October 2013 - Reliability

[rodsmith]

Well that was a shock. No way did I expect to win, considering the opposition! Thank you Sylvia. The October subject, reliability, was inspired by my Lobivia winteriana, which is just about to produce flowers for the 4th time this year.

Lobivia winteriana 1 October 2013

[Jim_Mercer]

Reliable for October flowers Cotyledon tomentosa subsp. ladismithiensis

24th October 2011

6th October 2013 and still in the same 2 inch pot

[rodsmith]

Super crisp photos Jim.

[The Tunn]

Also reliable for Autumn flowers, my Pelargonium: bought as luteum, that name seems dubious and it may be luteolum. Once the flowers and the leaves, which make a brief appearance in spring have died off I can rely on someone asking me: "Why are you keeping that? It's dead."

[Sheila]

This little Turbinicarpus flowers all year and was still flowering at the beginning of October

Turbinicarpus.jpg (52.61 KiB) Viewed 4491 times

[Peter Cupial-Jones]

My candidate for reliable flowerer is this little beauty. I have it as Thelocactus bicolor fma texensis. This isn't a recognised form of bicolor and it certainly looks simply like a dwarf form of the species. I have had it since 2009 where it produced its first flower a month later in a 2.5 inch pot. It has maintained its dwarfish tendencies and still looks comfortable in it's current 2.75" pot. The real beauty is its terrific flowering - it flowers virtually continuously from May to the end of September (even in last year's rubbish summer) with the typical, gloriously red-centred bicolor flowers. The last 2 pics were taken on 27th September and looks to be the last for this year. Anything that flowers this well on this small a plant always gets space in my congested greenhouse!

(apologies for the quality on this photo - must have been the DT's)

[Liz M]

This is Echeveria 'Domingo'. Last year it flowered beautifully, as you can see from my icon. This year it has gone berserk and won't stop flowering. This is one of a second lot of buds, I guess the decent summer helped.

[Sylvia]

Pachypodium succulentum 1.JPG (113.35 KiB) Viewed 4338 times

Matucana caliacantha.JPG (77.44 KiB) Viewed 4338 times

I am very fond of Matucanas and this one is a favourite and it never fails to flower.
The Pachypodium succulentum is a favourite succulent as I grew it from seed back in December 1988 from seeds I bought from the late Doug Rowland. It never fails to flower and this year I placed it in the porch so visitors could see it in flower and everyone admired it.

[Jim_Mercer]

Ever since I put my Crassula ovata on the North side of my greenhouse they have flowered every year. The first buds are showing now...

... but it will be a few weeks (months!) before the flowers open...

17th February 2013

[rodsmith]

This was a difficult one to judge, as all the contributions extolled reliability in one way or another. My decision is that Sheila is the winner with her Turbinicarpus. A lovely photo and apparently a non-stop bloomer. Over to you for November, Sheila.