tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31319342530160171882009-11-15T09:41:03.888-08:00A place to converse about cacti, other succulent plants, and related subjects - along with a few other matters which may interest the owners of Kara Nursery (AKA Oregon Cactus & Succulent Nursery). Enjoy!Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.comBlogger254125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-43046754596183560372009-11-14T20:03:00.000-08:002009-11-14T20:03:34.136-08:00

Now generally considered to be swallowed up in the Parodia genus, this is a really outstanding plant. Unlike some of the Lobivias, the plant itself is a beaut, even when it's not flowering.  

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-77198088638153001522009-11-13T17:00:00.000-08:002009-11-13T17:00:22.758-08:00

This is Echeveria 'Lola' and it's another one of my favorites. It makes a very impressive display - all year long.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-16122366446062465262009-11-10T23:51:00.000-08:002009-11-10T23:51:08.420-08:00

It's been a long time since I've mentioned that my wife of 41 years - Lynn-Marie Kara - is an artist. This is her latest work, a portrayal of Lithops dorotheae and she offers laser prints of this and some of her other works for $35.00. I don't usually get this "commercial" in my blog, but - hey - I'm proud of her work.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-52592530471968107712009-11-08T00:31:00.000-08:002009-11-08T00:31:54.196-08:00

Ah yes! This helps me remember that Summer will come again!

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-5233010781243051392009-11-06T00:38:00.000-08:002009-11-06T00:38:27.292-08:00

These are the lovely flowers of Escobaria missouriensis var. asperispina. Another plant which is quite hardy if protected from too much moisture.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-28789743996770894012009-11-04T23:44:00.000-08:002009-11-04T23:44:26.861-08:00

One of the things which first attracted us to the cacti was their symmetry. This kind of beauty in nature is hard to resist.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-49322752331811401712009-11-04T00:11:00.000-08:002009-11-04T00:11:06.503-08:00

To end the day with a little humor, this is Osita, our now grown up Belgian Tervuren on the back of Ladybug, our miniature horse out at a neighborhood coffee shop. She's grown up now and doesn't quite fit on Ladybug's back, but they're still the closest of friends.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-18106264456393992002009-11-04T00:01:00.000-08:002009-11-04T00:01:05.269-08:00

It's back into the archives tonight. This time it's Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albispinus. Like several of the Echinocereus species, these are quite hardy and with excellent drainage will even survive our wet Portland winters. (The consensus taxonomists no longer consider "albispinus" to be a valid variety - that there's just a wide spectrum of variability within the species.)

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-54566019053045798502009-11-02T22:58:00.000-08:002009-11-02T22:58:15.343-08:00

Today was another sunny Fall day so I spent most of the time up on the ladder putting up new gutters or going to the hardware store to get materials. I did venture into the greenhouses a couple of time and the Lithops are going wild with flowers. Have to get the camera out tomorrow! I don't have time to pull out a photo from the archives, so I'll have to be photo-less tonight. Later.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-27541145929811864712009-11-01T19:53:00.000-08:002009-11-01T19:53:45.942-08:00

I guess this is my favorite Gymnocalycium. The flowers are large and impressive, the body of the plant is classically beautiful, and it flowers dependably every year. Some find it hard to grow but we've never had any problems. However, it does need a potting mix with extra good drainage.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-8366503659143928372009-10-31T20:08:00.000-07:002009-10-31T20:08:57.532-07:00

The spines on this plant make it attractive even when it isn't flowering, but when it is...

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-40735717601664579752009-10-30T23:54:00.000-07:002009-10-30T23:54:13.661-07:00

Like many of the Rebutias, this plant has many names. It's very floriferous and the deep red flowers are outstanding. It's a bit temperamental and can rot with a sideward glance, so give it very good drainage. (That's the remains of an older flower lying across the plant.) I've added a new "live feed" to the site which doesn't appear to have the problematic links associated with our previous

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-49384254908305501062009-10-30T00:28:00.000-07:002009-10-30T00:28:17.389-07:00

Continuing on with the cactus photos, this is Lobivia schieleana in flower last Spring. Of course they're resting now - hibernating for the winter. They're smart. Can we also get permission to just pass through all this drab gray stuff and move on to Spring. OK. I'll wait until after the holidays. But then...please! In the meantime...

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-41033015699090214852009-10-29T00:14:00.000-07:002009-10-29T17:37:08.120-07:00

You'll note that we've removed Feedjit from our Blog. We've done this since McAfee has identified it as being linked to sites which may not be safe for our blog or the computers visiting our blog.  We will miss it as we enjoyed seeing where our visitors are from, but we don't want anyone to be unsure about the safety of our blog. Thanks for your understanding.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-37668259263482720862009-10-29T00:05:00.000-07:002009-10-29T00:05:28.685-07:00

As I indicated, back to some cactus photos taken earlier this year - especially uplifting as the rains come in from the coast tonight. This is Gymnocalycium mostii, a quite large growing gymno with lovely flowers. It always impresses me.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-49965156160343210272009-10-28T22:14:00.000-07:002009-10-28T22:14:50.377-07:00

And another Lithops which continues to flower is the white-flowered Lithops karasmontana. Put a group of them together and they make quite a display.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-29711671226424688522009-10-27T23:57:00.000-07:002009-10-27T23:57:19.191-07:00

But, before going to the cacti, some more of what is flowering: Lithops. In this case it's one of my favorites, Lithops dorotheae. It's getting colder and more overcast, but the Lithops just keep on blooming like it's still summer.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-15954084003291857132009-10-27T19:14:00.000-07:002009-10-27T19:14:26.264-07:00

Since we're mostly past the blooming season for the cacti, I'm going to be posting some photos we took earlier in the Spring and Summer. Along with being able to see the beautiful flowers posted by our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, posting these help keep me going as we get shorter and shorter days. We end Day Light Savings Time soon and it'll be getting dark by 4 or 4:30 each afternoon.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-11730942660069324612009-10-27T18:59:00.000-07:002009-10-27T19:00:15.183-07:00

And today's winner is...Sempervivum 'Jungle Shadows'. This is one of the ones which get quite large. Because these are such easy care plants, they're being used along with hardy Sedums to create "green roofs". We have a lot of these being built in this area now.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-27557560043383677612009-10-27T10:23:00.000-07:002009-10-27T10:23:01.077-07:00

Another one of the classic semps: Sempervivum calcarium 'Mrs. Guiseppi'. Hardy just about anywhere, these plants do their best in rather poor soil. Who could ask for more?

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-87087091894042818182009-10-26T23:41:00.000-07:002009-10-26T23:50:11.547-07:00

I don't think I've ever posted any of the succulent alpines before. Though often viewed as "common" since the multiply so rapidly and are often shared from neighbor's gardens, there are some really wonderful cultivars which show off nicely in a rock garden. This one's an old timer: Ohio Burgundy. We obtained our first "semps" back in the 60's from Helen Payne's nursery in the Willamette Valley

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-33587911007019267512009-10-25T00:19:00.000-07:002009-10-25T00:19:04.335-07:00

This is "Off Topic Saturday" - at least for the next few minutes, when it turns to Sunday. This obviously is not cactus country, though some succulents grow not far from here...some Sedum in the lava beds. For those not familiar with the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and Oregon (pronounced OR-y-gun) in particular, we're blessed with a wide variety of climate zones: From the West we begin with the

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-32847904835718467852009-10-24T00:39:00.000-07:002009-10-24T00:39:11.890-07:00

Back to the Echeverias. This is Echeveria setosa var. deminuta plant and flower. A very easy one to grow.  

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-67908996490689652272009-10-23T12:45:00.000-07:002009-10-23T12:45:09.995-07:00

Another Graptoveria, this time 'Bella'. It gets quite large and the color varies by the season - as you can see by the two photos.

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3131934253016017188.post-46260530211546999542009-10-22T00:23:00.000-07:002009-10-22T00:23:59.496-07:00

This is an inter-generic hybrid - x Graptoveria 'Debbie'. It has a very nice pinkish cast that doesn't show up as well as it should in this image. (x Graptoveria = Graptopetalum x Echeveria.)

Lutherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838023625015601586lsturtevant@gmail.com0