next candidate

Most of my lithops are already showing their new leaves and getting all wrinkly. The other mesembs seem to have a growth spurt now that it's chilly. But one plant is still going to flower.

seed capsule

A couple of days ago I removed the dried up petals (bugs love to hide there) and was a bit surprised to find a seed capsule underneath. Sometimes you have two plants of the same kind flowering, want to get seeds, pollinate and nothing happens. And then you have one flower flowering all on its own and there's a fruit. Go figure. :)

hallii flower

Finally a white one :)

More to come~

Faucaria flower

The new Faucaria tigrina flower looks kinda messy but here it is. :D

schwantesii flower

I really like how the photos turn out in the natural evening light. A bit dark but so dreamy. Like the flowers are glowing from inside. I think the camera also recognizes the petals as a light source. :)

The flower on the schwantesii v. marthae C249 opened today. Such a beauty. The other head also has a bud inside so maybe this is not the last we see from this plant.

Aaaand in case you haven't noticed, the dorothea flower ist really huuuge this year!

Next would be the hallii, and then a karasmontana probably. White wave. :)

mini-greenhouse update

It's getting green-ish. :)

Dorothea flower today

Aaah the silky flower in the evening sun. :)

A rescue mission for Frithia

I've been near the local garden center and just had to peek inside. The result is I've found a Frithia (fairly sure it's a pulchra). It was in a shape you would expect: some of the leaves bloated and burst, some half rotten, humus soil soaked. But you know me. I couldn't leave it there. So I brought it home, washed it (several leaves have come off as soon as I touched them - that's how bloated it was - and most of the root) and laid it out to dry. I will pot it tomorrow. I don't think the chances for this plant to survive are high but we'll see.

white flower coming up

Another flower bud discovered today. I think I've never had a hallii flower before. Looking forward to it. :)

Avonia quinaria update

There's still a possibility that I've missed it but I don't think so. The flower opened a little in the evening as it was already getting dark so maybe it's not the season. Or it didn't have the strength. But it tried and certainly deserves some credit for that. :) 

This just in

It's happening. Another Avonia quinaria ssp. alstonii flower is about to open. :) Will post pics as soon as it does~

It's a little unusual that the flower has developed out of the caudex/very short branch instead of a longer branch.

more room for the fulvis

Initially there were three plants in each of these two pots but then this spontaneous regeneration happened and the plants started squeezing and pushing each other. I've moved the smaller ones to a separate pot (with some other Lithops of course, there's no room to spare!) to let the remaining plants grow nicely. It's pretty strange that they've almost digested this year's leaves already. I'm not watering them but will probably do that after they're done. Still, winter is coming and what do I do then? If I water them normally I already see them turning into cucumbers. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Oh well, at least these troublemakers look pretty. :)

flowering season update 4

My Faucaria tigrina has grown several new leaves since I got it and the (second) flower bud has developed to the point of opening any day now. I couldn't take a proper picture of the first one so I'll try it this time. ;)

Also, I just couldn't resist to snap a couple more shots of the greenhorn flower. The older it is the more amazing it gets. It was really sparkling and glowing in the evening sun yesterday and even as it set the glow was still on the petals. I think no photo can capture it. 

Are there any poems about mesemb flowers? There should be. :)

Collector's curse

I know I probably shouldn't have done it but I've moved some pots around to make room for my mini greenhouse. Seeing how you all sow lithops seeds these days I had to do so, too. :) Hopefully something germinates~

News from the Delosperma seedlings

My almost 6 months old Delosperma seedlings don't look like what I expected. Plants on the photos online seem to grow in length and crawl on the ground. Mine are very compact and round bushes which I like a lot, since there's no room here for them to "crawl" or engage in any other activities. Out of each of the very first leaves have grown a couple of new branches which have now kinda stopped (maybe preparing for winter?).

The most interesting about the plants is that they seem to love water. After a sunny day the leaves just drop like they have lost all will to live, and with a little water they are firm again by the morning. I think I've been watering them everyday in summer.

Questions to the experts: How do I care for it in the cold months? Is there something else I need to do except water them less?

The yellow leaves are actually those very first leaves they've grown. And check out the surface texture! It's hard to keep dust away. :)

PS. You can see these plants grow here, here and here, and the parent plant's beauty here. ;)

flowering season update 3

It's fall outside but flower-time inside. :)

Soon my Crassula rupestris will be in full bloom!
PS: Not sure if it's a good thing. The flowers smell like cheese....

flowering season update 2

So here is the promised pic~

It is astonishing that the flower has developed. I first discovered the bud back in July and since it didn't grow I assumed it would dry up. Sometimes it happens. But it just waited for the proper time to bloom. :)

Never seen such a thing before!

My 5-headed helmutii monster has gotten huge this year and will get a strict diet this winter. BUT this post isn't about that. ;) Look on the second pic - the plant develops side shoots! They look a bit weird but they are there and they're growing. How is this possible? Lithops never fail to surprise :)

flowering season update

Finally something is happening among the Lithops. The Greenhorn has been flowering the whole week but I had to go out of town when it started without taking a picture. It's still at it so I'll try to shoot it today. And there are a couple more flowers to come. Two buds are on the schwantesii and...

... one on the dorotheae. The latter has been flowering three years in a row and always from one head. I should have marked it somehow to see if it's the same or different head every time. :)

Other Lithops look good but kinda sleepy, especially the seedlings. No change at all... or I just don't notice it. For now I'm just looking forward to the flowers. :)