Finally! I found my Kalachoe tetraphylla (or thyrsiflora) 'Flapjack' locally. I've been wanting one for some time (even though I don't still collect succulents - ha!). Yesterday at WM I found this beauty stuffed under a shelf. They do so much damage to their plants crowding them into what could rarely be considered optimal growing conditions. You'd think they would remedy some of that and have less $ loss when they die.

Well, enough. I'm really celebrating my beautiful new farinose plant! It will get so much redder now that I pulled it out of the darkness and into the sunlight.

Great!!

Lookin' good! I was just reading about them.... here: 10 outstanding succulents http://www.finegardening.com/p...

Very nice Tee!

Thanks, Greg.

Well, I didn't mean to ignore Hetty and Sheryl in that last response. My apologies. Sometimes I'm in too big of a hurry. I didn't see your post with the top 10 outstanding succulents, Sheryl. I'll bet each of us has a 10 list.

I just thought I was special Tee
Sheryl really like the link, such great photos
Thanks

lol. I'm sure you are special, Greg.

And what would be your Top 10 favorite/best succulents be?

Tee, first of all its such a challenging choice...
I like rosette shapes so echevaria, (cold hardy are of course semps...love those - because of where I live, I think if I lived somewhere that I could have echeveria in the ground that would be my fav.)
oh and I also like plump so c. graptopetalum,
I like small so Haworthias
and I like large so Aeonium tabiluforme
I like easy so Kalanchoe kiwi or fedtschenkoi
Like interesting so pencil tree
Like fuzzy so more echeveria
Love all sedums!
Just noticed one last bloom on my christmas cactus, or maybe since it didn't bloom this year, its the first blooms!!!
Finally I like the regalness of Jade trees

How's that for an answer...check semp threads, I'm known to be long winded, sorry (not sorry really! - Italian!)

No need to apologize. The question didn't warrant a short answer.

Good choices all. Echeveria is probably my first choice as well. Love those things. ♥

I love succulents also because they're so easy to propagate! Just seems like a "will to live" type of plant which encourages me!

Tee: Love your "Flippin Flapjack". I purchased one about a month ago at Home Depot ... same situation with the not so optimal growing conditions! I think all the growers/vendors pack them tight for shipping and when they reach their destination the garden centers just shove them on and under tables in the same manner. I wonder if they write-off the losses at the end of the month? I've rescued many a plant from both Wal-Mart and Home Depot garden centers over the years; some make it fine, others are just too far gone!

I love succulents but don't have a lot of luck with them during our humid, rainy months. If I took the time to move them under cover during the rainy season I might have more survive and thrive but alas, as I get "older" I'm not such a good plant caretaker at times. I've always loved the Adenium obesum (Desert Rose) but have killed so many that I finally gave up! This is my "Flapjac" plant today. It's wet because we finally got some much needed rain last night!

Very nice!! Lin, your conditions would be challenging for growing succulents, Seattle is also very wet, even in summer, and they do fine if I have them up against a brick south facing wall, or under protection - fortunately I have a covered deck!

Tee - and others - forgot to ask what are ya'lls top 10 succulents??

Gee, now that I think of it - I've grown quite a few succulent type plants for many years without any problems (Hoya, Kalanchoe, Aloe, Haworthia, and I had a couple of large specimen Euphorbia tirucalli (Pencil Tree) for quite a few years but they ended up being killed by 2011 winter freezes.

I wonder why I've had such bad luck with other succulents? I need to think on that awhile, LOL. I grow everything in a loose, fast draining potting medium so I should be able to grow Echeveria, Adenium, Sedum, Graptopetalum etc., don't you think?

Yes Lin, you should, especially if they're able to be in full sun - Haworthias like shade but the rest like that sunshine!! Zone wise you seem to be in a perfect location for outdoor growing (with the periodic freezes )

LOL, I can't complain too much about about our weather. The older I get, the more the heat and humidity of summer bother me but I'm thankful for our fairly mild winters. My sister in-law in upstate N.Y. (she's lived there her entire life) once told me they go for two or three months without seeing the sun during the winter! That sure made me think, and realize how fortunate I am that we don't have to deal with weather like that.

hmm ... I didn't realize that Haworthia required shade; probably the reason I've killed a few.

Speaking of weather, we've been having daytime temps in the low to mid 80's the past few weeks with nights in the low 60's and low humidity! It's been very dry of late too, putting us in extreme drought conditions with a couple of brush fires popping up on occasion. A cold front has pushed through and made it all the way to Florida so we've had some much needed rainfall the past two days! Now, the temp's are dropping. Our high today is supposed to reach 72º with a low tonight of 49 but which isn't bad at all, but tomorrow night and Sunday night are predicted to be COLD, with temp's of 36º both nights! Yikes ... looks like I will be moving the orchids inside and covering other tender tropicals with blankets! When we have great weather in January and February we always hope to get by without frost and freezes but there's always the chance of a possible freeze until the end of February ... so, another couple of weeks and I shall be out pruning and fertilizing! This forum has got me thinking about planting a succulent bed somewhere.

My Desert Rose do well down here in even more heat, rain and humidity but I plant them in very shallow pots and use a lot of small aquarium gravel in the mix so it drains quickly and there is air around the roots. You just can't let the roots sit in damp or wet soil or they will rot. They love the heat and the sun, just don't like wet feet.

Some still have to bloom.
Regards,
Arif.

Pretty!!

Wait for the rest .
Regards,
Arif.