For many years I have been cultivating these 3 plants and I have named them all as Tylecocon buchholzianus and having read Derek Tribble's comments about the plant being a variable species I am quite happy with the names. I grow them in shady conditions which I hope explains the lack of flowers.

If he UK Border Force operatives think that these are Astrophytum asterias from habitat then they have obviously never seen a habitat collected plant!!!!!!!

Mammillaria hernandezii and Mammillaria maritima if indeed tis is still a Mammillaria

Conophytum stephanii and Conophytum herreanthus Rex if indeed this is slill a Conophytum

As the late Ron Ginns often said’ if you have to ask how to grow a rare and difficult plant then you should not even think of buying it’

Compared to the Journals of 40,50 and 60 years ago the Journal today is far better and shows no sign at all of being put together by amateurs.

They are both from seed sown in 1998 and have been repotted just once in 2008. I am loathe to break then up because I find that some die and some grow.

In both numbers and colour the flowers on 2 plants of Conophytum regale have a huge difference

A lot of new enthusiasts seem to think that it is necessary to repot a plant every year. Unless you are a keen showman I find that this is not advisable and more plants are lost when they have been repotted than virtually for any other reason. Quite a number of plants in my greenhouse have been in t...

Brilliant idea. I will get my moneys worth out of Tom Jenkins flowerpot yet.