Cactus & Succulent Market in Essen on July 5th (6 pics)

Back to business :)

I have spent such a wonderful day in Essen. I think my friend was pretty bored but I needed to see all those lovely plants in detail so I was just wandering from table to table, letting the impressions sink in. I was also trying to listen to some conversations among cacti growers - those people can be quite eccentric! And I mean it in a best possible way.

Well, I knew where my journey was taking me from the start - to the Klaus Ingenwepelt's mesemb table. So, after I got myself a Sinningia (leucotricha?) and an Albuca spiralis at a very reasonable price (I wanted both for a while) I went straight there. I thought Mr. Ingenwepelt was a little skeptical towards me last year when I told him I grew my plant on a sunny windowsill. I was pretty sure he didn't take me seriously after that. But in fact he remembered me! And, as I reported to him that all his plants have survived and are doing fine, even the conophytums that were back then new to me, we started talking and I learned so much about his way of growing mesembs. Also, I didn't even know his book "Mittagsblumen, Eiskraut und andere Mesembs" has been released this year and now that I have it I'm going to study it cover to cover. As I've probably mentioned several times in this blog already - the way his plants are grown is my absolute goal. I was walking around for a while and when I came back to pick out the plants I wanted to buy from him (I got two boxes!) there was another grower at his table who made me blush very badly when he recognized me as Rika from the Lithops Stories blog right away. I still can not believe this. How did you do it? :) Thank you so much for reading my blog, please email me, I really want to stay in touch and I'm seriously thinking of going to Blankenberge this September. 

We started talking about our plants and all possible things and it was such an amazing experience. I think it was the first time for me to actually actively talk live with mesemb enthusiasts. Thank you so much for this!