OooEee, nice finds! They'd be cartjumpers for me as well, Mara! Hope the deer leave your Man-thingys alone! :P

Down the road, it might be easier (spelling-wise) to write Kalanchoe humilis for that K. figuereidoi, if it survives. =)

Thanks for the name. Humilis, eh. I like the K. figuereido. It makes me think of Mozart and opera. What I need help with is spelling Kalanchoe. My fingers, no matter how many times I check and double check, want to type out "choi". It is stuck in my head. I get to the end and I start thinking was that an "e" pr was that an "i" and I always type the wrong one, even knowing that this is a danger point. Spelling is not my strong point.

I don't think the deer will fall for your trick, but good try. Your Graptoveria amethoum looks so healthy!

The one I stuck in a bed of garlic chives is doing well and so far the fragrant mimosa has kept them at bay.

Manfreda's are gorgeous.

We have several species of them growing in Texas naturally. Are they available in the trade in in South Africa? I Had them in my garden when I lived in town but I struggle with them out here in DEERVILLE (not the name of my town). Now that they are getting more popular, new forms and hybrids are appearing And I can't seem to restrain myself. I have two rooting Mangave "macho mocha" or is it "mocha macho"

Plants having weird names are cool, but I prefer easier spelling. As for your Kalanchoe trouble, maybe if you say how it is pronounced, Kal-an-Koe-ee (long o & long e vowel sounds), it would make for easier typing! =) Spelling is a pokey in my side...or is that a glochid?! LOL

Oh, yes...I managed to crack all previous xGraptoveria 'Amethorum' I had by over-watering. Yours look fabulous!!

To mix that pronunciation up a bit - there's a gardening program on the radio here. The host thinks he knows a lot more than he does. After all, he has a degree in horticulture from (mumblemumble) university. A woman called in one day and asked about here "kolanche", soft a as in "ant". He said her pronunciation was almost right - it's "kol-ahn-che". Sigh.

I have not studied Latin so I would not venture to say that what I use is right, I have heard from more than one person who has multiple degrees in Agriculture(sigh) that latin is a dead Language and the pronunciation is not a truly known and provable thing so there is more than one way to skin a cat. Catalan , a language in the north of Spain is derived from what they say is bastardized popular latin from the 2nd century BC. Much closer than Italian. I have heard soft "ch" there. Botanical latin gets weird because they combine different languages into it so it really is a hodge-podge of chop suey, To me, this is an area where an open mind and tolerance of differences is needed because no one is right.

Oh boy...I'm not getting into anything to say anyone is "right". I feel as long as the other person knows what you're talking about...you've communicated the right thing! Now, for me, if I spell it correctly, it doesn't matter if I can pronounce it! If I am with other folks where it is necessary to SPEAK the name of plants (Heaven forbid!), then there will be lots of laughs to go around! But if they don't understand me, all I have to do is write it down & show them!

I've read a lot about Latin, when I was trying to make sense of it & eventually gave up! I do know the 'ch' are pronounced like a 'k', EXCEPT for names derived from people's names, which are then pronounced as that person's name would be...like Echeveria... the 'ch' is as in China. I could be wrong on that, but that's what I learned. In my head I pronounce all names in a way that will help me spell them correctly. Many times I say these names out loud & then the fun begins!!

Hey, down here, I get to hear it with a southern accent or with a West Texas drawl.

Great looking plants! Last fall, I bought a nice sized Manfreda "chocolate chips" that had the remains of a huge bloom stalk in it. I've never seen one bloom before, so I'm hoping it will bloom again this year. I've had to overwinter it indoors, but so far it it's done fairly well. If it can hang on another couple of months, it can go outside!

Mine is tiny but it will grow outside. Manfredas will freeze back to the ground but rebound quickly, I mulch them and they do well. The M. 'Rio Grande" is an unknown for me. It is a lot more rigid and larger. Manfreda flowers are pretty.

Very nice plants there. You may just have to use tomato cages on them. Luckily I dont have your deer problem.

.My whole yard would be nothing but cages. I wish my husband would would make those critters into sausage.

No, have not seen them here Mara. Sigh!

I will keep my eye out for seed this summer. They are easy to grow from seed.

Just wondering how your plants are getting on. I have a Graptoveria 'Amethorum' that I am wondering what to do with for the winter. I have had it only since Spring. It's been outside on a north-facing patio and doing well. I'm afraid that it will get overwatered and rot in the rain, if we even get any this winter in SoCal. :-)

Double post.

This post was edited by Reggieee on Sat, Nov 30, 13 at 17:49

I planted the graptoverias in a dish planter with Stapeliads so they will get protected from the cold because of their neighbors. They are doing fine They were kept under a porch so they did not get the TONS of rain we had this fall. The dry spell and deer did in the Manefreda rio verde but the chocolate chips grew huge and pupped and I sent the pup off to a friend in OKC. The Echeveria agavoides grew like gang busters and I have spread 4 of its babies around with friends at a swap. I am now experimenting with cold hardiness sun exposure with one of the established babies. I will not protect it this winter.

Let me know how your manfredas do over winter. I would love to leave mine in ground, but I am not sure about the hardy rating or their ability to come back. I have seen the ones and PDN looking great after winter, but I am not sure of when they were planted there.