Yes, really looking forward to your book Kevin!! And Merry Christmas to all!

It has been a 1 1/2 months since I have been able to play in my raised sempervivum beds. Today was the day.
Even though it was damp and cold I enjoyed every minute of the time spent outdoors today.

Here are a few photos taken today.




Now on my way to the Seedling Chat thread to post photos of some of this years seedlings.
The thread "Seedling Chat" in Sempervivum forum

Beautiful, Lynn! Lots of color on those semps; "Clown" is unusual. I liked the striped look it had earlier in the year...the strange distribution of color then, fit its name of "Clown" better.

Thank you Bev.
It seems that unusual coloring is reserved for the summer months. Pretty much June thru Sept. or Oct. It really does stand out in the bed when it has this coloring.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to you Laszlo. And may 2017 be the best year ever.
Your 'Variegatum' are looking wonderful.

Happy Holidays to you too Laszlo!!

And to the rest of you folks near and far, thanks for all the sharing of your photos of impressive semps , considerate thoughts, helpful ideas, and rib tickling laughs. It's been a fun year with you folks and I look forward to having you all do it again for me next year. Keep Warm, Have Good Cheer, Savor the Precious Moments!

I am savoring all of the very precious moments! (nothing quite like this one day at a time thing with the dying but not dead yet to really practice savoring with all of the joy and gratitude one can muster )

Merry Christmas all!

and,
No pasture for you Kevin sorry my friend, just because you've written such a stellar book it does not mean that your work is done, nor does it mean that your knowledge and skill will actually be transferred to anyone reading said book!
C'mon now

Well said Dirt.
Every moment is precious.

I agree, Kevin is not allowed to be put out to pasture.

My message to all of my semp friends is a Syrian 'toast' circa 1450 AD:

Lasting joy, increasing prosperity, fortuitous destiny

Santa stopped by the garden today. If he looks a little beat up it's because he's almost as old as I am. He was on my birthday cake in 1965. But we're still both getting around... just not quite as much.

Loved your toast Kate and your Santa Tim!

Putting the finishing touches on the book! I think you will enjoy it. Wish i could put even more pictures in but with so many available on the internet this won't be quite as much of a problem as would be in the "old days".

Kevin

Love the toast, Kate.
Lucky you, Tim.
What a hard worker you are for your fans, Kevin

Semps are hard to find in my area, but yesterday I found a nursery that had 2 6packs of Kalinda and Ruby Heart. As soon as I figure out how to plant them, I'll share pics. These are my first semps. I'm hoping to obtain many more in the coming year.

Karen, I can't wait to see your photos.
Bev has lots of experience growing semps in your kind of conditions.

Lots of bad and good experience and definitely a learning curve. And IMO to make it more extreme, I was at an altitude of 7000 ft. which translated to me of being that much closer to the sun...

In NM we are at 6500 ft, Bev. It's definitely closer to the sun. In Arizona we're only 1300 ft.

I'm thinking the growing conditions in Arizona might be easier for the semps in regards to too much sun. And if the sun is still strong in AZ, then more of the morning sun exposure might do.
In NM, the lack of water drove critters to seek out moisture and my succulents must have looked like watermelons to them ...

I think I'll have to have my Arizona semps in partial shade. Morning sun would be best. In NM I will have to cage them initially to prevent the critters from eating them. I tried a few a number of years ago, and they were all completely eaten.

plantmanager said:... In NM I will have to cage them initially to prevent the critters from eating them. I tried a few a number of years ago, and they were all completely eaten.

Karen, you already saw this but for others, this is what I had to do to "cage" my semps to ward off critters. It might have been overdoing it but peace of mind was worth it. I swung open the tops for morning hours of sun and swung the tops down during the hours of really hot sun. The barrels prevented the critters from climbing up.