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Sown in 2009 these gracilidelineata seedlings finally all present a long fissure of an adult plant. It took them four years. Everytime I see my seedlings from 2008, 2009 or 2010 I can't believe I got them as seeds. I wonder if this feeling goes away once you start growing hundreds of them. I don't think so.

This lesliei v. minor 'Witblom' C6A x 'Fred's Redhead' crossing I got at a succulent expo in Tokyo 2010 is an example of a plant that can survive and even get in a great shape after going through a couple of really weird stages. See its previous incarnations here , here , here and here . Now if it only would flower.. :)

I guess I'll stop calling it "seedling" then :)

Today's flowers :) In the morning the buds still looked like clenched fists.

Just had to show you these little aucampiae C2A . Now that most of them changed into their first true leaves (it took them a long time) and have grown a bit since then the markings became more apparent. I really like what I'm seeing :) One day they will hopefully look like their beautiful parents .

These lesliei v. minor C6 are also from my first seedlings bunch back in 2008 and still haven't flowered yet. They make up for it by being so uniform in their color and markings. The one that is different is regenerating early every year so that the leaves are now "older" and paler.

I was sure I've already shown you this year's photo of these guys but I surprisingly haven't. These two lesliei 'Storms Albinigold' C36B (green body/yellow flowers) are my own seedlings from 2008. Yes, they are 5 years old already! Quite small and short though. This year they both regenerated into two heads making me very proud. 

My youngest seedlings are doing fine so far. Aloinopsis schooneesii are cute as a button. Aloinopsis malherbei are growing 2nd and 3rd true leaves which finally look much flatter and malherbei-like. Among the Aloinopsis "giants" two little Frithias are hiding. They seem to enjoy some shade. PS: Sorry for taking so long answering the comments and emails. It's difficult during the week. I really need to buy one of those smartphones kids use nowadays so that I can write from the bus ;) 

This is going to be the event of the year among lithops! :D Finally a plant I've grown from seed is going to flower! Such a miracle. I'm so looking forward to it. Just like I've been looking forward to it for 5 years. None of the flowers you get from plants you bought is as precious as a flower on a plant you've grown yourself. :) One of the reasons - if not the main reason to sow.

I'm taking back my previous rant about my L. bromfieldii v. glaudinae 'Rubroroseus' seedlings being neither rubro nor roseus. After the leaf change into first true leaves several of them now show a nice magenta color just like they should and I have nothing to complain.  Sown in October 2012

The flowers don't open all at once because they aren't all at the same stage of development. That's even better. This way you can enjoy the "flowering season" longer. Last night two more flowers opened and both had only 4 instead of 5 petals. I guess, if you're a tiny plant and you grew 10 big flowers you have to economize on something :)

Fulviceps is this year's first again! :) Might be even the same plant , I'm not sure. Can't wait to see it bloom! In general though, I can't figure out my fulvi  'Aurea' and their cycle. Look at these two - instead of flowering they started regenerating.

It have been three weeks and I'm getting used to working "like an adult". :D Now waiting for the first paycheck! The work is completely new to me, I'm learning everything, a new profession basically, from scratch. Not much time for hobbies but I'm sure I'll get into the rhythm and figure it all out eventually.  Recently I've repoted the Rabiea albipuncta to see how the roots are doing after a year (after all it has had some bug problems). I heard there might be thick roots but they look normal. Maybe it was a cutting?  Anyway, this is how my pumice substrate looks like. The plant has grown a huge beard of roots in it over the last year, so I've trimmed it. Should do it good. Could trick it into thinking it got a bigger pot ;)

I'll just quickly post the pics because I really need to go sleep now. Waking up at 5 am every day isn't easy. I was back from work at 7 pm today and found this waiting for me and for the camera. :) There are 10 flowers altogether! Amazing little plant. This summer is officially Avonia's summer. Thank you, my dear readers, for commenting and mailing me these days! I will write to you (and update the blog at the normal rate) as soon as I'm able to gather my thoughts between work and sleep.