Yes! Do you have a title and publisher yet so we can keep our eyes peeled? (I know the process of finally getting a book out can get interesting at times...)

And , I will look forward to your book on sempervivums even more enthusiastically! I like iris, but for whatever reason they have never captured me the way semps have...

And is there a place on ATP for book reviews? Since your writing about publishing reminded me, I'd also like to give another plug to Andrea Wulf's two books --now out in paperback -- on how European and American cultivars were brought to trade --mostly in the 18th century, thanks to a circle of impassioned plantsmen: "The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire, and the Birth of an Obsession," Vintage Books (Knopf) 2010 and "Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature and the Shaping of the American Nation," Vintage Books (Knopf) 2012. Even the New York Times thought them "Illuminating and engrossing!" Even though they are pretty much all about plants! For anyone even slightly interested in plants and history, once you start, they are hard to put down. MR

MR,

Thanks I need a couple "good reads" for the winter. I'll not start writing another book until after the iris convention next spring.

My book will come out next spring. "Beardless Irises: A Plant for Every Gardening Situation" by Schiffer Press.

Kevin

Not the semp book?

Lynn,

Oh no. I don't have a publisher or anything yet. I am gathering references and deciding what should be included and in what depth. I mean this is no trivial enterprise! You don't write a sentence without having to check to make sure what you have written is accurate.

Am not sure I want my office to look like a wreck for another year or two plus I have that little matter of the busloads of people coming to my yard next spring. It took two full years of writing and research to generate the beardless iris book. Luckily there I had access to all the journals back to the 50's so there were very few gaps and Keith Keppel was able to fill a few of the holes in for me.

Kevin

I guess I am just a little impatient, and so looking forward to seeing a book on sempervivum, written by you.

Guess we'll just wait, what else can we do!!

springcolor said: Guess we'll just wait, what else can we do!!

We could try nagging... No, of course we won't do anything like that; just gentle, timely reminders!

Kevin, we semp lovers truly need a book! I don't think you can find a single book about semps anywhere, and in a world drowning with publications, that is saying a lot!

Mother Michaela just brought me 2 books on carnivorous plants from the library: "The Savage Garden" by Peter D'Amato and "Carnivorous Plants" (now there's a creative title!) by Adrian Slack. All because I just mentioned them. But has she been able to find a single book on semps? No!

Even the book about green roofs hardly mentions them -- they get lumped together with other succulents and no mention of the roofs with nothing but semps you can find in some parts of the world where they know they are needed to keep you safe... (No, I'm not trading my my Christianity for the worship of Jove's Beard; I'm just wanting equal time for the most beautiful plant in God's creation! )

And now (where is the creative light bulb smiley??) it just occurred to me: Kevin, can't you put your friends at ATP to work for you? We could help with the research, photographs etc. (?) I've just been reminded that I need to get to work on the monastery's next publication newsletter... Given the way I operate, if I have another, more enjoyable task to hold as a carrot in front of me I'll be better able to keep working on my chore tasks...

Don't know if you have noticed but the blooms on 'Pacific Spring Frost' are much larger than the the majority of sempervivum. Almost struck me as being a tetraploid because of its larger size. However, there are tet arachnoideums that are no bigger than the diploid ones. Anyway, I self pollinated the stalk to see what sort of seedlings it might produce. It is a nice one anyway but the blooms were especially impressive.

Kevin

Kevin, did you see this photo by Beatrix Bodmeier, from Bavaria, Germany?


I remember seeing that semp in your garden. That is not one I have, so I will have to come soon and get more photos of it. It wasn't in bloom when I was there last time.

Lynn,

Yes the color is right and the flowers are BIG. You are welcome to plants too Lynn. It is a nice one.

Just in from gathering another 20 or so seed heads. Am building new seedling beds like crazy as I will have almost a Skrocki sized crop next spring. However, just think what fun it will be in '16 when all those seedlings are mature.

Kevin

I will only be harvesting 3 or 4 seed stalks this year. I will have a seedling bed available for next year. The seedling from this year are still in the gallon jug.
As soon as I clear out the tomato plants from the one bed I will be rowing the seedlings out.

Good heavens Kevin, my mind is still reeling from what we will seeing 2015, can't even picture what 2016 will look like.

And I have not even heard of 'Pacific Spring Frost' How exciting! Now I have to check out what the semp looks like!!

Rats! I was hoping to be getting my beds ready for next year this week. Hope we get another few days of warm weather when I get home! MR

It will all be waiting for you when you get back home MR.

Yes, but if it's too cold I'm not able to get out and work with the damaged nerves I've got... "If only" we had weather like they have here in Southern California. Oh well. As God wills! (That's the translation for an Arabic saying both Christians and Muslims use very frequently in the Middle East -- they have a lot to live with and it helps get them through. Me too! ) MR

My weather just turned really weird again. After several days of really hot weather a front moved through and we got HAIL!!! Very late for this stuff.

MR, I now that damp cold makes my bones ache so I don't get out too much when the weather turns.

Here is a pic of what sounded like baseball size hail but was pretty much moth ball size, Ugh .. That is a sidewalk out there not normally a stream bed. Also my semps in those pots are getting beat up.


as are the aloe and semps on my patio too

Oh My, Marilyn, looks like snow and winter making a stop in your yard...betcha you're real hesistant about checking those pots again, huh? On the bright side, they did get watered? My update here is that my house finally got its first coat of paint and then 3 hours later, it rained cats and dogs. Two more hours went by and it rained cats and dogs again. I was anxiety ridden that the painters weren't going to come back soon to do the 2nd coat...
Anyway, hope all is OK and thanks for the update.

Almost an hour and all that hail is still piled up out there, but it is just raining now. Some areas got up to 1/2 dollar size hail, ouch that hurts!!!

The good thing is I can no longer say ... maybe I should clean up the pots with the annuals.
They are gone!!! so I have no more excuses. I will wait till about Wednesday to see if any permanent damage
was done.

And I had not gotten a good picture of my Pacific .... Semp. Nuts.

Marilyn take care, that does look like snow! That a lot of hail!

Wow, I thought at first it had snowed Marilyn, until I enlarged the first photo, then read what you posted.
The pots under the trees may have been spared any real damage to the hardy succulents. Let us know how they came through.

It has threatened most of the day here to rain. Just now starting up a drizzling rain. I have cleared up two beds now, they are ready for fall, winter and spring. The beds look almost empty.