Aloinopisis Aloides

These little South African succulents always surprise me when they bloom. I never seem to realize there is a bud getting ready to open, and then there it will be. They bloom in the fall here since they originate below the Equator and their seasons are not the same as...

Tiger Jaws-Faucaria Tigrina

Faucaria tigrina, commonly called tiger jaws because of the shape of the leaves and the fact they have teeth-shaped appendages on the edges of the leaves that give the appearance of an open mouth full of teeth, are from South Africa. Mine tend to bloom late in the...

Ariocarpus Retusus and Ariocarpus Trigonus

I bought my first ariocarpus several years ago, maybe around 2005 or earlier, an ariocarpus retusus, and it just sort of sat there. Time passed and it finally grew enough to be repotted. Then last year in the fall it surprised me with a bloom. And then this year,...

A Late Summer Surprise

  I brought several echinocactus home from the Marfa, Texas, area a few summers ago, thinking they were another form of horse crippler. Turns out they are related, but not considered horse cripplers. Several that I have bloomed early in the Spring, and I enjoyed...

Pink as Pepto-Bismol in the Cactus Garden

May is the month I always look forward to in terms of cactus flowers. My cold hardy cactus out in the big cactus garden traditionally start to bloom the second week in May. This year with the terrible weather and the late freezes, the echinocereus, commonly called...

Neoporteria

Neoporteria. I bought this cactus several years ago because I liked the white spines, but was very pleasantly surprised and pleased when it bloomed-and bloomed and bloomed! The flowers last four or five days, and it will bloom off and on all year. So I highly...

Mammillaria Echinocactus Echinopsis

  Mammillaria echinocactus echinopsis before blooming. The buds are becoming visible around the last ring of wooly aeroles. This picture was taken on January 20, 2013. This is the same plant on February 13, 2013.  The buds are beginning to open. On February...

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana, Yellow

I have shared the red kalanchoe with you earlier, and it is blooming even more now- but here is the same plant in yellow. This kalanchoe will bloom off and on all year, so it is a nice additions to your collection. There is also a pink variety, but I don’t have that...

Aloe Variegata

Aloe variegata hybrid. I took these two pictures on February 2nd. A short eight days later, two more blooms appeared- Bless its heart! Just blooming its little head off! The plant itself is attractive; the blooms are fun. I highly recommend it for your collection.