small individual pots. So those 4” pots you see for sale in the Cactus & Succulent House? They are already 5 years old and have lived their whole lives at Belgian Nursery!
Every pot of Euphorbia ‘Wakefieldii’ is a genetic piece of the original 100+ year old specimen cactus named “Killer” that has been a part of Belgian Nursery for over 30 years – that’s amazing! So bring home a literal piece of Belgian Nursery today!
Light: Bright, Direct Light – minimum 4 hours of direct sunlight per day but the more the better!
Water: Let dry thoroughly then water well. You may have to water several times (draining after each) to ensure the moisture is absorbed into the soil.
Fertilizer: Use an all-purpose fertilizer at half strength twice a year, once in spring and once in summer.
Care Tips: ‘Wakefieldii’ do not have large root systems and prefer to stay rootbound. When repotting is required, go up one pot size (i.e. from a 4” pot to a 5” pot) and use cactus soil for extra drainage. Handle plants carefully as they are prickly on all sides; kitchen/barbeque tongs work very well, as does using the back of a spoon to press down on the soil.
Post Views: 98
