{"product_id":"alluaudia-procera","title":"Madagascar Ocotillo - Alluaudia procera","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMadagascar Ocotillo - Alluaudia procera\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNothing else in cultivation looks quite like this: tall, straight, silvery columns studded with spines, with small round leaves sitting in pairs flat against the stem. \u003cem\u003eAlluaudia procera\u003c\/em\u003e comes from the spiny forests of southern Madagascar, a plant community with no real equivalent anywhere else, and it grows as a slow vertical column rather than a branching shrub. It is bought as living sculpture, for the same reason people buy a piece of art, and it needs heat and very sharp drainage to earn that role.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Madagascar Ocotillo\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVertical Form\u003c\/strong\u003e: Slim upright stems give height with almost no footprint, useful in tight courtyards.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSilver Stems\u003c\/strong\u003e: Pale grey-silver bark studded with spines and paired leaves creates a very distinctive texture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDrought Adapted\u003c\/strong\u003e: It drops its leaves in dry periods and simply waits, needing no water to survive.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRarity\u003c\/strong\u003e: Seldom seen in Australian gardens, so it carries genuine collector interest.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSlow and Stable\u003c\/strong\u003e: Grows gradually and will not outgrow a designed position for many years.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArchitectural Feature\u003c\/strong\u003e: A single column against a rendered wall, uplit at night.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTropical Dry Garden\u003c\/strong\u003e: Combines with euphorbias, pachypodiums and cycads in a frost-free succulent bed.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContainer Sculpture\u003c\/strong\u003e: Container culture suits it in cooler cities, where it can be sheltered over winter.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNarrow Side Beds\u003c\/strong\u003e: Its slim profile fits spaces too tight for a conventional tree.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e Occasionally massed as a spiny barrier at 0.8 to 1.2m centres, but it is not a hedge in the usual sense.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 to 2.5m for a repeated colonnade effect.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late spring to summer, when soil and air are warm.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Extremely free-draining sandy or gritty soil. This is a frost-sensitive plant that suits frost-free coastal and tropical Australia, and it needs pot culture with winter shelter in cold districts.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water sparingly and only in the warm growing months, keeping the plant completely dry through cool weather. Mulch with coarse gravel, stake tall specimens until anchored, and site it out of cold wind where reflected warmth from paving or a wall benefits it.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 6m in Australian cultivation over many years\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 to 2m\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Slow\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Semi-deciduous, dropping its small leaves during dry or cool periods\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Southern Madagascar\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Small whitish flowers, rarely produced in cultivation\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795368706334,"sku":"ND-0104-400MM","price":1250.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/xnar-FBvu7d5uxfk-ip___g4HB2xoZ.jpg?v=1787314381","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/alluaudia-procera","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}