Lithops pseudotruncatella subsp. pseudotruncatella var. riehmerae

Another slight variation on Lithops pseudotruncatella.

Lithops marmorata

Lithops marmorata isn't flowering currently, but the plants themselves are worth a picture. These are a little crowded and are in need of transplanting, but that's for later.

We're into our Fall rains now, with an inch of rain expected again tomorrow. Our hearts go out to those on the Eastern seaboard of the United States as Sandy slams ashore. Hang in there folks!

Lithops schwantesii and L. karasmontana 'lateritia'

I finally had some time to get some photos today, taking a break from all the rain (and fairly warm weather) we've been having. We've also been feeling a bit under the weather.

The yellow flowered plant is Lithops schwantesii (grown from seed from the Taras Nature Preserve), and the white flower in the foreground is Lithops karasmontana 'lateritia'.

Echeveria 'Barbillion'

I've been too busy to get any more photos today. This one - taken by Lynn-Marie a few days ago - is of a young Echeveria 'Barbillion' offset, getting it's lumps. A Dick Wright hybrid, this one really gets big!

Lithops karasmontana C169 (Opalina)

No flowers today, but there is this photo of 'Opalina' - Lithops karasmontana (Opalina) C169 - to be precise.

Enjoy your plants!

Conophytum latum

It's not just the lithops which are flowering. This is Conophytum latum (Umdaus, north of Steinkopf) which is outright luminous. They kind of glow in the light, almost as if they had an LED light down inside them somewhere!

Lithops aucampiae (Kurumon form)

This is a seed grown Lithops aucampiae Kurumon form. The ones in the back, including the one about to flower, are lithops terracolor seedlings, a couple years old.

Lithops karasmontana ssp. karasmontana v. karasmontana (Signalberg form)

These were originally labeled the mickbergensis form, but I think that was incorrect. Another white flowered form.

Lithops karasmontana var. bella

Then there's these little beauties: Lithops karasmontana var. bella. We don't have a lot of these at this time; they go fast when we do.

Lithops lesliei var. venteri

Our lithops are going through flowering conniption fits right now. (OK, not really conniption fits, which refers to "a fit of anger or panic expressed loudly." No anger here. Just a lot of bodacious flowers!) We must have 20 or more flowers at a time. This one is Lithops lesliei var. venteri in the early stages of opening up wide.

One factor is that all of our lithops are now under lights for the winter, and they love it.

Aeonium haworthii

 

In areas where this can be grown as a landscape plant, such as along the California coast, it's used extensively for that purpose...so much so that it's become one of those plants which people just give to each other as cuttings. And because of this, nurseries don't seem to carry it.

But, in our less hospitable climates, it's also a wonderful potted specimen. In the right place, it's a cool companion plant to the ever-present Jade.

Bananas in Oregon

 

This is the second time our banana trees have produced a flower (along with some tiny little inedible bananas). It's hardly what people really think of when they think of Western Oregon.

But one of the things we do here is shatter stereotypes. We are indeed a place of rainy, gray days. No denying it. Yet, for the past 3 months, we've had no rain...only .6 of a centimeter since July 1. Of course we'll make up for it this weekend when we'll probably get over an inch (2.54 cm) of rain. The cacti are rushing for shelter (mostly in the arms and hands of Lynn-Marie), especially as the temperatures start to fall, but the banana tree is waiting to slurp up all that water! I assume it is; I haven't really asked it. After all it's an Oregon banana.  :)

For the Time Being

No time to take pictures today. Today was go to the dentist for bi-annual cleanings day. It was also a day to continue moving plants into the greenhouses before the rains come (cooler temperatures and rain predicted for Friday). And for those in the US, I'm one of those who almost always gets the automatic extension for filing my income taxes...which means my taxes are due by next Monday. And I'm one of those who has always done it himself, so there's that too. In other words, there's not enough time in the day.  Oh, I mustn't forget, also have to get a package of plants off to China tomorrow.

It sure is fun being retired!

Oh, and the title? For me it brings back the last section of the wonderful poem by W H Auden, Christmas Oratorio:
                   But, for the time being, here we all are,
                   Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
                   Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
                   And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
                   And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
But then, I end up back in the greenhouse, organizing the plants for winter, and there's a lot more...again!

Enjoy your plants!

Matelea cyclophylla

 

Also grown and sold under the name Gonolobus cyclophyllus, this is a fascinating addition to any caudex collection. When introduced by the ISI in 2002 the flowers were described as "bizarre and beautiful, typical of the Asclepiadaceae."

Ariocarpus fissuratus ssp. bravoanus

 

This is a gem of a cactus, heavily over-collected - probably extinct in the wild. The flowers are magnificent for such a small plant. These, of course, are seed grown and it has only been in recent years that nursery grown plants have become available. Accidentally discovered by Hector Hernández in 1991 in the Municipio Guadalcazar, south of Entronque Huizache in San Luis Potosí, it was named in honor of Dra Helia Bravo.

Variegated Lithops

Someone recently asked, "What happened to that variegated lithops plant you blogged about some time ago? Well, this is the answer. It's different, but still variegated. It was purchased in 2007 at a small nursery on the way to Barstow from Mojave and it continues to amaze us.

 

No catchy title tonight, though several suggested themselves. But I think I'll stick to descriptive titles and leave the cutesy to others. Nevertheless, I'll certainly check the stats to see if the less descriptive and more exciting titles make a difference...:)

Alien Creatures from Another Dimension?

Actually, these are offsets of Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor'. Lynn-Marie's been cleaning out the agave section and taking a few new pictures along the way.

However, one of our readers thinks the blog titles are too boring; things like "Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society Meeting" put people to sleep. So, in keeping with his criticism, I'm proposing a new title: "Strange People with Weird plants to gather in Rare location. Other succulent people invited."

Oregon Cactus and Succulent Society meeting

The next meeting of the Oregon Cactus & Succulent society is scheduled for this Sunday, October 7 at Rare Plant Research, the home of Burl Mostel. The address is 11900 South Criteser Road, Oregon City, OR. We'll gather at around 2 pm. Directions are here on Google maps. Anyone in the greater Portland area is invited to join us. (Please park near the greenhouses.)

Agave victoriae-reginae 'Kazo Bana'

These are 5 year old offsets from our "mother" plant which we obtained from Johnson's Cactus Nursery 40 years ago. Our plants have been grown quite "hard" over the years, moving from place to place, sometimes on a windowsill, sometimes in a small greenhouse, sometimes on an unheated porch - sometimes watered, sometimes forgotten. Amazing plants.

Fouquieria purpusii

Grown from seed, this is the crown jewel of the Fouquierias.  Not readily available and much prized, for good reason, with its  outstanding markings. This is a good-sized plant and is available for sale to the discriminating caudiciform collector. Feel free to inquire.

Nights are getting colder (in the mid 50s F), but still sunny and no rain. Moved some 20 wheelbarrows of composted horse manure the last few days and now have to start sealing up the greenhouses and getting the plants back in. I love Autumn, but getting all those plants organized and back in the greenhouses is not a favorite task of the season. But it has to be done...