Tianwei is famous for its 1,000-hectare garden area. I have been there a few times, but I have only visited a few of the popular gardens. Last year during this season, we visited a garden with blooming Bougainvilleas.
Sheng-Yuan Cactus Garden (生源仙人掌)
Tianwei Highway Garden in Changhua houses some special places, including the Sheng-yuan Cactus Garden. This garden specializes in cultivating cacti, and you will see hundreds of them here. While not many flowers can be seen during this season, the cacti in bloom are still beautiful. They come in different colors such as pink, red, white, and yellow.
Each cactus is a flowering plant, but their blooming depends on their age and the care they receive. Some cacti start to bloom when they are over 30 years old. The lighting conditions, watering, and fertilization are crucial factors. Generally, smaller cacti are more likely to have flowers in bloom.
Some of the cacti are truly unique, and I have never seen them before. Some grow really tall, bigger than people, and some even resemble trees. These larger plants grow outside in soil, and some of them produce flowers and fruits. Smaller species are grown in greenhouses. Many cacti have peculiar shapes and are not commonly found in other gardens.
Almost all fleshy cactus fruits are edible. The fruits can be preserved in syrup or dried, and the syrup can even be fermented to produce an alcoholic drink. One of the most popular cactus species grown in Asia is Hylocereus undatus, commonly known as Dragon Fruit. Additionally, certain species of cacti contain psychoactive agents that can cause changes in mood, perception, and cognition due to their effects on the brain. The use of some cacti species has a long history, and one of the most important is Opuntia, from which scale insects produce cochineal, a red dye.
There is also something special to try at Tianwei - cactus ice cream. Although the cactus used for these desserts is not grown in Tianwei but brought from Penghu Island, the flavor is really nice. I believe it is made from Dragon Fruit.
Behind the building, you will see a huge greenhouse where all the cacti are planted. However, we didn't go inside. We visited the area where the cacti were ready for sale, and there were hundreds of them, each with its own unique shapes and colors. Some were very strange-looking.
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