November 2022 - Back markers

[rodsmith]

Sounds rather esoteric but I'm looking for photos of cacti & other succulents that were neglected by you but have more recently come to the fore in your estimation. Photos will be judged on overall photographic merit, coupled with your reason given for posting the photo.

[Ernie]

Interesting choice. I have one in mind and will post picture after I take one! (with explanation as requested).

[rodsmith]

Interesting choice. I have one in mind and will post picture after I take one! (with explanation as requested).

Hooray. Thanks, Ernie. I realise that this is a strange title but we've been through most of the likely ones over the years. I was fearing we'd have no responses at all.

[juster]

Somehow this seems rather a challenging subject, but then I remembered this Aloe jucunda

Bought many years ago as a single head and rather neglected at the back of the staging. Then with the lockdown repotting time, I realised it had grown into quite a nice plant, repotted it into a 13" bowl, and here it is today. Sadly I don't have room to keep too many large plants, so will probably split it up and start again next year.

[Jim_Mercer]

This plant has been neglected twice! Bought from Tesco last year when it had been on the shelves too long so was on clearance, looked like it was healthy and had plenty of flower buds. Unfortunately only one of the buds actually flowers, all the others dropped off, plant never got re-potted so still in original pot complete with plastic liner and put to one side. Earlier this year I noticed it had tried to produce some new segments but they had dropped off but it did prompt me to give it a bit of water. A few weeks ago I saw it was producing flower buds so it got a bit more water but I decided not to risk re-potting but did move it into a position where I could see the flowers from my usual seat, the first flower has now opened and other buds are developing well

[rodsmith]

Looks like I picked a difficult subject for this month's competition - but there's still time to enter your photos. Let's have some last minute inspiration.

[el48tel]

One of Lidl's "best". Left outside in the cold of Yorkshire, hence it dropped all of its flowers and sulked. But a couple of years on .... it's starting to show some promise.

[Ernie]

I post this in memory of Roy Mottram. Its not a plant I have neglected but maybe not one I thought about a great deal during the last three years. Roy's passing reminded me of the plant named after his wife Sandra. A sedum society accepted name. The plant will serve as a reminder to me of a man with whom I could be myself and enjoy

many hours of intelligent conversation.
Sedum Sandra Mottram.

[rodsmith]

Thanks to the few who posted photos - it made judging a lot simpler, in theory. It was good to read the back stories of the plants in these posts. There is often a tale to tell when plants are involved. Taking into account the quality of the photos and the accompanying info, el48tel narrowly beats Jim Mercer into first place. Over to you for next month, el48tel.

[el48tel]

Rod
Thanks .... thinking cap will be located before the end of the day.
It was a tough subject you set for November.
Terry