Gathering the bigger (8") castilloniaes in one place for the first time



There are 3 genotypes: one with bumps on the upper leaf surface, two without (white and black rock respectively).

Revisiting the recently installed ramosissimum from driveway level. Looking good after lots of rain.

I love the tree!

Love the castilloniaes on the bottom right, looks like starfish.

Hopefully on the last few weeks of winter here . Bit of a tidy up in the greenhouse the other day . Usual mixed bag of some plants looking poor while others seem to be doing better . Here are a couple in the latter camp
Rauhii x dawei






Erensjuc

Steve

Looking healthy!

some thing is peeking out cant what to see the flowers

Look at what I found today! I thought this was killed by being over-run with weeds last year. By found, I mean I noticed the purple stuff and was pulling handfulls of weeds off of that and then I saw the Aloe. It has survived a 3rd winter outside now. I'm going to pop this out before it can get sunburned tomorrow and put it in a pot before it gets covered with weeds again. Ironically, it was probably because it was covered, I mean really very covered, with weeds that it was able to survive winter.

Aloe bellatula waited patiently for about 10 years for me to stop sunburning it into an unattractive brown color. I finally noticed its pretty green-ness last year, which has continued over winter in a new spot NOT closest to a sunny window. Time to remove the potmates and maybe a bigger pot. Would love to see other people's versions of this plant.

purpleinopp said: Aloe bellatula waited patiently for about 10 years for me to stop sunburning it into an unattractive brown color. I finally noticed its pretty green-ness last year, which has continued over winter in a new spot NOT closest to a sunny window. Time to remove the potmates and maybe a bigger pot. Would love to see other people's versions of this plant.

• Fianarantsoa Aloe (Aloe bellatula)
• Uploaded by purpleinopp

I have always preffered the well fed 'green' look to the brown stress colours. I think i am in the minority on that one though. The plant looks great . I have three that look very close until they flower , this one, pink lace,and albiflora. They don't look happy now in the middle of winter
Steve

It certainly does look like it's thriving.

On the subject of color, stress, and so forth... pictures from late July and late February, showing cuttings set up to root (first shot) and the rooted cuttings I have now (last 3 shots).







Those plants just went into 3 gallon pots and will be ready to go in the ground come summer or fall, most likely. They will start to display their former colors once they are in day-long summer sun.

Baja_Costero said: It certainly does look like it's thriving.

On the subject of color, stress, and so forth... pictures from late July and late February, showing cuttings set up to root (first shot) and the rooted cuttings I have now (last 3 shots).







Those plants just went into 3 gallon pots and will be ready to go in the ground come summer or fall, most likely. They will start to display their former colors once they are in day-long summer sun.

These colour changes are where i love aloes so much. Bronze / red even black is fine . its the muddy brown colour that i am not so keen on. Some haworthia have the same tendenacy to brown up rather than red up
Steve

Winter is the green season for most of the aloes here that turn brown in summer. It's not just the lower light but also the rain, it's a pretty dramatic change.

Aloe vera in the public garden



I am surfing the line between green and brown with these 2 plants ('Winter Sky')




Those are mother and daughter plants, quite slow, oldest one has been here nearly 4 years.

The color changes are a useful way for me to track light in the new house. These 2 were on their way to all brown before I pulled them back into a bit more protection.

Leaf detail in the sun

You don't need a light meter using these plants!

No doubt! I've had some of my plants for long enough to BE light meters. The reading just doesn't happen instantly.

Those little solar dancing flowers and other figures are also an unprofessional way to measure light. IME with playing around with them for the past decade or so, if whatever it is is dancing, that's a pretty bright spot. Also worth noting is how long that lasts. One hour, 3 hours?

I had no idea such a thing existed, very cute and funny.

Aloidendron update....

Spring installation still going top speed



Fall installations now green and going



Some stem extension and branching here that I think has been inspired by being in the ground

These 2 pots are own cross breed, not much interesting, last time we thought the white color 1 oclock position in the larger pot will be promising, it turn out that the 12 o'clock looks better, with some orange color on the edges of the leaves.

My very happy Gonialoe variegata. I put it into my unheated office on freezing nights and keep it dry. I have found that if it gets cold and wet the roots rot off even if the plant looks healthy. Maybe this year it will branch even more.

It looks great!

Ecstatic.

Beautiful variegated Aloe giving a few friends a ride until they can go back in the ground for the warm season.


Gasteraloe in a new pot.


Aloe I recently mentioned as being lost-then-found in the weeds did get a little burned. The new foliage should look great.