Late flowering chrysanthemum

Well as November fast approaches, time for a few of the late flowering jobbies. I usually grow Late flowering Singles & Anemones but this year I decided to have a go at a few more sprays. They have some distinct advantages over the normal Lates.

1. They are short life plants (the time between taking cuttings and flowering is short) & the cuttings don't need taking till July
2. Being short life they don't need much room - I grow them in 7" pots
3. They are easier to get to flower when you want them (although this seems to have gone a bit awry this year)

The only downside is you have to black them out for 12 hours a day for about 3 weeks still here we go

This is what the start out like & then 9 weeks later ...

........the final results

looking back 2

Following on from the Echinopsis & related Hybrids, here are a few of the Mammilaria's.

These are popular as they are easy for beginers although there are a few difficult customers.














And some of my personal favourites, Rebutia's & Sulcorebutia's. Again the majority are easy for beginners but will repay the love and affection with masses of flowers.








And finally the Gymnocalyciums. Again easy beginers plants that will flower their roots off.

Looking back.........but not too far

We're is a sort of limbo at this time of the year, in between the flowering periods for Chrysanthemums, the allotment looks more like a battle field than a productive haven & there isn't much to see. So I thought I'd share afew of the nicer photo's of this year with you.

As you may have guessed from previous posts I grow Veg, Chrysanths & Dahlia's but one of my other hobbies is the collecting of Cacti & Succulents. I've had some of these for years but this year I thought that I'd better take more care of them so having a root around I found the forum of the British Cacti & Succulent Society & what a mine of information they are. With there help & enthusiam the poor survivors (5 of them) were quickly re-potted & nurtured and then the bad bit, I bought a couple more and this then carried on & the 5 is now around 250 plus I have loads of seedlings to try and home next year !! Anyway, enough of my ramblings here are the photo's



First up are Echinopsis both Hybrids and species,

The Final a series of photographs of a flower of
Trichocereus Rubringhianus that opened over a spell of 3 or 4 hours one night.

The size of these flowers vary from 2" to 10" across