Final Preparations for Plant Sale

Tomorrow's the day when all these plants get packed off to the sale site, and this is just a very small sampling of the plants we'll be taking. We're not the only vendor. On Friday, when it all begins, I'll be at the site from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and also on Saturday. Then we get a short day on Sunday - 8 am to 5 pm - with me taking a break in late morning to officiate at my church, substituting for the pastor who will be out of town.

In other words, I don't think I'll be posting anything for a few day. In the meantime...

Enjoy your plants!

Mammillaria zielmanniana

While I was preparing plants for the sale this weekend I was again impressed by the variation in flower color with Mammillaria zeilmanniana. As an example, observe the following four plants I potted up today. They're all M. zeilmanniana, but what a difference.

Some botanists now place this with in M. crinita, but when you've been around these plants for as many years as we have, it's kind of hard to change.

A warm welcome to those of you who are new to the blog. In general, I keep the talk at a minimum and let the photos do their thing. But I welcome your comments and feedback. Once in a while, when I'm more awake, I may go into the background of a particular plant. But mainly, I hope you enjoy the images.

Lynn-Marie (my wife) and I co-own a small succulent nursery and the blog is a part of that. But though we would love to have you check out our nursery, the purpose of the blog is not to sell plants but to increase interest in and enjoyment of these fascinating plants.

Rebutia krainziana

Rebutia krainziana is cooperating for the sale this coming weekend. They're putting on quite the performance, and they should still be blooming this weekend.

I know that many have reduced this to a variety or a subspecies but I don't even remember what species they placed it under. But, though I try to keep up, I don't claim to be a botanist or a taxonomist...just a grower of plants we've always been fascinated with.

Lithops

We've been holding back this Lithops plant for three years now. This is its third set of leaves and the variegation remains as it was in each previous set. We'll see what happens this year.

Today was one continuous process of potting up plants. It'll be the same for the next three or four days until my grandson and I transport the plants to the sale site. We don't own a large truck, so it takes about 4 or 5 trips in our Ford Aerostar Minivan. They don't make the Aerostars any more, but it has several advantages, the most of which is that it has plenty of head room. We can even carry Ladybug (the mini horse) in the back!

Agave guiengola 'Creme Brulee'

The coloration on these plants has been outstanding this year. Eventually they will grow to be very large, like the non-variegated species. But it's not especially cold hardy, taking temps down to the upper 20s F but objecting to anything lower. So...for warmth deprived areas such as ours, it makes a great larger pot specimen which is brought into cover during the cold of winter. Well worth the effort.

Rebutia perplexa

Too tired to write much, but had to share this pic of a tray of Rebutia perplexa flowering. Enjoy.

Flowers popping out all over. This is Mammillaria mystax.  It's hard to keep up with all the flowers at this time of the year.

It's also one of the nicest times of the year around our humble abode. But does it ever keep us busy.

White flowered Epicactus

We received this plant many years ago, simply named "Large White". Well, it is. And it blooms dependably every year. So, I thought I'd share it with you.