It isn’t that a cactus never takes...

It isn’t that a cactus never takes a drink.

The cactus will slurp up any water that comes its way, but it knows how to make a drop of water last. And if it happens to be growing in a pot under the care of a homeowner who goes off on a two-week vacation, it’s not going to have a snit and wilt before the homeowner come back.

So these days when busy people don’t have much time to tend plants and the drought has put water in short supply, there’s much to be said for growing cacti and other succulents, says Carol Wujcik of the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino.

Wujcik will talk about growing succulents in limited spaces, such as patios, balconies and window sills, at 2:30 this afternoon in a free lecture at the Huntington. The talk, part of a regular series of garden lectures on the first

Thursday of every month, will be followed by a plant sale.

While succulents can survive with less frequent watering than other plants, they are not care-free, Wujcik said. They generally should be watered weekly and repotted every two years, she said, and like other plants respond best to tender, loving care.

One of the appeals of succulents, she said, is that they stoically accept difficult conditions--little water and strong sunlight--and not only survive, but triumph with bursts of brilliant color.

Years ago when she had to use fluorescent lights to grow succulents in Ohio, Wujcik said she became enamored of the plants. “I fell in love them them,” she said. “They represent the sun to me . . . They’re beautiful.”