The prickly paradise you’ll never want to leave

I’m standing in front of a humungous, pillar-shaped cactus. My gaze wanders up the body of the plant, spine by spine, stopping just under the ceiling. Bound to be five metres tall, this Pachycereus pringlei dominates the entrance to Kakteen Gautschi GmbH, a store in Schafisheim in the canton of Aargau. What a giant!

My enthusiasm isn’t lost on the curly, brown-haired woman approaching me. «Impressive, isn’t it?» she says, eyes twinkling as she shakes my hand. It’s Regula Kieser-Gautschi, store owner and daughter of company founders Max and Therese Gautschi, who’re still involved in the business today. I nod and ask her how long the cactus has been here. «Ever since we started out,» she says. In other words, 51 years.

From baby to behemoth

Throwback to the 1970s. The gigantic cactus is still a pup, as is Regula Kieser-Gautschi. «Scampering around between the succulents was like heaven,» she says, recalling her childhood among the prickles and fleshy leaves. Back then, her parents, who’re developing the succulent plant market in Switzerland, are still travelling back and forth by minibus to the south of France and the Netherlands. This is where they acquire the succulents before carting them back to Schafisheim.

Both the pillar-style cactus and the business are thriving, with a real growth spurt hitting in 1980. Coop becomes the company’s primary owner, shifting the focus to big customers. At the same time, the family’s selling its cacti and other succulents at markets throughout Switzerland. As their profile grows, their pillar-like cactus does too. In 1996, it hits the ceiling. «Coop restructured and weeded out a number of small retailers – one of them was us. It was a real shock,» Regula says. But it was no reason to give up.

Putting down roots

Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, the Gautschis pivot towards the proverbial sun, moving their focus from large-scale customers to individual ones. They construct a new building and sell succulents that have been sitting on the shelves for a while for five francs a kilo – a sensational promotion. «We were overrun by customers. Some cut their cacti into pieces so that they’d fit in the car,» Regula recalls with a laugh. The top of the pillar cactus is removed and replanted as a cutting. Time for new horizons.

The Gautschis take root in all directions, launching an online shop and exhibiting at «Kakteen-Chilbi», a cactus expo founded in 2000, where succulents are sold en masse. Even the pandemic doesn’t cause business to dry up. Quite the contrary – it’s flourishing more than ever. In 2022, Regula takes over the company. She’s been swept up in plant fever for a long time now:

«My parents never pressured me to take over their business. I trained as a veterinary assistant and studied geography for two semesters. In the end, though, I just couldn’t get enough of these prickly plants.»

Opulent succulents

Forty-three-year-old Regula has taken over a veritable empire of succulents. Eight hundred different species and a total of 100,000 plants line the aisles across more than 2,000 square metres. Some of the fast-growing species are bred here. Kakteen Gautschi GmbH is one of the largest succulent retailers in Switzerland. It’s high time I took a tour of this colourful realm of thorns, bubbles, spirals and pillars.

I’m lucky enough to have come at the perfect time – the place is in full bloom between March and May. As we wind our way through the aisles, I don’t know where to look first. The variety is overwhelming. Eventually, something familiar catches my eye after all – a crown-of-thorns. My grandparents had one of these stem succulents, which store water in their spiny stems, in their living room. «Yes, people’s enthusiasm for succulents goes back further than we think. And it’s never ebbed,» says Regula.

Living stones and stinky starfish flowers

We continue towards the domain of the sun-hungriest plants. In this area of the greenhouse, the sun beams directly onto the succulents. Or should I say, the junior succulents? These miniature nodules, only just protruding from the soil, are barely visible. Regula tells me they’re so-called living stones. «They camouflage themselves so that they’re not eaten by the goats in South Africa.» In Schafisheim, customers flood in to buy them. Alongside hardy succulents, these rare plants have experienced a boom over the past 5-6 years.

«There’s a growing number of rare plant lovers out there. They’re looking for unusual varieties that you wouldn’t get in the dark cactus corner at a large-scale distributor.»

We saunter past ribbed Crassula pyramidalis and spiral-shaped Eulychnia castanea, which remind me of Twister ice lollies. I’ve never seen a plant as twirly as this. Then, the smell hits us. Regula takes me to the Stapelia hirsuta, a bulging, crimson, strange-looking flower that smells absolutely awful. But like the Swiss say about cheese, a little stink never hurt anyone. «The plant attracts blow flies as pollinators,» Regula explains. While we’re on the topic of smelly plants, the Gautschis also have a small specimen of the titanium root Amorphophallus – or corpse plant – which drew countless visitors to the Zurich Botanical Garden last year.

Into the jungle

At this point, I’m craving a bit of fresh air. Regula knows just where to go next: the jungle. This is the area containing succulents that don’t need direct sunlight. As we stroll down the long aisle towards the back of the room, snake-like hanging cacti bob about in the air around us as if they’re alive. Regula strokes them lovingly. «Woah, I wouldn’t have dared to do that,» I say. Regula Kieser-Gautschi laughs and says with a wink:

«You learn over time which succulents to touch and how, but getting pricked is inevitable. Let’s just say, it keeps me sharp.»

Through the leaves, I see a mysterious flicker of orange. Then, all of a sudden, we’re standing in front of it – the Rechsteineria leucotricha. Its funnel-shaped flowers and velvety silver leaves render me speechless. «This is probably one of our most spectacular succulents,» Regula says. All I can do is nod my head, mesmerised by its beauty. The main thing that makes this plant special, however, is what’s inside.

After a few weeks, the plant’s bell-shaped flowers disappear and its leaves grow larger, losing their velvety fur. In autumn, the whole plant retreats into a bulb on the surface of the soil. Every year, customers call the Gautschis in a tizzy, thinking that their Rechsteineria is dead. However, this is just what caudiciform plants do to survive nature’s driest season. In spring, a new stem shoots out of the bulb and it blossoms again in full splendour.

Minor difference, major consequences

Splendour. I’d like to see that in some of my succulents. Despite being considered super easy to look after, my succulent plants are prone to dying off on occasion. But why? Regula says they might be getting too little light or too much water. On the other hand, she points out, the main culprit is often the person who sold the plant, not the person who bought it.

Like the Gautschis, wholesalers source succulents from countries such as the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. After that, however, the plants are bundled into dark rooms at DIY stores and are pumped full of fertiliser. As a result, customers’ succulents often end up developing soft, pale leaves and growing too quickly (a process known as etiolation). Consequently, they normally wind up decaying. By contrast, the Gautschis put young plants on a fertiliser-free recovery regimen, leaving them on a daylight tray for several months.

«We’re not about making quick money here. The succulents that die do so here, not when our customers take them home. That’s what sets us apart from many of our competitors.»

True masters of survival

We pay a visit to one last jungle dweller before heading back. On the wall at the very back of the room, fine, silky strands dangle from the racks. It’s what I’d imagine the hair of a forest-dwelling fairy to look like. Epiphytes like these are always magical. They don’t need soil to grow. Instead, they can simply be placed on the bark of a tree. This is how they thrive in the forests of Central America. «If you keep them out of the sun and spray them with water two or three times a week, they’ll live for years,» Regula says.

Gradually, we make our way back to the desert area. We walk past the velvety Cotyledon ladysmithiensis, a plant reminiscent of a bear’s paw. Then comes the lush, green Polaskia chichipe, popular because of its quickness to form cartoon-style branches. Finally, we stop in front of a bright red prickly pear cactus. Regula’s standing so close to it that I begin to wonder if she’s about to take a bite. Not a totally unlikely scenario. On the company’s 50th anniversary last year, the Gautschis peeled and grated the cactus and made it into a salad.

Edible succulents are very popular. Regula adds: «The salad tasted really aromatic and juicy. It’s easy to see how that kind of water absorption capacity helps the prickly pear survive for months.» I chip in appreciatively, «Succulents really are masters of survival.» Regula nods, recalling an experience that illustrates exactly that:

«We once had a customer with a bent Madagascar palm. It had been leaning against a hot railing for weeks. After half a day of nursing the plant back to health, it stood up straight again – just like that. Succulents are like roly-poly toys – they bounce back.»

Kakteen Gautschi GmbH has that same quality, I think to myself as Regula and I head back to the entrance and say our goodbyes. I’m back under the imposing, pillar-shaped cactus, its spines almost touching the roof. When will the Gautschis be confronted with their next obstacle? Your guess is as good as mine. But here’s what I do know. If the company’s upward growth comes to a halt, it’ll form a side branch or an offshoot. And if there’s a dry spell on the horizon, they’ll retreat into their bulb, only to blossom again once they’ve weathered the drought.

Not all the succulents mentioned in this article can be found in our range, but we’re always adding new ones. In the meantime, why don’t you let me and the Galaxus Community know which succulents are your favourite?