This and that, late February 2025

Quite a few photos I take in the garden don’t fit into a regular post but are too nice not to be shared. That’s why I have occasional “This and that” posts. The photos you see below were taken the second and third week of February, most of them during and after the project I described here.

Winter is on its way out, and spring is in the air. I hope I didn’t curse us all by saying that out loud! We had a bit of rain this morning, but there’s no significant amount of precipitation in the forecast for the next two weeks. With daytime highs ranging from the low to the high 60s and plenty of sunshine, our aloes will finally start to flower. I hope.

Aloe lukeana has been in flower for two months now. In my opinion, it’s one of the best landscape aloes out there. Unfortunately, it’s still hard to find. It’s solitary, so it has to be grown from seed.

A good crop of Meyer lemons this year

I finally put my cardón (Pachycereus pringlei) in the ground. I bought it when it was barely a foot tall and kept it confined to a pot all this time. I was surprised by how small the root ball was – the roots didn’t even fill the pot.

Hechtia argentea looks stellar year round. New layer of decomposed granite on the walkway.

Dioon argenteum, Hechtia ‘Silver Star’, Hechtia ‘Oaxaca Sunset’ also looking good

Aloe deltoideodonta ‘Sparkler’ and Aloe ‘Hellskloof Bells’. The former flowers multiple times a year, the latter has never flowered (a pity, but not a disqualifier because it’s such a cool aloe year round, even without flowers).

Aloe vaombe in the bed next to the front door. It’s been a reliable bloomer since 2021, but this year there’s no trace of an inflorescence. I wonder why?

To the left of Aloe vaombe: Agave desmetiana ‘Joe Hoak’ (all the way in the back), Agave ‘Snow Glow’, and another Hechtia argentea

Next to the front door, a duo of Echeveria agavoides cultivars (‘Love’s Fire’ on the left, ‘Romeo’ on the right). The rocks on the left are pieces of petrified wood.

Opposite, Echeveria agavoides ‘Love’s Fire’ and a ×Sincoregelia ‘Burgundy Hill’ (formerly ×Neophytum ‘Burgundy Hill’). Both color up with more sun.

I have so many empty bowls, I decided it’s time to put something in them

This bowl contains five parodias/notocactus. They produce spectacular flowers in the summer (here is Parodia elegans last summer).

On the front porch, the Agave desmetiana ‘Galactic Traveller’ I bought at San Marcos Growers in January and a good-sized Tylecodon ‘Mystery’ (aka×dinteri, thought to be a cross between T. wallichii and T. paniculatus)

Aloe excelsa has more racemes this year than ever. It’ll be a great flower display.

Grevillea lavendulacea ‘Tanunda’, a recent addition from The Home Depot, of all places. I planted another one on the long side of the L-shaped bed.

Agave yucuanensis, described in 2024 by Greg Starr, was previously known as ‘Green Bull’. It’s been a great grower in our garden. No issues with heat damage or rot in the winter.

Opuntia sulphurea and Aloe cameronii

Aloe laeta hybrid pushing an inflorescence. The leaves are beautiful year round.

Aloe ‘Tangerine’ will put on quite a show as soon as the flowers start to open up

Leucadendron ‘Ebony’ close-up. The red “leaves” are actually bracts. The flowers are the rather inconspicuous structures in the center.

Trichocereus ‘First Light’ (left) and Trichocereus ‘Flying Saucer’ (right) have buds for the first wave of flowers in a couple of months

I know I’ve posted quite a few photos of this Aloe (ortholopha × spectabilis) × ferox ‘Utrecht’ in recent months, but it’s so deliciously prickly, I can’t resist

Nananthus pole-evansii, a small mesemb from South Africa, now blooming its head off. This is a perfect plant to tuck into a small crevice.

Most aloe flowers are at least three weeks behind this year, no idea why. But the wait is worth it. Aloe ‘Superman’ in the front, a hybrid created by Brent Wigand.

Aloe marlothii × globuligemma, propped up with rocks so it stays more upright. ×Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’ at the bottom left.

The head of Aloe marlothii × globuligemma is very heavy, especially at this time of year when the leaves are plumped up. The smaller agave to the right of it is A. ‘Burnt Burgundy’.

Left: giant fennel (Ferrula communis) making its annual appearance. The stalks are noticeably thicker this year. Maybe it’ll finally flower? Right: Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ × ramosissmum, in the ground now a full year and about 6 inches taller.

Aloe ‘Moonglow’, one of the most floriferous aloe hybrids

Aloe ‘Moonglow’ next to Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’ and Agave parryi

Aloe wickensii with its signature bi-color flowers. Agave ovatifolia behind it.

Wider view of the far end of the sidewalk bed

The flowering aloes are Aloe ‘Erik the Red’, Aloe vaombe × spectabilis, and another Aloe ‘Moonglow’. The larger agaves in the front of the bed are Agave wocomahi and Agave schidigera ‘Durango Delight’.

Closer view

Aloe vaombe × spectabilis, a beautiful hybrid I got years ago from Paradise Found Nursery in Florida. Unfortunately, the nursery is closing this year after a series of tragic setbacks the owner, Kate Stone, has gone through (read more about it here). Another big loss for plant lovers nationwide.

© Gerhard Bock, 2025. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.