Here is a group photo from today's gathering with Howard Wills and Catherine. I sure wish all of you could have been there. What genuinely lovely people.
Jim, Bev, Lynn, Kevin, Howard, Catherine and Cliff.


And I am sorry to say I did not take any photos of semps. And believe me there are some that should have been photographed. Like 'Blue Whale', and this gigantic blue/green semp that makes you take a second look. Pretty amazing. But then there are so many more. So many photo opportunities missed. I just didn't want to miss out on the visiting.
Here is Howard and Kevin talking about 'Lion King' and what might be crossed with it since it is sending up a bloom stalk this year.


And where else would we go for dinner? Robert's Crossing of coarse.


Howard and Catherine, have an adventure filled time on your return home.

Thanks for sharing the pictures! What a fun time!

Kevin

What Fun!!!!!!!

They are headed back up your way Julia, on there way back to Canada.

A visit with semp friends in Kevin's garden and and dinner at Robert's Crossing...oh my ...life doesn't get much better than that does it? Julia and I and Dh had a pretty fabolous time in her garden. It would be nice to think that we all should live closer but we might just have too much fun
Tim I really like the combinatiom of those 2 purple shades that are growing together and that NOID is gorgeous.
Lynn I think I am drooling over the Devil's Touch
My Lavender and old lace is doing such strong variations this year. It's almost like different things got mixed in but they did not. I don't have a lovely green sport but i have several that are solid deep rosy pink. I don't think I have had that happen before. This is a strange year. I have planted carrots 3 times and have maybe 40% germination on the 3rd try yet my fruit trees have 5 or 6 friut where there should be only 2 and they are not doing the "June drop" so I am doing a LOT of hand thinning.
Jo ann, like the sedum in the pots with the semps
Here is another variation in the extreme . These are both Westerlin from the same root. All of the plants of this variety show all degrees between these 2 colors. I suppose they will all be redder in the winter.

You're not the only one drooling over 'Devil's Touch'!

I am so thrilled to have this semp. It is changing very quickly now. I will take a new photo of 'Devil's Touch' in another week or two to see how it progress.

Howard is very familiar with many of Sue Thomas' hybrids.
He has some real beauties of his own. He said will send a list of his hybrids so we can make sure we have all of them in out database.
Right now this is what we have in the database. So far I only have 2 of them, 'Extra' and 'Squib'.
http://garden.org/plants/group...

Ooh, thanks Lynn, for extending Howard's list. I was only able to see 4 or 5 on the list a few days ago.

'Green Ice'

For some reason if you put the entire name, Howard Wills, in it will only come ups with four. If you only use either his first name, or his last name it will bring up all 9 that we have in the database. I can't wait to get the rest of his entered.

How exciting!

Lion King is an amazing plant. Very large and with a very interesting blend of colors. Many of you at the clinic this spring remarked on the beauty of this plant. I'm eagerly awaiting the first flowers to open to start using it in crosses. It is blooming earlier than many but I think there will be sufficient flowers on the huge stalk to make many crosses.

I'll try to share plants with Toby so that this can be available here in the US.

Howard is the nicest person you can imagine. It was such a pleasure to finally meet. I think he was surprised to be meeting me too. He had known my name since he started in semps too!

Kevin

How fun. Is that the Howard Wills who wrote the introduction to sempervivum and jovibarba book?

Paul, He's the one! Kevin

Kevin
Do you think that Howard and Sue Thomas could be the surprise guests at the clinic next year??? (it would be one heck of a suprise ! ! ) So glad you got to meet.

We're working on Howard Jo Ann! He didn't rule it out although April is such a busy time for nurseries. Everyone would love him. Such a wonderful guy.

Kevin

with Kevin...We had a nice time with him too!

Looks like a fun time was had by all! What a great experience!

I was looking at different semps in the database and just curious if anyone has a picture of 'Blue Whale'? I saw it linked to this thread.

Not out in the Market, Chad. Still in the pipeline until further notice.