Just had to make a quick posting because - TA-DA! - I have a new Hoya bloom! I got a rooted cutting of H. nicholsonii last fall from Shoal Creek Succulents. Here's a shot of the plant itself:

It started to develop buds on the peduncle about 5-6 weeks ago...

I was waiting with such anticipation as the buds grew...

... and today it FINALLY opened! Check out this stunning beauty!

And the fragrance is every bit as intoxicating as the flower is beautiful.

Well, just had to get this moment down in history!

Spring is SO close, I feel like I can reach out and touch it!! Even with the weather the last couple of days (complete weirdness - rain, sleet, ice balls, snow, raining mud - which the weather people say was picked up from New Mexico and Arizona!), I can still feel it in the air. The days are getting longer, my plants are coming out of dormancy, I see buds forming on Hoyas and flowers popping on Euphorbia miliis. How exciting!!

I've spent the last couple of weeks taking new pics of my Haworthias. They've grown and changed a lot in the last couple of years. Here are some that are just looking awsome:

At left is a new one I found at Walmart about a month ago. I believe it is H. attenuata v. caespitosa. The tubercles are HUGE. It's definitely a "keeper" if it survives. You never know about those Walmart specials! It all depends on how long they had it. I'm being VERY careful not to give it too much water just yet as I think the box-store plants usually suffer from overwatering.

Below is H. cooperi v. truncata. It's always been a favorite of mine. It becomes quite a huge clump with time and gets to the point where you just HAVE to divide it. I've had this one many years and divided it a couple of times. Looks like it's getting to be that time again!

And next is newer one I found at Lowe's. A real chunky beauty! I believe the correct ID is H. cymbiformis v. cymbiformis fa. obesa. This main plant is very large - it dwarfs my H. retusa geraldii (shown in another post...) The windowed ends are just stunning. I've got it in a south window right now, shaded slightly by some Aloes. I'm hoping those little offsets in the background grow like crazy this spring!





Though I'm sometimes less than impressed with the way I grow this H. cymbiformis variegata, when it's growing well for me, it's my favorite of the variegates (that I have, anyway!) I got this a few years ago from Dave Rose, aka Cactus Cowboy. When I opened the package, my jaw dropped - what he had sent me was about a 5" diameter BALL of this. I couldn't even tell where it had been attached to the soil it was so thick with offsets. Dave is in Wyoming and it had apparently been out in the big sunny sky as much of it was absolutely orange with color. I'll never be able to duplicate that here!

The emelyaes are amongst my favorites of the Haworthia species. Below is H. emelyae v. comptonia. This one has absolutely taken off for me in the last year - the one small pup is turning into a giant beauty! This is one with smooth, shine "windows" and beautiful markings. It's right now in a 2-1/2" clay pot - one of those deep ones for the massive tap root that's been forming. I imagine I will have to repot it this spring.

Below right is H. emelyae v. major, which I got from Steven Hammer. From the name, it sounds like it will get big - I guess we'll see. This is in a 4" pot, and it, too, has become very attractive in the last year or so. Notice the pink hues. This one has a slightly sandpapery texture with find teeth on the edges. It's "windows" are milky-transluscent. A very attractive hybrid!

I got this H. emelyae picta (below left) from Aridlands in 2000. It's a stunning clone! The "windows" on this one have a very rough texture, which you can kind of see in the photo. It's always been a marelously compact-growing plant for me. (It's sometimes hard to keep plants compact in winter with our short days...) It has yet to offset for me, but I've also kept it in this same pot for most of the time I've grown it, only changing the soil now and then.

And one last emelyae hybrid - one I've never had success in identifying. If I had to guess, I might say it was crossed with retusa or maybe serrata. I've had it for many years and this photo was taken when it was at its peak. It doesn't look quite this good now, but I'm hoping with some good summer sun and fresh air, it will peak again.

More of my Haworthias at another time!