Welcome to Drago Cactoid's web site. I'm honored that you are spending some of
your valuable time here. I chose to name my small business Drago Cactoid because I've
always liked dragons and cacti. Nothing any more mysterious than that, I'm afraid.
Drago Cactoid is a small agricultural business located in Andover, Connecticut. The focus of the business is to propagate
and sell plants that I find personally interesting, otherwise it isn't very fun! That's me, standing in front of my
new greenhouse on Nov 8, 2001, on the day I bought my house. It's been completely renovated since then (the greenhouse,
that is). Real-life, non-virtual visitors are welcome during the growing season. Please email me to
make an appointment since I have a schedule that is all my own. See the contact page on the menu.
My main interests have long been cacti and succulents (and now tuberous aroids). I have a strong interest in the winter hardy cacti that can also withstand
the cold/wet conditions of New England. At this point I am not propagating enough winter hardy plants to sell them. I hope
to in the near future.
One of my favorite Winter hardies has been the Opuntia cf. 'Smithwick' that I've been growing at 1000 feet elevation at my camp
in Maine. O. 'Smithwick' is a Claude Barr hybrid. This plant gets snowed upon for 7 months out of each year. This summer, 5 years after planting a single, unrooted
segment, it produced 14 flowers! That was quite an event because O. fragilis has a reputation of being very difficult to
get to flower. I have extensive photography of that plant that I'll make available here.
Of the non-hardy cacti, I have a special place in my heart for Echinofossulocactus,
Gymnocalycium and Copiapoa. Other than those I have
a smattering of other species and especially like monstrose and crested specimens.
As for succulents I don't really specialize in anything right now except I've begun to collect Pachypodium
and the decaryi group of Euphorbia. I have the usual assortment of Euphorbias, Sedums, Haworthias,
Gasterias, Aloes, etc.
Years ago I fell in love with the genus Datura, which is the Southwestern and Mexican plant commonly known as Jimson Weed.
There are many species of Datura, each with its own special charm. Most of the flowers are sweetly fragrant, and while many
of them are white there are also other colors and some double-flowered species. I have raised Datura seed for sale and
continue to expand the number of species that I propagate. Some species of Datura are Winter hardy in Connecticut, but should generally be treated
as annuals.
I propagate the red leaved form of Castor Bean, Ricinus communis. I love their bold, dark color and the huge leaves borne
on plants up to 12 feet high! The one in the photo is just a youngster.
I've lately become fascinated with some of the Aroids, specifically Amorphophallus, Pseudodracontium,
Typhonium and some of the other tuberous
species that tend to have stinky inflorscences. I won't sell any plant that hasn't grown for at least
one full season. Many of the Amorphophallus
and their similar cousins need high heat and/or humidity, making them challenging for the amateur grower, especially in cooler
climates, like where I am. If you're interested in Amorphophallus, and I hope you are, start with Am. konjac. It's a wonderful,
beautiful, interesting plant and very easy to grow. It reaches an impressive size in only a few seasons and can even be
Winter hardy in Zone 6 and above.
I'm always working to expand the web site as time permits. Feel free to contact me by email at any time. See the Contact
page.