Last week I had the privilege to visit the Cactus Oase in Ruurlo, the Netherlands. Well, rather than a privilege, it was quite a long and slow ride through the Eastern Dutch countryside 😉 but very much worth it if you love cacti as much as I do. The Cactus Oase is the largest privately owned cactus collection in Holland. The owners turned their hobby of growing cacti from seeds into a business and worked as professionals for decades. Some of the cactus plants are 46 years old and because they are all planted in soil (not pots) they extended their roots and grew bigger and bigger. I spotted some cactus plants I had never ever seen before.
If you would like to visit the Cactus Oase, be prepared that it's an amusement park. There's a Wild West theme with a discovery parcours, electric trains and lots of mid-century agricultural memorabilia. And even a cactus pyramid with a mummy inside. I basically ignored all of that and solely admired the cactus plants, succulents and tropical plants. Right now it's the blooming month of the year, which means a lot of cacti were starting to flower! Join me for a virtual tour of the Cactus Oase:
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There's also an area where you can buy a selection of cacti grown at the Cactus Oase, that you can plant in the pot of your choice (you can even bring your own!), like these Old Man cacti on the left:
A flowering agave… beautiful but a bit sad as well: agave plants are monocarpic, which means they die after flowering.
The cactus pyramid:
Cactus Oase /// Jongermanssteeg 6 /// 7261 KA Ruurlo /// The Netherlands /// +31 573 451817
Open every monday to friday 9-17 and saturday & sunday 10-17
Love! But oh that pyramid XD No photo of the mummy? ;) You'd think the cacti would be all the fun you need, right? Aaanyway. But seriously beautiful cacti, yes!
Hihi, would you believe me I didn't even go in to check out the mummy?! I was completely obsessed with all the cacti, but the people I was with told me it was really there :)
Wat fijn dat ook jij kan genieten van de cactussen . Zelf bewonder ik nog steeds na al die jaren dat wij voor hobby en beroepsmatig met de cactussen bazig zijn . Heerlijk gewoon doorgaan ook met schrijven heel leuk .
Dankjewel Anny voor de prachtige cactussen. Ik kan er geen genoeg van krijgen, ze vervelend nooit he! Geniet van de cactus bloemen, want er zullen er vast al veel meer bloeien dan vorige week. Groeten uit Frankrijk!
Oh my gosh! This place sounds AMAZING! Whenever we visit botanical gardens, the cacti area is always my favourite – I can't believe that there is a whole place just for cacti!
I tried to convince my boyfriend to visit the tulip fields there last month, but now I think I'll be trying to convince him to go here haha!
xo April | <a href=”http://www.aprileveryday.com”>April Everyday</a>
The tulip fields in Holland are gorgeous as well, if you love color it's the place to go (see more here: http://www.joelix.com/Dutch-color-therapy). It's a bit too late in the season now, but maybe next year? You could easily turn it into a weekend/week and visit the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam (and there's a beautiful Botanical Garden in Leiden as well!) and drive to Ruurlo in the Eastern part of Holland. Beware of the amusement park athmosphere, but the cacti are gorgeous. You'll love it :)
Ohlala, c'est superbe.
Et cette pyramide… c'est trop drôle.
Ouiii ! Très drôle ce pyramide, je suis sûre qu'Armand adorerait ! Bises !