Natalie said:I am the proud owner of two semps!

Stopped at the little nursery in the city today, just before closing, and they had a 2 for 1 special! So, I got Silver King and Red Heart! It was an end of day special! I showed up at the right time!

Well done Natalie , only about four thousand four hundred more specimens to collect

Paddy, I love your approach to encouraging Natalie.

And here I was, thinking that there were only three thousand two hundred and twelve more.

This time last year I had only a single semp and that was a noid . Now I've got about thirty and counting.

Paddy, now you only have four thousand three hundred and seventy more to go! You better get busy!

Wonder which one of you will reach the magic number first? Don't forget all those new varieties Kevin is creating as we post.

It won't be me. I'm sure of that! I feel like I'm overwhelmed with just two of them right now! I still don't have a bed made for them, and it may be another month before I get that finished. I have way too many projects going on at once, and I never seem to learn my lesson.

I just notice your signature line. (I can't decide if people who wear pajamas in public have given up on life or are living it to the fullest.)

I'm living life to the fullest, but I do get dressed when I head to town!

Can one of you tell me what I should plant these things in, as far as dirt is concerned? I have 6 or 8 of those bricks with the holes in them, and I thought that would be a good edge for a bed. I just don't know what to put in the holes. I've got some very small gravel/grit, and I'm sure that would be a good place to start, but there is no dirt in it to speak of. The only other thing I have on hand is compost and Miracle Grow garden soil. I am not sure that either of those would be a good choice. Not sure of the dirt to grit ratio, either. This is a whole new world for me! I can easily dig some dirt up, which would be plain old dirt, with nothing added, so hopefully that will work, but I need suggestions!

What kind of soil do you have Natalie? Sandy, clay, sandy loam?
I fill my beds, holes and all, with what my farm store calls sandy loam compost. The semps love it. Then I top dress with chicken grit, the granite/stone type, not oyster shell type.
Also what is your summer weather like? Very hot and dry? Drying winds?

I've got generic dirt. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Some of it leans toward a little more clay-like in nature, and other areas are more loam-ish. Seems like I've got a lot of different dirt types here. We're in a river canyon, so I'm sure that there are pockets of everything around here. We don't have sand though, at least not that I've seen.

This is only our second year here. The first year during summer, it was horrific. HOT HOT HOT. Last year wasn't nearly as bad, but it got hot. Had a couple of weeks around the 100 degree range, but not every day. No idea what this year will be. We do have a lot of wind though. It almost never stops. Some days it blows us over, and other days, it is a light breeze.

We've got several farm stores in the city, but I don't think I've ever seen anything called sandy loam compost. I'll check again though, just to be sure. I want to start out right! Better yet, maybe I'll just call them and see what they have. Sure beats a drive to the city!

Maybe you could mix coarse sand with the Miracle Grow Potting Mix, not Garden Soil. Also since you get so hot in the summer, place them where they will get morning sun and afternoon shade. Water only in the evening or very early morning. If you water in the heat of the day it could stem cook them.

Thanks Lynn. One thing I'm lacking on here is afternoon shade, but I'll see what I can do.

I would like to add at least two that I didn't see on the list. Not sure if I over looked them but they are...
Raspberry Delight
And
Tectorum greenii

I agree with you regarding Raspberry Delight, it does propagate quickly!! Don't have the other one

Ryan Do you mean S. calcareum Greenii?
I also find it to be a heavy producer of offsets. Love this one.
I have not heard of Raspberry Delight. Do you have a photo or link for it?

Hi Lynn sorry I meant "Raspberry Ice" not delight Thanks for catching that I've also not heard of Raspberry Delight

It's usually me that misses the name mistakes. Now I don't feel all alone.