This and that, late June 2026

Except for a brief heatwave, the weather has been surprisingly mild this June. Still, we’ve reached the time of year when putting new plants in the ground isn’t the best idea. This means that my favorite things to do in the garden (like planting) are on hold until the fall. As I’ve said many times before, summer is my least favorite season, but skipping it isn’t an option, so instead of actively doing stuff, I spend more time observing.

With no real projects on the horizon, I’ll probably have more This and that type posts than usual. I actually like them because I can talk about things that wouldn’t necessarily warrant a dedicated post.

So, in no particular order....

ALIEN

This new arm coming out on this San Pedro cactus reminds me a lot of the chestburster scene in the movie Alien:

San Pedro cactus

Five days later

TRY TRY AGAIN

Lewisias are succulents native to dry rocky slopes in subalpine regions of the Western U.S. They’re one of the few succulent genera native to California, and many mainstream nurseries in Northern California sell them, especially Lewisia cotyledon (which goes by the odd common name “cliff maid”). I tried lewisias a few times before, but eventually they all died (this is the experience shared by many gardeners in the hot, summer-dry regions of inland California).

When I was given two Lewisia cotyledon last fall, I didn’t have any expectations. I put one in the front yard and one in the back and promptly ignored them. Both of them are at the base of a (low) mound so they get relatively little water and part-day sun. And guess what? Both of them flowered this spring — and, in fact, are flowering again now. Sometimes neglect is the key to success. The less you fuss over a plant, the better.

Lewisia cotyledon ‘Elise Mix’, front yard

Lewisia cotyledon ‘Elise Mix’, backyard

SEEN ELSEWHERE

A few cool plant sightings in recent weeks:

Tapestry of aeoniums and dwarf leucadendron seen at the entrance to the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Aloe polyphylla and purple-tinged aeoniums at the entrance to the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Does it get better than this?

Aloe polyphylla perfection. I wish I could grow it half as well in my own garden. Strike that. I wish I could grow it at all.

Echinopsis candicans (guessing) in Eric’s garden (see recent post)

Check out the arriving visitor at the lower right

Also at Eric’s, a carpet of Sedum rubrotinctum, Sedum palmeri, and Oscularia deltoides. Great contrast, both in color and texture.

WATERING

Most of the front yard is on drip irrigation, but it’s an old and inefficient system (just one irrigation controller station for hundreds of feet of drip). That’s why I supplement it now and then using a turret sprinkler attached to a hose and an inexpensive mechanical water timer, which I can set to anything between 15 and 120 minutes. It’s easy to drag the setup to wherever I need it.

See the water frozen in midair?

EARLY EVENING

Early evening, say from 5:30 pm on, is my favorite time of day in the garden. I love how the plants glow when they’re backlit or sidelit by the low sun.

The way cactus spines catch the light is particularly photogenic

FLUSHING CYCADS

Most cycads produce one set of new leaves per year. This is called flushing. I love watching as the new leaves unfurl.

Dioon argenteum, arguably the most beautiful of the Mexican cycads

Dioon merolae, another Mexican cycad

New Dioon merolae leaf

Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi (sometimes called “Freddy G” because that’s much easier to pronounce than the species name) with emerging new leaves

A week later, the new leaves have unfurled

ECHEVERIAS THAT DO OK IN THE SUN

Most echeverias can’t handle our hot summer sun and either shrivel into brownish balls or go dormant permanently. Some, however, do just fine, especially Echeveria agavoides and its myriad cultivars. The ever-growing clump in the photo below is proof. This is a selection called ‘Christmas‘, with mostly green leaves. It’s one of the least interesting cultivars out there, but that’s what I happened to plant years ago. I wish it were ‘Ebony‘, ‘Romeo‘, or even good old ‘Lipstick‘; they color up much more in the sun. Still, I’m glad ‘Christmas’ is doing well and has spread a good bit.

Echeveria agavoides ‘Christmas’ clump, looking like it's cascading down the edge of the mound

FRONT PORCH

The front porch is home to more potted succulents than I care to count. The idea is that some of them will eventually find a spot in the ground, but for now that’s where they hang out.

The silver torch cactus (Cleistocactus straussii), which I repotted in a Corten container last year (see this post), always looks good when backlit. In front of it, Echeveria ‘Madiba’ (left) and a Mangave ‘Lavender Lady’ sport.

There’s still room for more

The staghorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum ‘Netherlands’), which I bought on a whim in early April, is still alive. More than that, it’s actually growing. It’s still in its plastic nursery pot, because I haven’t figured out how to mount it and where to put it. I think it looks pretty good where it is.

MORE SEED COLLECTING

I really shouldn’t, but I can’t help it. Plus, the world needs more Parodia roseolutea (aka Parodia mammulosa ssp. roseolutea or Notocactus herteri ssp. roseoluteus, or simply Notocactus roseoluteus), even though its name is a taxonomic mess. Just look at the flowers! Everyone should have one! For some unfathomable reason, it isn’t as easy to find as it should be.

Parodia roseolutea seeds. I’ll add on to it as more seed pods come off the two plants I have.

Parodia roseolutea in flower in mid-May

SPIDERS & CO.

I probably say this every year, but this year I’ve seen more signs of spider activity in the garden than ever before. I don’t mind spiders and I let them be. After all, they eat the bugs I don’t want around, like flies, mosquitoes, even ants. Spider webs can be unpleasing, especially when you walk into them and the stuff sticks to your face, but they have a fragile beauty as well.

Not everybody tolerates spiders the way I do

I was not happy when I saw this on my variegated Aloe ‘Hercules’: signs of mealybugs AND aphids — at least I think the black gunk is from aphids. Fortunately, a strong spray of water took care of it, but I need to stay on top of it. Mealybugs are a big problem in the summer, every summer, because they thrive in warm, dry conditions.

Mealybugs and aphids on Aloe ‘Hercules’

RANDOM BACKYARD SNAPS

Exactly that:

Monkey tail cactus (Cleistocactus colademononis) outside the kitchen window

Agave ovatifolia ‘Vanzie’, 5 ft. wide and 4½ ft. tall, with Aloe helenae, 6½ ft. tall

Because agave teeth are always cool: Agave difformis, a relative of Agave lophantha and Agave lechuguilla

I’d tell you what this is, but I lost the tag. It’s a billbergia, that’s all I know.

Neoregelia ‘Tiger’, another terrestrial bromeliad

UNEXPECTED GIFT

And finally an unexpected gift from a local reader of Succulents and More. The other day, my wife found this outside the front door:

A note explained that this planter in the shape of a G was from Succulent Gardens in Castroville and that maybe I could put in little succulents.

Thank you, GLB. What a thoughtful gesture. I’ll post a photo once I’ve decided what to plant in it.

© Gerhard Bock, 2026. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.