The original group of Pereskia species had officially seventeen species , before the reorganizing and renaming into different groups. This post is concerned with a picture presentatiom of these plants as I remember them.
Pereskia plant species are available on my Ebay site: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/kaowinston
Winston James @kaowinston
Here is a plant which is quite unusual,and it is rarely seen. It comes from Madagaascar. It may be something that you may like to try.
You will may the best start by choosing these kind of small sttings
Another unusual plant from Madagascar is Alluaudia Procera.
Alluaudia Procera with blooms
A very superficial presentation of one of my favorite caudiciform plants in Madagasscar.
WINSTON JAMES
This November was not very good for me. Twice I endeed up in the local hospital feeling very sad. And it needed a lot of persuasion to drive the sad feelings away. Luckily by the last week I was able to be on my feet again. My big plan to visit Singapore did not happen, and that was a huge disappointment. Maybe next year, when I feel much more energetic. Let us cheer you up with some of may favorite photos of yester – years.
This is a very simple and uncharacteristic post for the month due to my mood. Let us hope next month will be better. Winston James
Here is my Plant of the Month, the charming Blue Amaryllis, and officially called Worsleya Procera. Native to Brazil, it is definitely worth growing, and strives best in a very humid environment.
Consider special Growing Medium ** Worsleya needs a loose, airy medium that drains very rapidly, and provides plenty of moisture to the roots.** It would be perfect for a tropical greenhouse or conservatory. Go out there and grab one if you can find one. They can also be grown from seeds.
Winston James in London
It is almost the end of June. The sun is here, and the plants in my greenhouse has finally woken up, and is growing in earnest. Let us have a look at what is happening.
To start off, let us look at this unusual Aloe hybrid of A distans and A pearsonii, called Aloe ‘Hellskloof Bells’ in the first photo.
The Pereskia species are very close to my heart , and even though they are very difficult to grow in our temperate climate. I firmly believe they are worth the effort.
The challenges of online selling are numerous, and even after many years I find myself wishing I was doing something else. But it does provide you with some financial rewards which in some ways make up for it. But I do get unmoved when I have to repeat the cycle of taking photos to keep up with the demands of EBAY.
As far as my Agaves are concerned, the Agave montana has been my conspicuous seller, and that has taken quite by surprise.
Maybe I should end with flowers, using some of my back catalogue. Few of the Pereskias are ready at the moment,
Winston James in Manor Park in London
I have just spent a few days in Phoenix. Here are a few photos to prove it. I stayed at the Sheraton Downtown, and I was pleased as usual with the lovely bar which provided for all my needs. Although there are numerous hotels around I would rather be in the centre, because it gives me access to to all corners. But pride of place is always going to be the Desert Botanical Garden which takes a full day of my time.
Winston James
This is a new visit to the city of Barcelona , and first since the end of active pandemic. I stayed at the Le Meriden Hotel in La Rambla which was very nice. Enjoy the garden, and later tour the city.
As the weather turns, here in the UK, I decided to spend a few days in Miami.
Most of it is dedicated to to what I saw as I visited, and as usual it is generally plants and gardens. I had some social activities, but that will be next time.Winston James
It is summertime, which means splashes of warm weather every now and then, after all this the UK. I am busy tending to my plant collection with an eye on my present Ebay sales which is going better than I expected. I have decided since my last foreign trip to avoid travel because of the confusion which now takes place for anybody who heads abroad. Since I am occupied with Greenhouse activity, I will share with you some of my plant images.
A photo above gives the a good expression of how I keep my plants in the greenhouse. with limited space, the intention is to keep the plants growing, especially as the intention is to prepare them for my Ebay sale catalogue. Considering this is a temperate climate, the greenhouse is my only ‘hot house’ and I have to make the most of it.
If you grow succulents like I do in a temperate climate, you will soon learn the difficulty of growing plants outdoors. It is not that you can cannot grow them reasonably well, it is just that there is never enough heat and sunlight to fulfil the complete cycle, and fruiting and flowering becomes quite difficult. For those of us who are quite ambitious, a greenhouse is the only alternative.
Tree cactus I love growing. Most fit into the Epiphyllum range with names like Selenicereus Disocactus, Cryptocereus, Lepismium, Rhipsalis, Aporocactus and many others. The beauty of these is that you can hang them using the greenhouse in a different way. They need more watering and less sunlight, and can always be accommodated in selected corners.
Winston James Manor Park LONDON
AN ALOE YOU CAN GROW
Family:Â Asphodelaceae
Common names:Â Karasberg Aloe
Aloe karasbergensis is still for some heavily linked to the regular Aloe striata, and is still referred in publication as Aloe striata subsp. karasbergensis. For me it is quite different from the regular ‘striata’, and I have joined with the progressives to give it its only name. It is a plant that is native to Southern Africa and Namibia; and the ‘Karasberg’ refers to the Karas Mountain region, and in the Gariep Valley of the Richtersveld. I have noticed that ths plant is far rarer than I thought, and while visiting Gran Canaria I came across these specimens and was happy to enjoy. Have a look at the video.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/T91FU1qiKrY
I thought I will end with a photo of the traditional Aloe Striata for comparison, but for me the two plants are very different.
Winston James
kaowinston 