Down in flames?

[Julie]

I stumbled across this article when looking for dinky caudiciforums.

The author tries to decide which is his favourite plant. Which he would rescue in a fire? He thinks he'd go down in flames instead.

http://www.botanicalgardening.com/favorite.html

Which would you rescue? OK, a silly question.. I'll change it a bit.

Which plant has been the source of the most happiness and wonder for you?

I've only got about 20-25 plants, and I can't choose

Old gal Forby is my oldest plant, and has been there to welcome me when I've visited the parents through the worst times of my adult life.

All the rest have been acquired in happy times!

Bella was the first Lithops to make a mature set of new leaves and watching her has been fascinating.

Little Y has been great.. as well as being a lovely plant he's been the dad of many pods which I have had the fun to watch grow.

Crassula picturata (the "magic leaf") has grown a little rosette about an inch across with 5 good leaf pairs spotty and sweet, and now the large leaf has dried up.

[Bill]

You can't choose from 25 and you want us to choose from hundreds.

To be honest if I realy had to choose a single plant that answers your question it's not a cacti or a succulent, but Fuchsia procumbens.

My great grandfather on my mums side was a great Fuchsia grower and it was from one of these in his collection that I took my first cutting, when I was about 7 yrs old. Nearly forty years later great grandfather and his collection have long gone, but what remains is a life long love of plants and I still have that plant, well several clones of it any way and about 20 odd other hardy Fuchsias.

[phil]

Hi Julie, For me it would be my 'Ferocactus herrerae', because it was my first ever cactus bought for 12.5p (2s-6d) from Woolworth in Folkestone back in 1961 when I was just 6 years old. So we have grown up together for the past 46 years.

[Peter]

Why is everybody younger than me?

As the man on the telly said the other night 'I always prefer older women....but now there aren't any'!

[anders]

A very difficult choice. Probably my Sulcorebutia canigueralii f. sucrensis, there is something about its dark, reddish purple flowers (bad picture below) that fascinates me. But there are other candidates, like Notocactus rutilans with its splendid flowers, my Astrophytum asterias and capricorne which grows well for me despite a lack of light, and a mistreated Cereus peruvianus that flowered after 20 years in a dark corner in my parents' house.
[attachment 3431 Sulcosucrensis.jpg]

[anders]

... and this one (Sulcorebutia mentosa), which has produced the most beautiful flowers of those I have grown from seed.
[attachment 3432 Sulcomentosa.jpg]

[saxocactus]

Ihave a mammillaria elongat which is absolutely wonderful. Dark brown spines on a pale green body, several 'heads' and looking wonderful. Lovely lemon yellow flowers. I also have an Easter Cactus which is currently flowering very heavily. As soon as I get to grips with my new camera there will be pics going up. Yes I know I've been saying this for several days now but I do have to work you know.