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.