Succulents and More™

Just before Christmas I met up with my friends Justin and John at the University of California Botanical Garden  (UCBG) in Berkeley. The weather forecast called for a break in the rain from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, but on my way to Berkeley—a good hour's drive from Davis—there were pockets when the rain was very heavy and it was so dark that you might have thought it was evening rather than morning. Fortunately, the rain stopped shortly after I'd pulled into the UCBG parking lot, and we were able to walk around without getting wet. Surprisingly, we had clear views of San Francisco on the other side of the Bay: Justin, John, and I went straight to the Southern Africa hill to see how far along the aloes were. With the exception of Aloe suprafoliata  and a few others, not much is happening yet. In spite of the generous rainfall, colder temperatures in recent weeks have slowed the development of inflorescences. I don't think we'll see much of a flower show until late...