Aloe'v It!

Sunday, I went to the Central Coast C&SS meeting because for one, Nick the cactus guy has been trying to get me to go for some time and I needed to ask Nick a question. Since DH left my cell phone at work, I went to Cambria to look around. I was greeted by Nick's lovely wife, bought a couple blooming hoyas, Hoya lacunosa and Hoya Kerrii and then I trucked on down to SLO Town to have a look.
The plant of the month was Aloe, and the slide show was on Namibian succulents, which include many of the mesmebs, Pachys, and many Aloes we see today. For all those who don't know their geography, Namibia is to the west and north of South Africa. It is a desert climate which has both winter and summer growing succulents.

When I arrived, having had my fill on the sorriest Burrito Supreme I had ever had, (note to self never eat at Taco Bell in SLO again) and after paying my Verizon bill, I was greeted with about 80 people sitting and nattering waiting for the big show. I got my free plant for my first visit, it was an Oreocereus. I was seconds away from getting a Mexican Fence Post! I then proceeded to the sales table and picked up a few gems.
This is Gymnocactus saueri, I had hoped for blooms today, but no luck. Maybe I need to put it in a bit more light. I hope it blooms tomorrow. I was goofing with the spines and it seems like the spines are barbed, much like a bee stinger. Encephalocarpus strobiliformis and Avonia quinaria ssp alstonii both were shown on The Garden Forums and I remembered them. I hope I can keep them alive and as nice looking as they are now. Right now I have my gems in a cardboard box with paper stuffed around them to keep them from falling or tumbling. Both these guys are no bigger than a quarter. I really have no idea how to care for them, so maybe I'll just neglect them and water once every other month. Jungle cactus are so much easier to care for because they tend to require normal houseplant care.

Now the Aloes, I'm not sure of the names on any of them, I was sitting in the back and couldn't hear as well as I would have liked. I tend to be hard of hearing.
I don't know why this picture is sideways, it was uploaded right side up. Anyway if you can turn your screen sideways, it is a picture of a pair of clumping aloes. The one in the back has a story, apparently it had rotted out and is not supposed to be a tree form aloe. A nice variegate. Aloes tend to turn red while in the sun. I love the red toothy ones.



If any of you are aloe growers, you know that Kelly Griffin hybrids are about the best of the best and people would sell their first born to get one of the nicer ones. This is one of his newer hybrids. It also has a pup, I wonder if I can talk Nick into selling it to me. Probably not, but I can dream. The interesting thing I learned about KG hybrids are they tend to be crossings of winter and summer growing aloes, which means they may bloom twice a year.

Well I hope you all enjoyed the show, I know I did.