Sempervivum summary

I have sixteen living Sempervivum varieties. (Moment of silence for the six that were lost last winter.) Except for the three in large containers at the greenhouse, they are on the back patio at our house and I plan on leaving them outside in direct sun for the forseeable future. I may bring them under cover when it rains, particularly those with extensive webbing (#1, #7 and Hurricane). Here are the 13 varieties (14 plants) that are on the patio now. Clockwise from the ribbed planter at top (number of offsets in parentheses):

• Chick Charms 'Gold Nugget' (3 offsets)
• A smaller 'Gold Nugget' (0)
• Unknown #7 (0)
• Calcareum (7)
• Chick Charms Heuffelii 'Strawberry Kiwi' (3)
• 'Hurricane' (1 on the second rosette)
• Unknown #1, the Little Survivor (0)
• Chick Charms 'Lotus Blossom' (9)
• Unknown #6 (7)
• Globiferum 'Budai Mountains' (8 still attached and one roller)
• Chick Charms 'Gold Rush' (3)
• Middle top, Heuffelii Unknown #5 in the final stages of flowering. (2)
• Middle left, Unknown #3 (about 12)
• Middle right, Chick Charms 'Powdered Pastry,' now featured in "Death of a Sempervivum, part II" due to the apparent flower bud that just started forming. (7)

Some of them have changed significantly since they were potted, but the one I have the most trouble recognizing is Chick Charms 'Lotus Blossom.' These two photos are of the same plant, four months apart. Not only has the color changed, the offsets are almost as big as the main plant now. This was part of a Mountain Crest Gardens order received March 31.

After the initial order of six unidentified Semps in January, I have only been buying plants with IDs. But I made an exception for this one, which I call Unknown #7. It was big and heavily webbed when I got it at Nana's Bloomers in Laurel, MT on April 14. The webbing maybe isn't quite as thick, but it has gotten bigger. It's the third tallest Semp I have (2.3 inches) after the doomed 'Powdered Pastry' and the larger 'Gold Nugget.' Semps generally stay low to the ground, the better to survive sub-freezing air temperatures.

Two of the varieties still at the greenhouse are Chick Charms 'Berry Blues' (left) and 'Appletini' in the big grow bag.

'Berry Blues' and 'Appletini' each had six offsets. I harvested two from each, putting a pair in 4-inch terra cotta pots, and a pair in Jiffy pots for eventual planting in our yard. This time 'Appletini' is on the left.

The third variety still at the greenhouse is Chick Charms 'Cosmic Candy,' newly planted in the ceramic pot replacing Echeveria 'Lola.' It has six offsets.

I put 'Lola' in the big ceramic pot June 4 with the hope that it would produce many offsets and fill the pot. Since the light varied during the day in its location at the back of the greenhouse, I put a grow light over it. As is apparent from the following image after I repotted it, 'Lola' is very robust after almost two months under the grow light. But there are no signs of any offsets, and now it is back in a 6-inch terra cotta.

Here is 'Lola' June 7. A healthy plant, but not quite as tall as today.

So 'Lola' didn't work out as hoped. I feel like an old grandmother whose granddaughter is in top physical condition and has an extremely successful business career, but has no prospects for any kids. Now I am pinning my hope on 'Cosmic Candy' in the big ceramic. The kids already exist so we are further along than we ever were with 'Lola.' I hope to see the offsets take advantage of the extra room and fill up that pot. You are on the clock.

The Internet says this did not happen

"Delosperma (hardy ice plant) is considered exceptionally deer resistant. Deer typically pass on these vibrant mat-forming succulents. The unique sap and texture of the plant act as a natural deterrent to foraging animals."

I put one of the Delospermas out to get some sun and perhaps get it to finally flower, and this happened within 24 hours:

This wasn't just a tasting. They ate more than half of the plant. Fortunately they did not break the pot and the rooting is still intact, so it should recover eventually.

In other news, I have given up on the Sempervivum Chick Charms 'Strawberry Kiwi' in the big grow bag. It has developed a three offsets, but it is obviously a heuffelii and the offsets are tight against the stem. It is just too small for that big bag. 'Berry Blues' and 'Appletini' both have room to spread out in that bag and each had six offsets on long stolons. I harvested two offsets from each. A pair went into 4" terra cotta pots, and the other pair went into Jiffy pots for eventually planting in our back yard. Also in the big grow bag is the second Delosperma. The bag is safe from the deer inside the greenhouse.

Echeveria 'Lola' also got special treatment with planting in a very large ceramic pot and being placed under a grow light. 'Lola' is now a large, tight rosette, but I have seen no offsets, nor a flower stalk since the one failed several months ago. I have turned off the grow light and I'm thinking about putting it back in a 6" terra cotta. But I'm not sure what to put in the big ceramic. I would put a Coleus in there but, in addition to the Delosperma, the deer also ate some of my deer-resistant Coleus last night. And the pot is full of succulent soil, which may be too fast-draining for Coleus.

Just to finish up this thought, the Aeonium 'Floresens' is the other plant that got a big ceramic pot. I have been waiting for it to go into summer dormancy, but I don't believe it has. Supposedly the leaves will curl inward or even close up tight to prevent water loss in hot weather, but that has not happened. It's not like it hasn't been warm. It usually hits the 90s inside the greenhouse during the day, and has gone over 100 several times. But, here it is with its two offsets. It was under a grow light for more than a month, but I turned that off a few days ago. The color contrast is much more vivid than it was a couple months ago, both the dark green in the middle of the leaves and the reddish rims.

Haworthia flower

The Hawortha attentuata 'Concolor' sent out a thin flower stalk a few weeks ago and some blossoms have developed on the stem. The flowers are cool with a green stripe, but they are tiny. You can't see it here but it also is developing a pup. This plant came home from Home Depot on Feb. 13 and hasn't done much until recently.

And Coleus

Lately I feel like I should retitle this blog "Montana Succulents and Coleus." In many ways the two are not similar. Succulents generally grow slowly, need gritty soil, and can be neglected for weeks. Coleus grow quickly, take "regular" soil (whatever that means), and need to be kept watered. But I haven't potted many succulents lately and have been potting coleus. One way they are similar is they are both easy to propagate. And with Coleus cuttings, you see the results much quicker than with succulents.

Here is a generic Coleus I planted on the north side of the house in the ground to see (a) how much it will grow before it freezes in September and (b) whether the deer will eat it. These are two major factors in whether I will plant Coleus in the ground next year. This plant was raised from seed and is expendable because it doesn't have any color besides green.

The downside with Coleus is they are tender perennials and there are no hardy varieties. I do want to plant some more hardy perennials in the ground, and need to conduct some experiments succulents such as Sempervivums, Sedums and Delosperma to see if they can survive in our new tree-covered berm. The surface is covered with a couple inches of rock, then there is landscape fabric, and some generic dirt under that. I'm not sure how to go about it, but what I should do is SOMETHING and see if it works. The slope and the rocks suggest to me that it should drain well enough for succulents to survive and someday thrive. The 'Berry Blues' and 'Appletini' Sempervivums in the big grow bag in the greenhouse have quite a few offsets, and a couple of them might be ready to explore on their own.

We have rock "mulch" in the border around the house, the berm, and the border around the shed, although the Amish who prepared the gravel bed for the shed did such a good job that it is almost impossible to dig a hole in it. It is like concrete. I have 15-gallon grow bags (currently with sunflowers) behind the shed, and that might be the best I can do there. A large percentage of what goes outside has to be caged because of the deer. I have become expert in building cages out of wire fencing material. We could plow up some of our south lawn for a garden BUT whatever we do needs to be deer-proofed. In other words, an 8-foot fence. And we have a short growing season, June to early September. Now I remember why I bought a greenhouse last year. It is off site so isn't entirely convenient, but it extends the growing season and keeps the deer out of the tomatoes.

As a result, I have all this stuff that I have grown in pots in the greenhouse (and the house/garage). I do want to see how much of it can escape to the outside and perhaps escape the pots. In addition my 20 varieties of hardy succulents, I am trying perennials such as Shasta daisies, Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan), Monarda (Bee Balm), Echinacea (Coneflower), strawberries, Oregano and other hard herbs, and others.

The Coleus and other tender perennials/annuals such as Supertunias, tomatoes and other vegetables are part of the process, of course, but the more that can be put into hardy perennials is less work that has to be done in the future. At least that is the theory. There always seems to be something that needs to be done, whether annual or perennial.

Sunset

The Graptosedum 'California Sunset' has not been a fast-growing plant so I sort of forget about it. It was one of the first succulents I bought this year, January 24 at Walmart. It has produced a second stem which is about 90 degrees from the main stem. At some point I may chop it an give it an opportunity to grow upright. Maybe in a couple months.

It's also time to check in with my first leaf propagation. It is up to about 23 leaves, and it is old enough that some lower leaves are showing signs of fading away. The propagation started in February and the last update was June 24 when it had 19 leaves. Some of the color difference is due to the lighting and the different cameras, but it is showing some color from residing in the greenhouse.

Today

June 24

The most recent image is a phone photo. I've given up on the Expert RAW mode on the new Samsung S25 and am just shooting JPG. It is OK, but if you look closely you see evidence that the phone is attempting some sort of processing on the image and there is haloing around some of the leaves. I just want a camera to take an image and if it needs further processing I will make that decision. Time to start taking the reliable Canon M100 with me again.

Jade Division

When I got Jade #2 on February 11 at Ace Hardware, I knew it had at least five stems and needed to be divided, but I decided to wait until summer. I procrastinated, but today was the day.

I already have a number of Jade plants. This first image shows just what I have on the back patio. In addition to these, I have five propagations (leaves and stem cuttings) in the garage window, and Jade #1 at the greenhouse. With the division, I'll be up to 15 Jades, and I'm not sure where I will put them all in November. What I really want is a couple of BIG Jades, not 15 small ones.

From left, #2 rooted cutting, #2 main plant, another #2 rooted cutting, and the #1 rooted cutting. The two existing #2 cuttings here were put in 2-inch pots soon after I got the plant, and after about a month when it was apparent that they were rooting (the tug test), I potted them in what you see here. I got Jade #1 in January at Walmart, and one of the three stems was rotting. I beheaded and planted it January 27, and it has slowly developed in six months into what is shown below. It had a short stem due to the rot and has always been low to the soil, so I wanted to raise it up a bit in its new pot. As I have mentioned before, #2 has always been a much brighter green than #1, and you can see it in the following images.

It turned out that #2 had six stems, not five, and here they are after I cut them apart. They were packed tightly together and I thought I was doing well to lose only one leaf in the process. I put the ones that looked best with the biggest root balls at center, and those got the biggest pots. Jade do not need a root ball to start growing, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. The loose leaf went into the propagation bowl in my office. I suspect that these six big pieces were never just one plant, that the wholesaler put a bunch of small plants into one pot because they would grow to a saleable size faster. They do this with things like supermarket basil all the time. I have at least five basil plants that were teased out of one pot a few months ago.

Here is the #1 root ball. Not massive, but there was something there to work with.

This is the result. The #1 cutting is at lower left and is (as planned) riding higher in its new pot. Most of the #2 plants have a lean to them from being jammed into the same pot all these months. I haven't watered them in yet and won't for a few days, so there is still the opportunity to give them a few tugs to straighten them out.

Total tangent, but this image demonstrates that there are differences in size among pots supposedly the same. The two terra cotta in the back row are described as 6-inch, but the one on the left is obviously wider and taller. The three terra cotta in the front are all 4-inch, but the one in the center is a bit wider.

And here is the new centerpiece of my Jades in the 7-inch green ceramic pot that I recently liberated from a coleus. This is the one I hope develops into a tree, and if not I have 14 backups.

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I took delivery of the greenhouse almost a year ago, July 29, 2025. I was so excited when I saw arrival of the truck carrying it that I forgot my phone was sitting on the back of my truck. It fell off as I drove away to greet the driver and somehow I ran over it. I replaced it with a hand-me-down from my spouse, and that one lasted until a week ago when I dropped it one too many times. The bathroom floor tile took out the screen, as in totally blank. Today I received the replacement for that, a Samsung S25, not a flagship phone but the closest to it I have ever had. My first tryout of the camera was my visit to the greenhouse today. Here is the very purple Jade #1, acquired January 17, 2026.

Jade is Crassula Ovata, and I also have a number of other Crassulas in the greenhouse including this Crassula capitella ssp. Thyrsiflora 'Pagoda Village' acquired from Mountain Crest Gardens May 16. I saw the little white spots on the stalks and wondered what that was all about. They are little flowers. Supposedly Jade will flower but I haven't seen it yet.

The Samsung camera has a top resolution of 50 Mp, more than the 45 Mp of my Canon R5 Mark II, which I often refer to as the world's most powerful mirrorless camera. While it seems the Samsung will make a fine point-and-shoot device, there is more to image quality than the number of pixels, and my initial impression is the phone does not hold a candle to the R5. The closeup image is less sharp the further away you get from the middle. The Samsung doesn't even hold a candle to my 10-year-old 24.2 Mp Canon M100 and 22mm f/2 lens, which I used for all of the images on the patio today. (In its development of mirrorless cameras, Canon abandoned the M line in favor of the R line, but I use my deprecated M100 now more than ever because of its compact size and built-in flash.) There are some modes that I haven't tried yet with the Samsung, including a RAW mode, but I don't think that will cover up the flaws inherent in a lens that is much smaller than the glass mounted on either the R5 or the M100.

I'm not going to count on the S25 for macro images, but for wider scenes it is OK. Here is an image of most of the greenhouse succulents, probably a bit oversharpened.

Next day: I figured how to use the RAW mode and change the f/stop. My conclusion is it is horrendous and I'm better off with a real camera. The basic camera mode on the phone takes JPG images better than the so-called "Expert RAW" DNG files, so I get to delete that icon from my home screen.

Upward and onward

I planted a few Aloe and Delosperma in 8-inch terra cotta pots (full height) that were on hand, but I was loath to buy more large pots because prices increase exponentially as size increases. The squat pots (half height for succulents) I have gotten on Amazon almost double in price as you move from 6-inch to 8-inch. I finally broke down and got two 8-inch squat pots. The plants selected to move up from 6-inch were two Sempervivums, Chick Charms 'Powdered Pastry' and Unknown #3. 'Powdered Pastry' is surrounded by offsets that were pressing up against the edge of the previous pot but did not spill over. Now there is room to spread.

Unknown #3 moved up from a 4-inch pot less than two months ago, and its offsets were overhanging the edge even then. With a little twisting they all fit inside the new pot. I did not water the plants, but there are water drops because I sprayed them to get the dirt off the leaves and to keep the soil from blowing away. These particular Semps are sitting outside to catch some rays, but the wind is 16 mph at the moment, not unusual for Montana. What we say when the wind starts gusting at 30 and beyond is, "At least we don't live in Wyoming."

Images of the two Semps in their previous pots are in the post "Here All Along" from July 5.

Potting up freed up a 6-inch squat pot for another Sempervivum, the one I call the Little Survivor. I have changed my mind several times about whether it is related to the three rosettes of webbed Unknown #1, which was lost in the February Semperpocalypse. It started as a dried-up little ball that rolled out of the Plants for Pets box in January and took several months to come alive.

It took a while to develop, but I do see the resemblance now to the late Unknown #1. It also doesn't look that much different than the main rosette of Sempervivum 'Hurricane,' which also came with a companion that may or may not be related. It came from Succulents Depot April 30.

Flowers

Some advocate clipping succulent flower stalks when they appear to get the plant to direct its energy into leaves and roots. Maybe the stalks do mar the perfection of a rosette, but I would rather see what is going to happen. The Echeveria 'Doris Taylor' has some nice orange blossoms.

The 'Topsy Turvy' stalk isn't interesting yet. We will see what happens.

The Hawortha attentuata 'Concolor' has sent up a thin stalk.

And the buds of Sempervivum Unknown #5 continue to develop. For more of this plant, see the "Death of a Sempervivum" post.

Invader!

I had to laugh when I read that Plectranthus Amboinicus is an invasive plant. True, it is extremely easy to propagate my trademarked semi-succulent Plectranthus 'Velveteen Aromatic'™ and I currently have 22 copies of it. All of them are in pots. When I lived in South Dakota (Zone 5, same as my current location in Montana), I planted it in the ground a few times, and sometimes it thrived through early autumn. But it did not take over my yard because all you have to do to control it in Zone 5 is wait for the temperature to hit 32 degrees and it turns into a ball of mush. This is my most bushy 'Velveteen' shown with a (somewhat) related Coleus.

Reading more details, the plant is considered invasive in tropical places. Many invaders that thrive in warm areas are not a problem in Zone 5. Kudzu may be the most famous invasive plant in the USA and is called "The plant that ate the South." For fun, I looked up its growing zones, and it shows as zones 7-10. The Nature Conservancy claims Kudzu can survive Zone 5, but struggles to establish deep mats due to the cold. I looked up "Kudzu Montana" and found that the botanical name is Pueraria montana. Other than the name, I couldn't find any links to Montana. There are some advantages to living in cold places. Another is that there are no pesky insects for half the year.

Other examples of plants that are invasive in warmer areas but are controlled by the cold in Zone 5 are Butterfly Bush, Lantana, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Sweet Autumn Clematis. The first two have crossed my radar as possible acquisitions, but I currently have no plans for them. There also are invasive plants that have close relatives which are not considered invasive. Trumpet Honeysuckle is not as aggressive as the Japanese variety. Other than the Oxeye daisies in a pot on my back patio, I'll just avoid the invaders. If anyone thinks this single pot of daisies is dangerous, we have a neighbor who encourages these plants instead of having a lawn. I'll deadhead my pot to keep it from going to seed; I doubt that my neighbor will do the same with his thousands of blooms.

What about invasive succulents? Creeping Sedum is the only example I could find of a succulent that was hardy enough and aggressive enough to be potentially invasive. I have three varieties of SunSparkler sedums that are cold hardy but supposedly are not invasive. The other cold-hardy succulents I have are Sempervivums and Delospermas, and both grow too slowly to be invasive. In fact, three months after acquiring two of the Delosperma 'Fire Spinner' from The Three Company via Amazon, sometimes I wonder if they are alive. They are green but have shown no sign of producing the vivid flowers in the photographs.

Relatives

With our 5,588-foot altitude, short growing season, and pests ranging from aphids to deer, I have become a believer in growing what works and not bringing on self-induced frustration. Even in the greenhouse which gets quite warm in the daytime in spring, the soil stays cold and damp for a long time. When they say zinnias are a warm-weather plant, believe them.

The (semi) succulent that for me is easiest to grow is Plectranthus 'Velveteen Aromatic'™, my 30-year propagation of Plectranthus Amboinicus or something extremely similar. You can also find older references to this plant as Coleus Amboinicus. On the other hand, some sources state that the botanical name for the plant commonly called Coleus is Plectranthus scutellarioides. Other sources, apparently more recent, say that Coleus scutellarioides is correct.

So let me get this straight. My 'Velveteen' used to be Coleus but is now Plectranthus. Coleus used to be Plectranthus but is now Coleus. I guess there is someone who decides these things.

Here they are together. The Coleus is the ColorBlaze 'Wicked Witch' from Proven Winners. They do not look related, although they are both under the family of Mint (Lamiaceae). There are very few Mints that are semi-succulents, but the 'Velveteen' is one of them.

Both of these are instant gratification plants. I was 18-for-18 on propagating 'Velveteen' from cuttings this year. They aren't as big and bushy yet as the one pictured, but they will be by this time next year. On this particular Coleus, the results aren't definitive, but I'm on track for 3-for-3. I also have about a dozen generic Coleus that I sprouted from a Burpee's variety packet, and some of them are bigger than the one shown here.

This is a succulents blog, so bringing it back to that, Sempervivums were not instant gratification when I started accumulating them in January, but some (not all) of them started pumping out offsets as the weather got warmer. A couple of posts back, I showed an image of Unknown #3 with a stolon hanging over the edge, and here is my temporary solution. The stolon at the bottom of the plastic pot on the right is loose, but I have learned that you don't give up on a piece of a succulent until it dries up.

With the Sempervivums forming offsets, will everything fit in the 13-square-foot planter when it becomes available, or should I get bigger pots? I have resisted getting 8-inch terra cotta squat pots (only 4.2 inches high), $16 each on Amazon, saucer not included. But looking at #3, wingtip-to-wingtip is 7.5 inches and it probably will continue to spread. I need to start eating more onions to free up the planter space. Yesterday I bought the remainder of the pumice and coir that I will need to revise the soil in that bed to provide better drainage.

So all things considered, these three have been the easiest for me to grow this season -- 'Velveteen,' Coleus and Sempervivums, accounting for more than 50 individual plants. A lot of the Echeverias and other succulents are doing well, but have not produced masses of offsets like the Sempervivums (although I did notice an offset on the slow-growing Haworthia attentuata 'Concolor' a few days ago). Among the non-succulents, my success rate at cloning petunias is well below 50%, and I'm starting to get strawberry runners to replace the 50% of the plants that died this spring after I planted them. The nasturtiums are growing like weeds inside the greenhouse, but I only planted them as companions to the strawberries and sunflowers. Same with the borage. Those two don't really count.

At some future date, lazy me will have 50 'Velveteens,' 50 different Coleus, 50 different Sempervivums, and nothing else. Go with what works.

Mildew update

About a month ago, I noticed what seemed to be powdery mildew on the Crassula 'Campfire.' I sprayed it with the copper fungicide, which seemed to kill it. Although there is extensive scarring on the leaves, the plant is sending out new growth. There seemed to be a recurrence on some of the damaged leaves so I hit it again today, but the new leaves are unaffected so far. I received this plant in a Ramsey's order March 7.

A few days ago I noticed similar white patches on the Crassula cv. 'Buddha's Temple' so I also hit it today with the fungicide. This plant has always had a funny-looking top, and it is slumped over in its pot. In other words, it has never been a stellar performer since I got it from The Next Gardener March 17.

The conditions for powdery mildew seem rather specific, and the greenhouse only has some of them. The humidity does go up at night, but not to the 95% cited by the interweb as necessary for the mildew to take hold. And for about the past month, there has been at least one large window open all the time to provide air flow. Maybe it is something other than powdery mildew, but the fungicide seemed to greatly reduce it on the 'Campfire.'

The commonality between the plants of course is they are both Crassulas. I thought I saw something on the 'Coastal Coral' a few weeks ago but it turned out to be nothing. I've been thinking about moving that one from its plastic pot to terra cotta so it will dry out better. That wasn't a factor with the 'Campfire' since it has been in terra cotta all along. The 'Budda's Temple' is in a ceramic pot, which holds a little more moisture, but not as much as plastic.

Doris

Echeveria 'Doris Taylor' is blooming on two stalks, and unlike Sempervivums the plant will not die after flowering.

Here all along

For about four months earlier this year, I was buying up succulents seeking unique, striking plants, and I wanted to know the names of them. But one of my first purchases was a batch of no-name Sempervivums from Plants for Pets via Amazon, January 29. Three of the seven entities received in that box perished in the Semperpocalypse of Feb. 19 when I found out that "hardy" does not necessarily mean a plant can survive the cold in a small pot sitting on a bench. Originally I thought the dried-up little ball that eventually came to life was related to the webbed Unknown #1, which perished, but now I think it is a different variety. Also no longer with us are #2 and #4. For what seemed like an eternity in late winter and early spring, the surviving Sempervivums just existed and never did anything. I started taking them for granted as I was accumulating Echeverias and other species. But the past six weeks or so, that has changed dramatically. Unknown #3 (third image) changed color, has produced lots of offsets, and has grown a lot. The story of Unknown #5 is an ongoing tale of death and rebirth being told in the blog post "Death of a Sempervivum," which I updated today.

And then there is #6. The green and burgundy of the two original rosettes and now its two big offsets were glowing in this evening's golden hour light. I counted six more offsets developing. I still have it in the 4-inch pot I gave it five months ago.

As I found out with #3, going with a 6-inch pot may not be enough. I feel like ripping out my onion patch in the greenhouse and converting that planting bed (almost 13 square feet) to hardy succulents now rather than waiting until fall. That still not be enough room for all the Sempervivums, Sedums and Delospermas, so I'm also looking at converting another bed which is 16 square feet.

Here is #6 on January 29.

Here is today's image of #3. I potted it up to a 6-inch a month ago and the offsets are way past the rim. Some of the offsets are sending out roots, searching for somewhere to land.

The three unknown survivors (not including the little ball) have been living on the west-facing patio at the house. They are under cover and don't get direct sunlight until late afternoon, but any doubt about whether they get enough light there is dispelled by their coloration. I also have one other Sempervivum on the patio, and I do know its name: Chick Charms 'Powdered Pastry.' Its offsets have been growing but unlike #3 have not spilled out of the pot. Here it is today:

This image is from April 8. It doesn't have as much webbing now, but has definitely grown.

Thirteen other Sempervivums are at the greenhouse, ten on a high shelf and three in a large grow bag. There are some interesting ones, but there's a reason I chose the four to display at the house. The four, especially the three unknowns, have exhibited the most dramatic changes.

A little 'Little Jewel'; Red Sky takes a tumble

The Pachyphytum compactum 'Little Jewel' continues to make the news. An offset has appeared around the base of the plant.

Already faceted.

As I have mentioned, the aloe at the greenhouse took a beating from the deer before I gave up and moved them all inside. They are all on the back of the bench under the shelf where they get bright but indirect light. I was reaching back there to water them today hoping to help with their recovery when I knocked Echeveria 'Red Sky' off the bench to the gravel floor. It landed upside-down and somehow was not damaged, but it spilled a lot of potting mix into the gravel. As I was repotting it, I took the opportunity to clean up some old leaves. A couple of the leaves looked semi-viable, so I stuck them in dirt. The plant has more of a stem than most of my other Echeverias, and I hope it just keeps getting taller until I have to behead it. It seems the only consequence of today's tumble is the dirt in the gravel.

Breakers

After seven weeks, the Echeveria 'Neon Breakers' flower stalk continues to develop in weird and wonderful ways. I don't know what else to say.

In other news, I have two aloe that I have ID'd 'Tiger Tooth' because the leaves have hard spines. The ID probably is not accurate but is descriptive. They are the closest thing to cacti among my non-cacti succulents, so I felt safe leaving them outside the greenhouse. The deer tried to eat them last night. They have acres and acres of lush vegetation after spring and early summer rains, and they decide they want to sample these. Even the non-spiky aloe are somewhat toxic to deer, so I don't understand what they are doing.

I gave up trying to figure out why deer are so stupid and brought all eight aloe inside, six at the greenhouse and two at the house. The greenhouse six are all missing chunks. The house pair were sniffed but escaped unscathed.

I moved about 20 succulents from the greenhouse to the house patio to see how they would do outside. After recent events, and even though they are supposed to be deer resistant, I just moved the Echeverias that were on the patio to the garage. I left the assortment of Sempervivums, Haworthias and Jades. If they start eating Sempervivums, I am going to lose my mind.