Succulent NOID

Yes, another succulent with no identification!

I got this one last Friday (where I debated between it and another I purchased the following morning). I'm leaning towards it being a Echeveria, although it could possibly be a Sempervivum or possibly even something else.

I loved it's colouration; the pictures don't really do it justice. The tips of the leaves are also pink.

I debated adding it to the multi-succulent planter, but I really liked the look of it on its own; it does really suit the individual round pot. I also wouldn't mind if it sprouted some offsets, although I guess I could pick some of the leaves at the bottom and try propagating it that way.

This is definitively one of my favourite succulent in the house!

My first multi-succulent planter

If I am totally honest, this was not the entry I intended to post next. I had processed the pictures I wanted to use for it earlier today in order to have them ready for a week post, but seeing how many pictures there were and thinking of things to say (which I might forget along the way), I realized I don't have time for such a post over the week. And this blog is too new for me to just want to post pictures and leave (which take no real time).

My addiction to succulents slowly growing, after having made a purchase last Friday night where I made myself decide between two different (unnamed) succulents and finally deciding on one (post to follow), I kept thinking of the other, then thought that the one I left behind might be a Echeveria Perle von Nurnberg (PVN) so guess where I ended up Saturday morning...yeah.

On the way to the store I also decided that I was going to go ahead with something else I was thinking about, which was to buy one of the large but shallow pots I've been eying and buy a few additional succulents and bring them altogether, and hope that this would quench my thirst for additional succulents, at least for a little while (yeah right...)

So after deliberating which other succulent to purchase from the small selection (how I wanted a different variety of "grapey" looking sedum from what I already had), I made my pick of two additional potted succulents and took some small pieces that had fallen off/were broken off others and figured it was a good starting point.

I also meant to take pictures of the individual plants still in the containers they came in, but didn't.

Overall view

The large succulent in the bottom left "corner" (picture above) is the one I believe to be an Echeveria PVN. I'm curious to see what it will look like after a few weeks sitting near my south facing window. I'm hoping the colour will improve (and the overall shape). It does, however, bear a close resemblance to other pictures of Echeveria PVN I've looked at on other websites.

Echeveria Perle von Nurnberg?

I have no idea what the following succulent is called, nor do I really know what family it belongs to. But I found it to look nice and liked it and it became the second one I picked for this planter.

Unnamed succulent

This little bit of succulent between the Echeveria and the aforementioned unnamed succulent was falling off the mother plant, so I took it home. Not sure if it'll survive, but it gives it a second chance.

Below is the third one I purchased. Again, I'm unsure what it might be, and given that the plant was located on the bottom shelf with more plants behind it, it didn't get the nicest exposure to light, it is likely not in the best shape it could be. Having looked around, it does reminder me of an Echeveria 'Set-Oliver'. So until I hear or figure out otherwise, I'll consider this one an Echeveria.

Echeveria 'Set-Oliver' maybe?

 

Finally, I have two more sets of cuttings. The one pictured above was from a plant that also was on the bottom shelf and somewhat in the way so some branches were snapped - and I figured I'd give them a second chance as well. The ones below were from a plant that, although not on the bottom shelf, was on a shelf with larger cacti and some "not for sale" plants that get moved around so was in the "way" - some branches fell off and others were snapped so I picked up three little pieces. Hoping these do root as I really like the variegated leaves and it would look nice draping over the lip of the planter.

I said somewhere above that I had hoped that bringing together this larger planter would satisfy me for a little bit and stop me wanting to go out and get more succulents. Sadly, it seems the addiction is growing stronger and I'm pondering where else I could find a larger selection of (hopefully properly identified) succulents in my city. I need to keep telling myself that space is limited and my existing plants will grow...but not sure how effective it'll be!

Another NOID Succulent

This one I bought along with the Haworthia or Aloe (still unsure). I do believe this one is a type of Echeveria, although which one I couldn't say. Initially I thought maybe it was a Perle Von Nurnberg (PVN), but I am not so sure anymore; in fact, the only reason I thought it was, was because of it's pink/purple colour, but now I think the leaves are too narrow and possibly too "fat" to be a PVN.

April 12, 2014

April 12, 2014

April 12, 2014

The pictures above were taken shortly after I brought it home. It looked quite etiolated, but is now in front of my largest south facing window and I think it is enjoying it there. I think it has started to take a better form, leaves are slowly tightening towards the center and baby plants (or possible future flower stem, I don't know) that were there when I purchased the plant, although hidden, are now much more obvious to spot. I don't think it's because those parts have grown, so much as the existing leaves got out of their way.

The following pictures were taken yesterday, and I think you can see that the there has been some progress in shaping (and even in colouring!)

April 26, 2014

 

April 26, 2014 

April 26, 2014

This succulent might not be the PVN I was looking for (and who knows if I'll ever have one, given the difficulties around finding properly tagged succulents around here), but it is a lovely specimen all the same!

Easter cactus update

Update?

Well yes!

Almost two weeks ago I posted about my new Easter cactus (Hatiora gaertneri) and how happy I was to have finally found one. However, it's flower buds were mostly tiny and the entire plant looked like this.

Two weeks ago

So what does it look like now? Well none of the buds have opened yet, but I don't think they are very far!

Today!

Although we had a late Easter this year, the plant "missed the boat" as far as blooming for it's namesake. That is perfectly fine with me - the whole Spring got delayed this year. I do, however, keep checking it every morning so to catch that first opened bloom!

And for some time I meant to post an entry about how good I was behaving. On a few occasions, I have returned to the store from which I purchased my lovely orange Easter cactus, tempted to get another. Sadly, most of the available plants that were a different colour weren't in as good a shape, and had some stains on them that might have been left by water, but I didn't want to chance it being mealy bugs. So everytime I left empty handed and was quite proud of this feat.

(I'll also add that although most of the other colours available had buds that were far more advanced than the plant with orange flowers, none of them, as of yesterday, were opened  yet either).

Anyways, good thing I didn't post about that bit of self control because....I brought another Easter cactus home. Not from the same store and I have to say, from all the Hatiora gaertneri I looked at over these past weeks, this one seemed one of the healthiest ones (although even if my orange one is smaller, I do think it's healthier and more plump over all, even if this new one is bigger).

The flower buds are a magenta colour and I'm curious to see what they'll look like when they open. I don't think my regular store had this exact shade either.

I am now quite satisfied with the Easter cacti I have - and I do have a few cuttings from other coloured plants (from segments that had fallen off their mother plant) going so we'll see how they thrive.

Signs of Spring

Living in a townhome, I don't have the biggest property. I have a small flower bed in my front yard (northern exposure) and a mixed garden in the back (southern exposure). Obviously, I see signs of growth in the backyard for some time before anything really shows up in the front.

These pictures were taken April 19th and showcase some of the plants that have shown some new buds in the backyard.

Hosta buds

More hosta buds (different variety)

Echinacea (need to weed!)

Irises - they have really multiplied this year!

Name is escaping me right now...

(Monster) Delphinium

Regular chives

Garlic chives

Lemon thyme

Unknown succulent

I took the pictures in this post over a week ago - just to show that I did intend to post earlier but got sidetracked. I also tried to find out more about this plant; unfortunately, like many of the other succulents I find in stores around here, it came with no label, or at least no helpful label ("assorted succulent" doesn't do much in terms of identification).

I purchased this plant from a big box store that will go unnamed, and not a store I like to generally go to. But it has been a store where I've been lucky about finding Thanksgiving cacti in the past so I thought maybe they would carry Easter cacti (this was when I was still hunting around for one). They didn't have any, but it appears that they had received an array of succulents that day, or might have had them for a few days but kept the two trays out of reach and therefore intact. The price for for the plant and clay pot was quite reasonable so I ended up bringing two plants home (the other one will have it's own post).

Initially, I thought it was a type of Haworthia, but as I looked online, I started wondering if it might be some type of aloe. I'm still unsure. I was actually debating between this one and a "typical" Haworthia that I can find just about anywhere, so this one won due to the fact that it appears more unique and rare around here. And I did love the touch of peachy salmon colour.

It also came with several little pups, although at this time I have no intention of separating them, mostly because I wouldn't know how (must do some reading) and because I only have so much space left for plants. I might move it into a larger container if it starts looking too cramped.

It used to sit by my patio door, one of the two locations that gets the most direct sunlight (southern exposure). While the other succulent I bought along it as really seemed to enjoy the sun, this flowers that were to be on this one dried up so I have since moved it a little further back, and along the window facing East. It seems to be enjoying it there.

TBT - Crocus (2010)

I know I posted pictures of crocuses not too long ago, but I can't help it. I think this week-end I'll go looking around for some to take pictures of - hoping I didn't miss the window to do so. It can get unpredictable to say when they will come out, but I'm fairly certain this year is going to be a late year.

Sedum (NOID)

I took these pictures a while ago, best to get posting!

This Sedum, of which I don't know anything else as the tag was most unhelpful,  was purchased a few weeks ago, when I kept stumbling what is somewhat commonly referred to donkey tail.

While I am not sure if it is the same plant, I am convinced that it is at least from the same family. The leaves (?) are also quite fragile and it was obvious that most other identical plants in the store had lost a few of them during shipping. The other pots seemed to only have three plants in them, so I was quite happy when I found one with four!

Finding this one prompted me to read more on sedums and it appears I have a different kind of sedum growing in my garden. I never really knew what it was, I was given a cutting by my mother.

So far it seems happy where I've placed it in my home. I've finding it quite interesting to look at, especially given it's different texture from my other plants, so I hope it thrives.

TBT - revisiting the Orchid show, circa 2009

My first "Throwback Thursday" (TBT) on this blog!

Let's see if I can make it a routine.

In honour of the upcoming local Orchid show, I have decided to post some of the pictures I took at the event five years ago!

I didn't write down the names, and even if I did, I'm not sure I wouldn't have lost this information.

I'm debating going again this year. It would solely be for the pictures, as my luck with growing orchids is not great. I did do fairly well with some Phalaenopsis a few years back, getting one particular plant to bloom a few times, but then they had appeared to have caught some disease and that was the end of that experiment. Being at the show might make me want to purchase again, hence the dilemma!

Jade (Crassula ovata)

Time to showcase another of my indoor plants, this time my Jade or Crassula ovata.

I grew it from a very small cutting I got from my boyfriend's brother, likely back in 2008.  He had both a very large plant and one growing as a tree. I quite liked the look of the tree.

It is placed in one of my favourite planters. which I would agree is a bit big for the Jade, but it is what fits the best in it out of what I have on hand. As of now, the planter is doing a pretty good job at hiding the rather ordinary and not in any way interesting looking plastic pot in which the Jade is actually planted.

I only ever transplanted it once, which was a few weeks ago. It was time to move it from it's 4 inch pot to a larger 6 inch pot; it was completely root bound and I'm sure some fresh soil could only do good.

On a few occasions I thought I was going to lose it, initially because I over watered it. However, it proved to be resilient and I have since only watered it when the soil looks quite dry.

To keep the "tree" look going, I recently took off a few new shoots that I found were growing a little too low on the stem and just placed these on some soil. Two of them have started to sprout roots!

 Tiny roots!

The three Jade cuttings (and a sedum leaf)

Given that the mature one was six years in the making, I don't expect the cuttings to get tall anytime soon, but it is always a fun experience to start a new plant from an existing plant and I know this one won't take much space anytime soon!