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!