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We have an early winter this year. The city wasn't prepared at all: complete chaos on the streets. The cold weather came while I was away and the plants were without heating for several days but it hasn't done any harm to them. Even the 33-day-old lesliei v. mariae didn't seem to mind. They already look quite succulent!

I really want to thank you all for your interest in my blog! It means a lot to know there are other people sharing this fascination for lithops. Thank you for reading, commenting, helping and encouraging! I very much appreciate it. :) This picture is from September. Dorotheae in a romantic light of the evening sun :)

Here is a quick update on the 'damaged' lesliei v. minor . One of them is completely renewed: it is small for its age (considering it is a 'minor' this might be normal) but finally shaped like an adult plant. The others seem to be doing well, too. In spite of their sad looks. Maybe in a couple of months they will also show their true faces :)

During the last two or three weeks I don't remember seeing any sunlight. Even the pictures all turn out grey and cold. But maybe it isn't a bad thing, because that's how it is this time of the year, it's almost winter after all. The plants are keeping busy though! This is my first ever flowering lithops. It's very dear to me. All three of the ventergreens are already changing their clothes. And this one has actually developed a nice seed capsule, even though it was away from all other flowering plants and didn't have a partner. I'm very curious if it will have seeds inside. Also, there are probably two heads growing underneath. Hm, I don't remember showing you this plant before. I got it together with the lesliei from todays pic 1. To make up for it, to the right is a picture from summer 2009. Not that it changed much :) PS: You might have noticed that I've added lava (or clay) granulate into the substrate. It is just in the upper layer and doesn...

It has been at least a month since the adult plants got water for the last time and some of them already let me catch a glimpse of the new leaves. You might think it's early but it may take several months until they are fully developed and the old leaves have become dry shells. The other dorotheae de Boer is at the same stage but the remains of the flower cover the view. This gesinae finally has a container all to itself :) And this one ( featured here ) is getting twins next season! :)

The gracilidelineata seedlings should be around 21 months now. I don't know how often they changed their skin during the time I wasn't around but they've decided to do so now and the newest leaf-pairs almost have the features the adult plants would have. While the most of them are still small and their markings blurry (see the plant on the right on the group photo), four seedlings are larger and more adult-like. The one on the first pic just has the most beautiful face! Back then I've sown C189, C261, C309 and C373 but they got mixed up so that I don't know which is which. It'll probably take a while before I can tell. But, don't the kids on pic 1 and 2 look like siblings? :) PS: I finally have internet connection at home!

Here is the rest of them: C342, C028, C364 and C029. I only have one hornii C364 left so it shares its container with C029 for now. C028 is a bit wrinkly but firm so I'm not worried. C342 has developed a cute girly color, haha.

I've transplanted the colorful lesliei each pair in one container in September. It's not like they have much more space now but it should be fine for another year. I really need to figure out something if I want more plants. It's okay for now though. Here are C036A, C047 and C341.

These helmutii are a constant source of joy. They sure deserve another post. The yellow-edged ones have been flowering for weeks now, and the last remaining flower is still at it. My guess is, if they weren't pollinated the plants would flower even longer. And you must admit, the flowers themselves are really beautiful, large and deap yellow with a lovely contrast to the white flower center and to the plant color itself. Also, I need to record the fact that helmutii really don't seem to like much sun. The flower buds, for instance, only wanted to grow on rainy days and just stopped and waited when it was sunny. I have another (greener) helmutii that had big troubles standing in the sun: all soft and wrinkly and no water would help. Now it is in a corner where mostly only the morning sun can reach (not that we get much of it now in November) and within two weeks the plant looks as healthy and firm as it should. This is something I'll need to keep in mind.

While being away from the internet (all the recent entries are written from the university library) I was keeping busy lithops-wise. I read on different blogs and boards by lithops lovers that they successfully sow them on pure pumice. I wasn't sure whether it was a good idea but really wanted to try it anyway. If it happens to work out it will make the whole process easier. So, on the 23rd of October I've spread 50 seeds of lesliei ssp. lesliei v. mariae ( C141 ) over the wet pumice stones. You can see the seeds lying upon the stones on the first picture. The seeds are large and won't fall through, I thought, and, out of 50, several should germinate even if they don't like the substrate. I understand that late October is not the best time either but I definitely wanted to try this. I put a see-through cover on the container and placed it on my south-eastern window ledge. Being covered up, pumice can stay wet for a long time so I didn't have to add much water during...

Here is another "pancake". Like the plants from the previous post this aucampiae had it really sunny this summer. From the looks of it you might think it is soft but it is firm and hard as a stone! This plant has grown very well this year getting larger but not higher: the container is 7x7cm.