Merry Christmas!

My apologies for not posting lately. No excuses. Just needed a break. Our cold spell has passed and we're back to normal moderate weather.

We went out to a Christmas Eve service at a church where nobody knew us and it was enjoyable. I've been in charge of Christmas Eve services every year for the past 30 or so years, so it was a nice break.

Tomorrow we'll have a family gathering here with a gift exchange and a ham dinner. It should be fun and I'm looking forward to it. Our youngest granddaughter won't be with us but here's a picture of her with her dad at Thanksgiving.

...and that's Ladybug trying not to get her picture taken in the middle!
I wish all of you a wonderful and joyful Christmas!

An Early Winter

Wow, has this been an early winter to beat all!  In an average winter we get night time temperatures down into the upper 20s to lower 30s F. And we might even get a dusting of snow. There have been winters where we didn't even get a serious hard frost. Not this year. So far we've broken four night time records for low temperatures and it looks like we'll do so for the next couple of nights at least. We even got a little snow to go with it today. This is way out of the ordinary.

No pictures right now. I've been too busy keeping warm...

Cintia knitzei flowers

I've posted these before but I couldn't pass up posting the flowers the plants are producing now.

Our granddaughter was with us for this past week and the house seems empty without her here (She lives in California). We took two trips to Powell's (the huge book store in Portland) and she found a book she really wanted.

More later. Enjoy your plants.

Lithops optica var. rubra

Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't been posting much lately; it's been a little hectic. These are some seedlings of Lithops optica 'Rubra' that are beginning to  look really nice.
Our granddaughter from California will be visiting over Thanksgiving and I'm giving a talk on growing succulents to a Garden Club tomorrow. In addition to that, of course, we decided to open the nursery for orders until December 6 and we've been fairly swamped.
Finally, our weather is finally turning cold with our first hard freeze expected this week. Now any money we earn from the nursery sales goes "slurp" to the heating oil man.

Echeveria setosa var oteroi

Ah yes, at this time of year...wow! Not commonly available, these are outstanding little plants.

Mammillaria elongata 'Rufocrocea'

Mammillaria elongata is a pretty common plant, not very exciting for the experienced collector. However, this variation on the theme is quite interesting. The stems proliferate along the stem and quite regularly send off variegated and/or monstrose growth.
For those who follow our nursery, it should be noted that we are again accepting orders, but only through December 6. After that we'll be closed for the holidays.

Enjoy your plants!

Fockea edulis

This is one of a couple of nice old specimens of Fockea edulis, an African caudiciform plant, that we have. We've really come to like these plants over the years.

Graptoveria 'Opalina'

Gorgeous, fat-leaved plants. We've had these for a few years but haven't really spend a lot of time propagating. We should, I suppose, but with the greenhouses full as they are...?

Haworthia cooperi var. pilifera MBB6565

Some of you may be wondering what the letters and numbers following the name mean. This code tells us where the seed for this particular plant was collected. In this case, for example, the seed was collected about 5 km east of East Somerset in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The MBB refers to M. Bruce Bayer, one of the most important field students and author of many works about haworthias.

Enjoy your plants!

Haworthia retusa EA1208

Guess what? Another haworthia, this one from seeds from the pienaarsriver turnoff in South Africa. For us, this is a larger growing and robust plant, very attractive and quite easy to grow.

Haworthia emelyae var. major

Another one of the seed grown haworthia collection and another one that I'm particularly fond of. How about those toothy edges and interesting lineation?

Enjoy your plants!

Haworthia bayeri EA937

This is one of the crown jewels of the haworthias what with the lovely lines and almost shimmery leaf surface. We have several of these, seed grown from three different locations.

Haworthia truncata 'Lime Green'

I know I've posted this not too long ago but I was out in the greenhouses taking some random pictures and so...

Haworthia roots

Lynn-Marie's been re-potting some of the plants and this photo shows some of the root system. This illustrates why I often say that enhancing good root growth is the what we're about. And it also demonstrates why it's important to examine the roots periodically. This helps determine the health of the plant, whether there are root pests, and whether the plant needs to be potted in a larger pot. Just looking at the part of the plant that's above ground wouldn't give you a clue as to the size of pot the plant really needs.

Gasteria armstrongii

Tonight it's another gasteria, one of my favorites for its pure symmetry of form. It's a slow grower but shows off it's strong form from an early age. I never get tired of it.

Haworthia decipiens

What we have here is a small forest of the small-growing Haworthia decipiens from the area of Pearston in South Africa. Not one of the haworthias which often gets placed on the "got to have" list, I've nevertheless come to like it more and more. Quite a contrast to the truncata and splendens haworthias.

Gasteria batesiana hybrid variegate

A very heavily variegated specimen of Gasteria batesiana. I was beginning to be concerned that I would be forced to graft this because of lack of much of any green, but the new growth has eliminated any concerns. Again, like most gasterias, very easy to grow.

Gasteria 'Lime Warty'

An easy to grow gasteria hybrid which can make an impressive display. The first photo is of a younger plant.

Haworthia truncata var. maughanii

Another one of our collection of seed-grown haworthias, this one Haworthia truncata var. maughanii from the GM287 location.

Haworthia magnifica var. splendens GM282

Grown from seed collected at the type locality, GM282, becoming a really stunning plant. Mind you, we didn't collect the seed in South Africa. We have a hard enough time gathering enough money together to make a trip to Southern California or New Mexico, let alone a trip to South Africa or South America. Ah, but we do love to travel...if only!

Euphorbia bupleurifolia

Sometimes called the "leafy pine cone" for obvious reasons, this was a plant we always wanted to have when we were younger, but we often couldn't find it - and when we could, we couldn't afford it. Still fairly rare in collections, but not as much as it once was. They're grown from seed, but are not the fastest to get to adulthood. Come to think of it, I know some people who've never made it to adulthood...

Enjoy your plants!

Crested and Monstrose cacti

This week has been a week of getting our plants back into the greenhouses. One bunch that's been outside most of the summer is the crested and monstrose plants. This represents about a third of our collection which we've gathered over the years. Now it's down to getting a few larger plants in under cover, as well as a few miscellaneous flats of succulents. At that point we batten down the hatches in preparation for the winter which is going to be upon us all too soon.

Enjoy your plants!

Lapidaria margaretae flower

The next mesemb which is blooming is the Lapidaria, another bright yellow flowered plant.

Lithops bromfieldii flower

It's that time of year again, time for many of the mesembs to be flowering. First off, one of the nice yellow flower of L. bromfieldii. A wonderful surprise during these shortening Autumn days.

Monsonia herrei (Syn. Sarcocaulon herrei)

A winter growing member of the Geraniaceae from South Africa, this is a plant we've come to love. It needs excellent drainage doesn't like to sit in moisture. That given, it's fairly easy to grow, though slow, and flowers dependably. It makes a delightful small bonsai-like feature plant.

Haworthia bolusii GM555

I know. I've posted these plants before plenty of times. (However, these are indeed new pictures.) I just like them. It's hard to believe that they are even in the same genus as H. truncata!

Haemanthus albiflos

They're flowering, right on schedule, as dependable as clockwork. Another easy plant to grow, Haemanthus albiflos is an evergreen succulent bulb from South Africa which likes a fair amount of shade.

from the southern Cape, through the Eastern Cape, into KwaZulu-Natal, in deep shade on forest floors, on rocky sea shores exposed to salt spray, in coastal dune forest, on cliff faces in river valleys and in shady places on inland mountain ranges - See more at: http://kumbulanursery.co.za/plants/haemanthus-albiflos#sthash.DUxEohfR.dpuf

from the southern Cape, through the Eastern Cape, into KwaZulu-Natal, in deep shade on forest floors, on rocky sea shores exposed to salt spray, in coastal dune forest, on cliff faces in river valleys and in shady places on inland mountain ranges - See more at: http://kumbulanursery.co.za/plants/haemanthus-albiflos#sthash.DUxEohfR.dpuf

from the southern Cape, through the Eastern Cape, into KwaZulu-Natal, in deep shade on forest floors, on rocky sea shores exposed to salt spray, in coastal dune forest, on cliff faces in river valleys and in shady places on inland mountain ranges - See more at: http://kumbulanursery.co.za/plants/haemanthus-albiflos#sthash.DUxEohfR.dpuf

Ladybug and Blu

We recently had a visit by a Belgian Tervuren puppy and so, of course, we had to introduce him to Ladybug - an essential part of any puppy's training...right? All went well.

Aloe 'Christmas Carol'

This small growing Kelly Griffin hybrid is one gorgeous plant and it's showing off in all its splendor right now. The red flower against the red edged 6 inch leaves makes for a very striking image.

Huernia bayeri

Don't think spelling makes any difference? The genus was named for Justus van Heurne (1577-1652) but his name was misspelled by Robert Brown and, in accordance with botanical naming rules, Mr Heurne is forever remembered by a misspelling of his name. This particular species has more than it's share of names given to it also, but we'll stick with this name for now. (The centers of the flowers are sometimes purple and sometimes mostly yellow.)
This is one of the more readily available of the huernias and is in many collections. The ease of its cultivation and the prolific flowering may well account for it.

Kalanchoe daigremontiana (syn.: Bryophyllum daigremontianum)

This is the succulent plant that succulent plant collectors love to hate! Why? Well, let me count the ways. Each of those little plantlets along the leaf edge will soon drop into a wayward pot and pretty soon every pot in the greenhouse - and the space in between the pots - is growing new "Mother of Thousands". If you look closely you'll see that even the plantlets are forming new plantlets on the edges of their little leaves. Help!!!

OK. Admittedly, there's something  cool about these plants. One of the readers of this blog even commented one time that this was her favorite succulent plant. But if you bring it up at one of the cactus & succulent society meetings, the universal response is "Get that away from here!!!"

So why the picture of it. Because we still have it in our greenhouses. And because there's always that one in a thousand...

Echeveria 'Arlie Wright'

This is one of the wonderful, early Dick Wright hybrids, named after his mother Arloine.

Sorry I haven't posted much this month. It's time to get the camera out if someone will give me a kick in the ....

Copiapoa barquitensis

One of the easiest of the copiapoas to grow, this species flowers regularly and often, making it a must for a cactus collection and a good beginning point for a collection of copiapoas. However, it needs a good draining potting mix as it is prone to rot if allowed to sit in moisture, and it prefers some shade during the heat of summer. A dry winter rest with protection from frost is also needed.
Now considered by many to be a synonym of Copiapoa hypogaea or a variety of same (Syn. Copiapoa hypogaea var. barquitensis).

Lithops pseudotruncatella subsp. volkii

The Lithops have been beginning to flower, among those being these plants (often referred to as the "pallid form" of the species because of the pale surface with less markings - usually). Originally from Namibia, it tends to clump readily, making it very popular with collectors.

Cleistocactus crest

The person who originally grafted this crest labeled it Cleistocactus wendlandiorum var. aureispinus. C. wendlandiorum has been reclassified as C. brookei (which is white-spined) but I have no idea what happened to the variety name - if it ever was legitimate. If you're into naming, feel free to help me out here.
But whatever the name, it's a beauty.

Cynanchum marnierianum

It's time for the weird plants to flower, and you can't get much more weird than this plant. We call it "Twiggy". We've grown these for years and the flowers never cease to amaze me.

Echeveria agavoides 'Ebony'

When we first got our starter plant for this it was much, much darker. But we're here in Oregon and we don't get the sun they get farther south and it's harder to get the really dark colors. But, who's complaining. Really. It may not be as "ebonyish" is it will be with more sun, but the colors here are just as outstanding.

Our company from Wisconsin arrived today and I'm not sure when I'll have the time to go out and take more pictures. There are some wonderful and odd little flowers out there and I need to get out with the tripod and closeup lens. I'll try...but no guarantees!

Enjoy your plants

Agave schidigera 'Shira ito no Ohi'

What more could you ask? It's relatively small in growth, has beautiful coloration and fascinatingly long and curly threads. In addition, like most agaves, it's quite easy to grow, even as a potted specimen in areas where it can't be grown outdoors year 'round. Can you guess? It's one of my favorites.

Ornithogalum caudatum - "Pregnant Onion"

This is one of those plants which has just been in every collection since the dawn of succulent plant collections. And there's no reason for it not to be in our collections today as well. It's easy to grow and multiplies with ease (each little bulbil which develops under the "skin" eventually becomes a new plant). We first grew this under this name and it's hard for some of us to change. Other names you'll see is Ornithogalum longibracteatum and Albuca bracteata.

Off to the Fair

I apologize for not posting for the last few days. It's been a bit hectic. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Salem (the state capitol of Oregon) with our granddaughter to attend the Oregon State Fair. This is pretty much a tradition in our family; we go every year.

I'll try to get back to posting pictures by this weekend.

Lithops 'Jackson's Jade'

One of our all time favorites. But of course, it's the all time favorite of a lot of people. Which also means that if you find somewhere that lists it as available, by the time you order it's out of stock. Life's that way sometimes!

Our Urban Farm

 

 

 Lynn-Marie couldn't resist. Just wait until I get my hands on the camera! But other than that last shot, you can get an impression of our little 3rd of an acre in the city.

Pedilanthus macrocarpus crest

Another of our crests that we're selling on ebay beginning tomorrow. It's kind of like a contemporary sculpture - only better!

Copiapoa malletiana

With the common name "Copiapoa de Carrizal" and a flurry of synonyms (Echinocactus malletianus, Copiapoa carrizalensis, Copiapoa dealbata), this is another wonderful copiapoa from the Atacama Desert in Chile. The photo, which was taken just a couple of weeks ago, is of a small plant in a 4" diameter pot. The flowers are yellow (the remains of one is at the top) and the new spines are black.

Copiapoa haseltoniana

This plant is in a 4" pot. Not a huge specimen by any means. But that's one of the things I like about copiapoas; they can be quite impressive even at a young age. Plus, they're really quite easy to grow.

Euphorbia ambovombensis

And look, it's even flowering!
OK, yes it's flowering, but the great thing about this plant is the caudex that is forming under the soil level.
And - of course - it would do even better if we could remember to water it!