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Two months to go until the Big Lithops 2009-2010 Change Comparison!! I really am excited to see my plants - I'm sure they've changed a lot since the last time I saw them. :) There are going to be quite some before-after posts here when I'm back, haha. Having nothing new to show yet I only can go for archive pictures or unrelated ones for now. Like this old photo of my first ever lithops flower. This lesliei belonged to the second bunch of plants I got in a store. I didn't know anything about lithops back then but was eager to lern. The reward was my first lithops flower ca. one year later, that inspired me a lot. Like it happens, from what I hear, I lost this plant to the mealy bugs this year, but I'll keep it in my heart as the first one to blossom on my watch. On an unrelated note, I just couldn't keep this photo to myself. There are swallow's nests everywhere here in Nara. They are so near you can touch them (but you don't!). These cute babies will so...

Well, all of the lithops I purchased in Japan have safely arrived in Germany. What a relief! Now I only hope they'll like the new growing conditions so that I'll see them again in a couple of months. (I certainly don't exclude the possibility of posting new pictures in case I buy new plants here, haha) Anyway... This is the same plant I've been ranting about in this post . I've cut out those two sets of old lobes it had to prevent it from growing misshapen. It worked just fine, the remains have dried out like they should. Unfortunately it wasn't its only problem: while preparing it for transport I've discovered that the roots were full of mealybugs. With all the washing and cutting I'm not sure it'll survive. I really should try seeds if I want a villetii. They are so pretty! Lithops villetii ssp. deboeri (C231)

I apologize for going off-topic but I just had to show this one (and it's an aizoaceae after all). :) These carpets of delosperma cooperii grow everywhere here in Nara, and seing them in full bloom now warms my heart like nothing else (even more than the weather: it's over +30°, muggy but no sign of the promised rainy season yet). They have such beautiful silky flowers! I'm definitely getting seed vessels before heading back to Germany. (click to enlarge)

I saw pictures of lithops salicola "Daikangyoku" (jp. 大観玉) on the web and in Mr. Shimada's "The Genus Lithops" and thought it was utterly beautiful with its dark net of lines on the lobes. A while ago in Tokyo I found this plant but it only vaguely looks like those pictures. I guess it's partly because of the bad light conditions and the resulting 'cucumber' shape, so I'm not giving up hope to see it in its whole beauty one day. By the way, I noticed salicola tend to get misshaped more than other lithops plants I owned. Can it be that they need more light than others? Anyway I think I'll try to correct this one like it's described in this blog during it's next annual change. (It's the only place I could find a correction method illustrated, even though there are no pictures of the result there.) I will write here about my experience. :)