Joyce's Diary
Sept 2002
The flowering season for the Lithops has started. The first of my plants to come into flower were L. fulviceps aurea. The contrast between the brilliant white flowers, their golden stamen and the spotted green plant bodies, is very attractive. With hundreds of lithops in my collection I can look forward to a few weeks with lots of the daisy like flowers on view.
I am writing after a busy and most enjoyable weekend at the Judges Course. I expect Brian will have given you most of the details – suffice to say that I feel that I am gradually learning and, if I am lucky, I may pass the test before I reach my hundredth birthday. Even if the test is best forgotten, I did acquire some rare and wonderful plants.
With the colder September evenings it is time to think of sending many of our plants to rest for the winter. I shall give all one more good watering. The plants in large pots take so long to dry out that they should not need any more than that. If the weather is hot I shall probably give the smaller plants a further watering towards the end of the month. These watering conditions apply to the Summer growing plants. Autumn and winter growing plants will still need water for some time.
I shall also take care that plants that have spent the Summer outdoors (Aeonium, Aloes, Echevaria, Operculicaria) are brought in, and that my more tender plants are safely in from the colder greenhouse for the winter. The most tender like Brighamia or Cissus will be brought into the house and will spend their winter on a windowsill.
This is also the time of year to check that greenhouse heaters and fans are in good working order, and that, as far as possible, greenhouses are weatherproof. I usually try to find time to clean greenhouse windows so that it is possible to make maximum use of winter light. It is easier to do these jobs in September before it becomes too cold to work outdoors.
North Wilts Branch 30th Birthday.
Maurice has reminded me that at our October meeting we celebrate the 30th Birthday of the Branch. I do think that the Branch has cause to celebrate because, at our 25th birthday, we were near to closing the branch for lack of members. It is really good to see how things have built up since then.