Vermont Experimental Cold Hardy Cactus Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vermont Experimental Cold Hardy Cactus Garden |
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The cold-resistant cactus Rhipsalis baccifera
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| Location | Middlebury, Vermont, USA |
| Area | 100 square feet (9.3 m2) |
The Vermont Experimental Cold Hardy Cactus Garden is a special place in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. It's a small botanical garden that focuses on plants that can live in cold weather. This garden is less than 100 square feet in size. It is home to many different types of cactus and succulent plants. These are plants that store water in their leaves or stems.
Where is the Garden Located?
This unique garden is found at a private home in Middlebury, Vermont. Middlebury is in Addison County. The area is known for its cold winters. It is in a bioclimatic zone called USDA zones 4 and 5. This means the plants here must be able to handle very cold temperatures. The garden is in the far north of New England.
You can visit the garden, but you need to call ahead first. This helps the owners, Louis and Marilyn Varricchio, get ready for your visit.
How the Garden Started
The Vermont Experimental Cold Hardy Cactus Garden began with a great idea from Louis and Marilyn Varricchio. They are a couple who love plants. They also try to help plants from warmer places get used to the cold weather here. This process is called acclimatization. It means helping plants adapt to a new climate.
What Plants Can You See?
The garden has many interesting collections of plants. These include different kinds of opuntia (a type of cactus), agaves, yuccas, and sedums. Many of these plants are grown in special raised beds. Some are even planted on a small, miniature hill.
The garden also tests how well certain plants can survive the cold. One important test is with the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). This is a very large tree that usually grows in warmer places. Several young Giant Sequoia trees were planted in the year 2000. The garden is checking to see if they can grow in Bioclimatic Zones 4-5.
