Just finished re-potting all the babies that needed it and checked every pot for problems. Moved them all around for their Winter months of resting and growing and what a good feeling it is to know some of the new plants are growing and will soon be able to be moved out of the GH and come in the house with the rest of the stock plants.

I really had not been able to do much of the work I used to do this summer when I hurt my foot. I felt I had neglected the babies but I guess it did not harm them. Here is a picture of the babies that I will be keeping. I have taken many of them out of the stores because I feel shipping now is foolish. I limit my shipping to Southern states and some Western states during the winter.


Just about the center of the photo you will notice some have not bloomed yet. That is the Petra's Pink that is a hybrid and has some S.Buckleyi in it. I have no idea what its real name is since it was given to me by a lady from S. Africa who moved here years ago and brought it with her when she moved. Some of the leaves are real thin and have no points, and other leaves look like a regular hybrid leaf. I sent a picture of it to the Cactiguide people and they agree it is a hybrid, not a pure of anything. Here is a picture of part of the old plant.

Love the eye candy! And the White Christmas is absolutely gorgeous!

Gita, I had a time separating your salmon babies today. You sent me several different shades of them. One is a very soft pale and the other is a more pronounced salmon color with darker edges and just beautiful. I am keeping these to put together in one pot for a stock plant. These I am talking about are about a year old now.
You still have more room on the counter and stove, I think I will send you some more to fill that up. Did you get the acorns I sent you?
Off to bed. Tomorrow is a Christmas Store day...hope it does not snow or rain on our fun.

I finally have some blooms beginning to open! Very happy about this. I have no idea which 'holiday' cactus this is , but I love it anyway!

Tara, that's S. truncata (TC.) A particularly awesome one! The shape of the bloom and points on the leaves indicate its' ID.

This pic isn't great but shows a different 'red one' than the other plant potted with the pink above. It has whiteness inside. One of the sad hanging baskets with nowhere to hang in here but it is crammed on a shelf by a window.

Tiffany, thanks! I was thinking that this was the case, but I hoped someone with a bit more knowledge on these would jump in! Appreciate the confirmation! Love the red color. Wouldn't it be great if these would bloom more than once a year!?! They are such beauties! Ahh well, blooming just the once a year does cause you to admire them so much more!

Glad to share info, Tara, which was previously shared with me. Like any good secret, pass it on! I've fallen so in love with these plants, I really can't imagine how anyone can live w/o them. Even w/o blooms, the 'foliage' is such a perky, plump, pleasant sight to me. When some turned reddish, purplish outside in some sun, I was a total goner, in deep. If more people's first plant was a holiday cactus, there would be more 'house plant people' out there, I'm convinced. These might not have the great scent of the heartbreaking 1st plants often encountered like Gardenia or Jasmine but are so much easier to keep alive and bloom so readily. I love all of the colors! I don't expect 'house plants' to follow any color scheme, and the more colors, the more festive, like a string of lights.

Next year I'll have plants ready to be presents, not these one-week bloomers from the BBS. No offense to those, that's how they get around! Just that the conglomeration of insults such plants suffer till they finally get on a kitchen table is usually enough to make any remaining buds fall off. So IME bringing them home, you get about a week of the most-ready, sturdy buds, already-open flowers.

Oh, and I forgot to say, Jacquie of course DOES have an awesome greenhouse full of beautiful holiday cacti, by any and every name at all. And it's not what I'd call rustic either. If you want to call it a conservatory, I'm good with it. The plants next to my computer chair are so jealous. I caught them leaning away from the window toward that pic. Now I'm getting glared at.

Here's a shot of the whole pot with the last flower I showed.

The more colors, the more festive! Totally!
Too funny! I can picture them right now!

Very nice shots everyone! I need to take some more of mine

Tiffany you are too kind. They are all the baby plants the oldest ones in the GH are 1 year old. All the old girls are in the house with this old girl. I love them all so much I think I am a real nut case.

I am concerned they are not getting the proper feed. I use the Miracle Grow houseplant liquid because I tend to overfeed as well as overwater at times, especially in the house. What do you all use?

Yesterday I had a great time, I went to my neighbors farm market and if any of you are on FAcebook look up Byrne's Farm Market and look at the pictures. They are just beautiful. Anyhow, twice a year the girl who owns the place and her helpers and me of course have lunch together. We did that ever since she first moved here and I took them Pizza. So, twice a year at our busiest time, we have a pizza party. Spring and Christmas time. Yesterday I took two large pizza and a large stromboli and we had lunch in the greenhouse on crates beside all the beautiful Christmas flowers and plants. YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT THAT. We had a great time and only a few interruptions.

They gave us two of these big wreaths since we give them greens and old trees we can not sell ....those that are what we call Charlie Brown trees....not perfect. These are just beautiful and made from all the things we give them. They do that every year but we give them yellow and red holly also. Great to have neighbors we can trade with. They sell cut trees and we send business to them and they send business to us. Works out great.






Forgive me for getting off topic here.. I started out o.k. but I just had to tell you about yesterday.
Have a great evening.

Well I enjoyed reading about it very much!

This probably already has some other name, but I propose 'candy cane!'

What a beauty that is. Love the way it is marked.