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!

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.)

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.

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.

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.

Echinopsis 'Barber Pole'

 

We always look forward to the flower of this old standard every year and it is dependable.

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!

Rebutia albipilosa

One thing about many of these rebutias: You never have to worry about flowers. Lots of flowers.

Echeveria 'Emerald Ripple'

This is one of those small echeverias with real class.

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.

Epicactus 'Clown'

Certainly a favorite. In our experience, not the easiest to grow but well worth it.

Echinocereus flowers

The epis are still blooming like mad, but now, also, it's time for the hedgehogs!

Euphorbia 'Whispers'

No comment needed.

Echeveria spruce-oliver

No need to say anything about these gorgeous little critters. Enjoy your plants!

Echeveria 'Glitters'

Fun little plants which, indeed, glitter in the sun.

Inside the Greenhouse

A view toward the north corner of greenhouse #1.

Epicactus 'Stormy Weather'

It's hard to keep up with all the epi flowers!

Epicactus 'Gloria'

The epis continue to show their stuff!

Sinningia cardinalis

Spring is definitely here when the Sinningia comes to life with it's vibrant flowers and fuzzy leaves.

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.

Epicactus 'Miss Escondido'

The epis continue to lead the way with their fantastic flowers throughout the greenhouse.

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!

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Our home.

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

Haworthia reticulata var. subregularis

Another beautiful haworthia, this one doesn't get as much attention as I think it should.

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.

Haworthia truncata var. maughanii

These are seed grown plants, getting to be quite impressive. The window patterns can be quite variable and unique.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Echeveria globulosa

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

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?