I went to the cactus and succulent club meeting tonight and couldn't resist a tiny Haworthia truncata. They are slow growing so I need to find it a good spot where the cats won't knock it over and basically forget about it for a while. Isn't it cute though?

That is really cute! I have one, but it isn't as compact as it was (I think its seeking light) They're a great plant though!

That's a cutie pie! Another one for my wish list

Very interesting.

Here's mine...alone and then in its home :biggrin:

Bowl of Gasteria and Haworthia

Cool Greg! I am trying to decide whether to transplant it to a small container, leave it in the little plastic pot it is in, or make a grouping like you have. I need to figure out the easiest way to keep the cats from knocking it over. Gardening with cats, never easy. They did warn me that it grows very slowly and that I will need to protect it from the summer rains. I'll figure out how to do that later, not sure now how I can get it full sun and no rain.

Had to show off my Gasteria Planting to show comaraderie with Greg's Gasteria/Haworthia planting...

Really nice!! I love the group plantings, and those small black rocks really look good.

Bev - very nice! I like!! Thanks for sharing photos!
Jonna, I don't know that these guys need that much sun, I think its just filtered light that they like...but I could be wrong! This may be why mine is getting leggy They are lovely plants though!! I like crested or truncated plants!
Cheers, can't wait to see what you end up doing with your plant!

Greg, re filtered light, it could be. I bought it from the club secretary and she said it was outside at this time of year but that she puts them in the greenhouse in the summer. The greenhouse they have is more a slight shade and rain protection than a northern greenhouse. I doubt it has walls. So, perhaps I can put mine on the terrace off my bedroom in the summer, that has a mosquito net roof and 4 walls so I can put plants in different corners for sun or not. The mosquito net breaks up the summer deluges into more of a misty type of rain and I can use palms to keep most of that off of it.

Jonna, as I was reading your post I was trying to think "where does she live, with this environment - Hawaii?" Then I saw you're in MX! How lovely!! Your plant will love the warmth there! My biggest winter challenge with my Haworthias is chilliness! They don't like too much cold, and I don't like too much heat!

I'm indulging my love of warmth in my retirement so I agree with my plants

Seattle is a beautiful city, I have spent a lot of time there and have good friends there. Like my home state of Calif it is too cold for me now though, I'm too well adjusted to the warmth of the tropics. I don't even use AC in the summer, although I have it in my office and the guest bedroom. I've been known to retreat to the office and put it on dehumidify on some of the sweltering afternoons in May, once the rains start in June I'm ok with the heat.

It's the rains that I worry about for my plants, many of them don't like either the amount of water or the alkalinity of it. I've tested rain that is over 8 in PH, I don't know how that happens but some other gardeners here have said that it is the limestone dust and sand blown into the air. Lots of acid loving plants do poorly in the summer (rainy season) or die completely. Since it rains almost every evening I can't run around and move everything in and out of the sun/rain every day so I've just given up on some things.

Yes, that is a challenge! And I can just see you attempting exactly that - running around moving your plants in and out of the rain!! Its funny how we often have to change our plant list based on where we've moved! As I've gotten into these cold hardy succulents, like Sempervivum and Sedums, than I've been happier with what I'm growing! Although I do have to provide summer part/shade, and winter full sun...easily acheived by cutting back bushes nearby in autumn and letting them grow back up through spring Seattle in springtime is amazing though, with so much in bloom!

Place a plastic sheet on top of the mosquito netting. That should take care of the rain. This dust and pollution making the rain alkaline. Jonna it should be the initial ten minutes or so of rain that should be alkaline and the dust should have washed away. What about the rain PH after a decent interval? This is the first time I have heard of rain with a PH of 8, I wonder why. This dust problem we also have but PH after the initial period of washing the atmosphere is acidic.
We will be having wonderful acidic rain for next five days. My yellow jasmine and roses have started to sprout.
Regards,
Arif.
PS. Could you send me the link for the South American flora please.

I'll have to try the PH test again this summer, I was really surprised when I did it before. I thought perhaps the bucket I used to catch the rainwater was the cause so I washed it. Then, the next night I waited until it had been a downpour for about a half hour before I caught the next sample, it was the same. I can't explain it. The rain is so heavy that I can't imagine dust staying in the air but then, why is the PH high? The water from my RO tank tests at an even 7 so the test kit seems to be working...???

I may have a solution for my little plants. We had a superbowl party tonight and someone brought a cake from a bakery with one of those heavy, clear plastic lids. I saved the lid and will try putting it over the small plants in the afternoons to keep the rain off. I can't put plastic over the mosquito netting, it's about 20' in the air and I can't get to it.

Which link do you mean Arif? The one I posted before? I can find it I think.

The one you posted to on the Aroids forum about the Latin American countries. That link is on my machine which has gone for repairs. I would be grateful.
About the PH, you have caught my attention. Funny kind pf phenomena. Could you do a hardness test also for DH values. If it is lime dust in the atmosphere then the water should be hard also. I thought rain water was the closest to distilled water the acidity was due to the sulfur content in the atmosphere.
20 foot high, does it have to do anything with security? Don't be surprised, we sail under same circumstances. Plastic dish idea is good another one can be a roll up awning which you might have seen over shop front display windows. Mediterranean/Moorish style. We use it to protect our windows from the mid day sun in summer. Fabric colour depends on taste.
Regards,
Arif.

Is it one of the links on this page? The thread "El Morro Beach" in Philodendrons, Elephant Ears, and Other Aroids forum

I don't know what DH is, I used the test kit that I use for my ponds. Our water is very hard, 8.5 and up depending on the source. I have a water softener system for the house water but also have a well that is not softened.

We have very high ceilings here, it helps a lot to keep the rooms cooler. The terrace screening I'm talking about is above an interior second floor bedroom terrace and to get to that roof requires a tall ladder and more dexterity than I have these days, more courage too. We do also have high garden walls but more for privacy, tradition and, in my case, to keep my cats in the garden. We did have a burglar once, he came in from the roof as all the houses in the center of town where I live are touching each other. We held the dogs downstairs and called the police and they caught him after chasing him across the rooftops. After that, we put an iron gate on the door to the roof!

Got it, the Field Museum one. Thank you.
Your description of the houses there reminds me about this part of the world. No difference that is why I have started to use some very vicious plants for protection. Our people can out maneuver any thing barbed, razor, etc but get stuck when they meet a plant obstacle.
Regards,
Arif.