Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas!

My very best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a bountiful New Year!

My apologies again for not posting recently. One of the last times I posted I commented about the heat this summer. Well, it's Winter, and now it's the rain. We've already set a record for the amount of rain in any December for over 100 years. And we haven't had even one day without rain.

Enjoy the full moon tonight and celebrate the love of God in the birth of a child. Peace!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

We're open again!

Kara Nursery is again taking orders. These plants are so much a part of our life that it's hard to escape! We're also offering 10% off on the Aloes at this time.
The Stapelia scitula has been blooming for the last couple of weeks. (The correct name is probably Stapelia paniculata ssp. scitula, but either will work.)

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Class at Portland Nursery on Division

Sorry it's been so long since I posted to the blog. What can I say. We've been very busy.
Tomorrow, if you're interested, you can join me at 1 pm for a presentation on growing succulent plants at the Portland Nursery on Division (9000 SE Division St. in Portland). Even if you've been to another class I've given, no two are the same as I try to direct my comments to the needs of the people in attendance. You can register for the class here.
And Echinopsis 'Barber Pole' flowered again this week.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

x Gasteraloe 'Royal Highness'

No one seems to know who created this cross, but it's a classic. It's an intergeneric cross between an Aloe and a Gasteria, probably Aloe aristata and Gasteria 'Little Warty'.
We are busy preparing plants for the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale, July 17-19 at Portland Nursery, 5050 SE Stark St. in Portland. If you're in the area, be sure to show up.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Heat Wave

We're having an early heat wave here...and a very dry June. Today it was 98 F and the same or higher is expected for tomorrow. We're just not used to this!
This is Lobivia 'Easter Bonnet', which was flowering recently.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Hosta flower

The hostas flower just about any time they feel like it, year around. Be that as it may, we're getting a wonderful bunch of flowers right now. They never cease to amaze!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Friday, June 5, 2015

Epicactus 'Sparkling Burgundy'

This picture is a little dark. I took it in the morning before the sun got to that part of the greenhouse. Another outstanding epi flower.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Aloe 'Rocco'

We received this plant under this name but have not found it elsewhere. It appears to be one of the Kelly Griffin hybrids.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Epicactus 'Fifi'

The parade of epicactus flowers continues, this time with 'Fifi'. For the next couple of weeks it's going to be hard to keep up, what with a puppy taking most of our attention just as so many flowers are appearing. But, we'll try!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

47th Wedding Anniversary and More Puppy Pics

The top picture shows Latte on the right, along with his great aunt, Kiani; at least I think that's the relationship. Latte will probably be a little larger than Kiani when mature.
So today we celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary by taking care of Latte, our anniversary gift to each other! (We also spent a few hours at Powell's Book Store.)

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Disocactus phyllanthoides

Also known as Nopalxochia phyllanthoides, but the genus Nopalxochia doesn't have much support. The display this plant puts on is nothing short of fantastic.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Introducing "Latte", the newest member of our family

We have anew puppy. Joining Belgian Tervurens Osita and Kiani is Latte, just barely 10 weeks old. He's a handful, as a 10 week old should be, but he's fitting in quite well and has already been introduced to our miniature horse, Ladybug, who accepts him as one of the family.

Epicactus 'Madeline'

This is a fantastic, easy to grow epi, which flowers readily every Spring.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Haworthia chloracantha var. chloracantha

Back to some haworthias. It seems I'll have to get back out to the greenhouse with my camera to get some new photos of Echeverias. Soon.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Haworthia 'Manda's Hybrid'

It appears that nobody knows who Manda was or where this hybrid originated, and - judging by comments on the web - it appears to be disliked by far too many people. It's certainly not the flashiest of cultivars, but it's very easy to grow and is actually quite a handsome plant. It could easily be worked into one of the now very popular succulent gardens or living wreaths and I think it should be used more often.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Echeveria 'Lotus'

True to its name, Echeveria 'Lotus' possesses beauty in its simplicity. No fancy frills or tempting undulations, these plants exude an understated attractiveness.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Echeveria 'Aquarius'

I guess I shouldn't have posted this one. It reminds me that it's been far too long since we've taken a drive over to the Oregon coast. And Spring is one of the best times to go there. Now all we have to do is get some transmission work done on the car...yes, the one we just bought. Cars...bah humbug!

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Graptoveria 'Debbie'

OK, I said I'd be posting a series of Echeverias and this isn't an Echeveria. True enough. It's an Intergeneric hybrid, but echeveria is half of its heritage. Debbie is one of my favorites with such outstanding colors and form.

Echeveria 'Pink Frills'

Over the next couple of days I'll post some Echeverias in their growing trays. Almost all of our plants are grown in trays rather than individual pots. This one - 'Pink Frills' - is obviously named appropriately.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Our home.

Spring is a wonderful time. This is the entrance to our home. The greenhouses are in the back.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Church Stuff

For those who are interested, I'll be delivering the message at Northminster Presbyterian Church in North Portland again this coming Sunday. All are welcome.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Monday, February 16, 2015

Haworthia pygmaea var. argento-maculata

We had a small turnout but an enjoyable gathering of the Oregon Cactus & Succulent society at our home yesterday. For those in the area, we missed you.
The weather has been amazing for this time of the year. While the rest of the country is suffering extreme cold and, in some cases, lots of snow, we're setting records for warmth. We got toe 64F yesterday and today, and expect the same again for tomorrow. And it's dry, with no rain projected for the next week. Of course, the usual bulbs are flowering like gangbusters, so I guess Spring is on its way.
The program yesterday was on Haworthias so it's appropriate that I share a photo of Haworthia pygmaea var. argento-maculata, grown from seed collected at Cooper's Station.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Echeveria globulosa

This is a very small Echeveria, but what an outstanding form. We've been doing an inventory of our echeverias and we're adding this one.
As for local news, the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society will be meeting this coming Sunday afternoon, 3 pm, at our house (7009 N Fiske Ave.). I'll be doing a program on haworthias, and all are welcome.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Rhipsalis grandiflora

It's definitely heading toward Spring and flowers are beginning to pop out all over the place. This rhipsalis has a "grand" name but it's grand only in comparison to another rhipsalis - not in comparison to other cacti. However, they offer a nice counterpoint to the more extravagant flowers of some of the other plants. Enjoy your plants!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Rebutia krainziana crest

This is an old crest of a spineless form of Rebutia krainziana. It's one of my favorites of the various crests we have.

In past posts, we have said we were closing the nursery. For old plant people like us, that's easier said than done. We're again taking orders, at least for a couple of months. The listings are being updated this week, but it's a work in progress.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Epicactus 'Reward'

 
Almost every year, this is our first sign of Spring in the greenhouses. Outside, the snowdrops are going strong and the daffodils almost ready to bloom.
This last week was a terrible week for our cars. We finally gave up on the 1994 Ford Aerostar and now have a 2001 Toyota Sienna. Our old VW Beetle (1974) also left us stranded but it's running again with the replacement of part of the fuel line and filter.
Also this morning I preached again at Northminster Presbyterian Church and I think it went well.
I am so looking forward to Spring!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Echeveria globulosa

Echeveria globulosa is a nice, compact little echeveria, which - though small - can hold it's own in drawing attention. An outstanding plant.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Haworthia arachnoides var. nigricans VDV19

Another wonderful haworthia, but it couldn't be more different from the haworthia in the previous post. It's certainly a diverse genus and the names keep changing as more is learned about them. If you haven't started a collection of haworthias,...why not?