Aloe flowers open + More succulent pictures

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Closer


Closer still.

While I had my camera equipment set up (cough - lamp turned on, stool in front of a large speaker) I decided to shoot a my Echeveria I'm still waiting on and another that's not going to flower soon but is offsetting nicely.



I think this might actually be Graptoveria 'Debbie' or 'Spirit of 76' - thoughts? It's already losing some colour from the lower light inside - it's a fantastic frosted pink outside in full sun.


Echeveria pulidonis?

Also thanks to Mr. Subjunctive (Congrats on your blogiversary!) Cactus Blog for the link love today.

Some flowers that missed Bloom Day

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These are both first time flowerers for me and even though I've got a pretty good idea what they'll look like they'll still be nice to see. I'm sure I won't be disapointed, both are beautiful even just in bud and regardless, I bought both of these plants for their leaves. The flowers are a nice bonus I hope to see soon! (You can see both (including leaves) in earlier stages of bud development here - The Aloe has been coming along much faster than the Echeveria.)



These are the soon to open buds of an Echeveria The whole things a frosted pink colour and the orange-pink of the buds looks like it'll be a nice touch.


For the record that's approximately my favourite colour in a flower. Not too different from the colour of the Echeveria on the lowest buds. I don't think the colour will spread to the tips so the effect of the open bloom may not quite live up to expectations but time will tell. Time will also tell if similarities to my Haworthia buds will carry through to the flowers.


In other news I'm planning a trip to Lee Valley Tools - one of my favourite stores but slightly out of the way. I needed wanted to pick up a few things but it's always worth getting everything you need in one trip so you don't have to go as often.

Looking around for a few things on their site (do they have these? I haven't seen them on their site, will ask in store - sounds like a perfect solution to my problem) I stumbled on a Self-Watering Patio Garden that looks exactly like one Mr. Brown Thumb reviewed. It's slightly more expensive than I might have wanted to pay but I may get one anyway. I had a really bad time with Tomatoes splitting and would really love not to have to deal with that next year. With the size of the container I could put two Tomato plants (all I usually grow) and all my herbs and in it and save space too which is huge when you're trying to fit as many plants as I am in as small a space as I have. Reviews I've read are strongly positive as well.

The waiting game: shoots and buds.

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I have a lot that will be going on sometime later. I've even got a few first blooms for some plants, and first re-blooms for others, which is pretty exciting, or at least it will be.



Unknown Aloe hybrid

Both of my new Aloes are in bud. I hope there will not be any complications from having to bring the one pictured inside when the temperatures drop too low, the other (Aloe descoingsii x Aloe haworthioides - couldn't get a clear picture of the tiny spike) is already inside and was when the bud showed up so I'm not so worried about that.



An Echeveria cv. in bud too, another first.

I've got some exciting action going on with the Orchids as well.



Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird' is in spike.


Aerangis biloba

I only just got the Neostylis this spring and usually it takes longer for me to get any results from my Orchids, so very happy with that spike. It's supposed to be fairly reliable at flowering more than once a year so with any luck I'll get another spike on it in the spring (it was flowering in February when I bought it).

The Aerangis has flowered for me before, though this year it looks like I'll only have one spike. The plant was allowed to get too dry too often this spring and I'm paying for it. The moss packed (densely) around the roots stayed wet for a long time so I removed it, and increased watering. At least, for a time. Then watering slowed, and the plant went downhill. I moved it to the plant stand where I'd have better access to it and watered more and new leaves started to grow so I've tied a looser layer of moss around the roots and it's definitely responding to the moss and the more frequent watering. Still, i didn't expect flowers after its mistreatment.



NOID Miltonia

This has been a slow grower for me, happy to see new growth though. Will keep it wetter next summer than I did this year.



NOID Cattleya

I've had this Cattleya for a long time with no results. This will be its fourth new shoot since I got it with no flowering yet. It will likely run out of pot next year and will have to be repotted. This year it spent the summer outside in full sun, which I'm hoping will get me something for my trouble. My Oncidium Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance' AM/AOS is not showing any signs of spikes after summering outside, and maybe it's too early but nothing yet from my Cymbidium. Night temperatures are dropping to single digits now so I'm really hoping to see something from the Cymbidium.

New Haworthia & Maybe an Aloe descoingii x Aloe haworthioides

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Likely Haworthia minima?


Possibly Aloe descoingsii x Aloe haworthioides

The second is a tiny plant, forming a decent looking clump in a 2.5" pot. Small hooks on the edges of the leaves and in a single row down the center of the leaf on the top surface and slightly offset from center on the bottom. Tubercles are fairly evenly distributed on the rest of the leaf surface.

I think it might be Aloe descoingsii x Aloe haworthioides. I assume it would prefer higher light than you can get away with with many Haworthia species?

Succulent ID

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This was found at Ikea. Aloe x ?






Any ideas?

Wish list addition: Succulents. All of them.

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I'll be perfectly honest with you: I don't have any succulents (pause while I think about that for a minute... no I think that's about right. Nothing in houseplants anyway).

But the internet is an enabler (people on the internet anyway).



Sedum rubrotinctum
(photo by Noodle snacks used under CC license from here)

Since I started reading garden and plant blogs I've noticed posts about various Aloes and Agaves and have seen Echeveria and Haworthias in stores and in people's posts and generally everything has been positive. Everyone who grows them likes them, I see them I like them, but I haven't ended up with any.



Aloe mitriformis - love the colours and the yellow thorns really pop.
(Photo by Stan Shebs used under CC license from here)

Then I find Far Out Flora shortly before their Senecio rowleyanus post. I've seen these at work all the time in tiny 4" hanging baskets and they were always interesting but I was never overly tempted by them. That's changed. Not to mention this post, this post (that frog planter is perfect I love that orange/pink/blue... plant) and oh my God I need an Aloe polyphylla.



Agave angustifolia var. marginata - been a fan of it for a while. Not sure on houseplant suitability and it looks a little big but I like it.
(Photo used under CC license from here)

Then at Plant Zone there's a link to Amazing Succulent & Cacti Photos and I'm done for. Again plants with that fantastic orange/blue/pink blend in muted tones like Lapidaria margeritae (Go here and do a search for "Lapidaria margeritae" - the first picture you'll find is the one I mean, the colours just don't pop as much in later pictures ) just get to me for some reason and i need one, or at least something with those colours.



Echeveria laui - there's that same pink/blue I mentioned above, minus the orange. Doesn't matter apparently, still love it.
(Photo by Fritz Geller-Grimm used under CC license from here)

Then as I was reading Life Among the Leaves I found a post on Aloes (mmm... Aloe brevifolia...) and another Haworthias...



Aloe polyphylla - anything with that a spiral pattern that strongly pronounced scores huge points with me. Have I mentioned my love of the Gesneriad genus Petrocosmia?
(Photo by Stan Shebs used under CC license from here)

I have two problems with starting a succulent collection - first, no bright windows are free (especially during the winter) and second, what places I might be able to squeeze one are small.



Echeveria 'Black Prince'
(Photo by Noodle snacks used under CC license from here)

But I'm going to get a few, just need a few suggestions of what is attractive &/or interesting ("&" is better, space is limited), fairly easy, and most importantly small (able to be kept in a 4 (to 6)" pot for a fairly significant amount of time. You should be able to get a good sense of what I like by the pictures & links above.

Thoughts? What are your top 3-5 favourite succulents that I should definitely look at?