Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Sweet Little Treats

December and in the run up to Christmas, a period of indulgence! And I have been indulging over the past few weeks (way before December actually) with lots sweet little personal treats, but not the calorific kind.

The earliest batch went into colourful containers...
I have been buying little succulents over the past few weeks and have continued to do so even when the weather has turned noticeably colder than before. Every week a little parcel arrives which I always open with excitement, like a kid opening a box of sweets! Ebay is where I look for these little succulents, usually on a Thursday night and check out the ones that will end on the Sunday. If the starting price is low I put on a bid and if I win it then it usually arrives on our doorstep by the latter part of the following week.

Aloe 'Goby'

It seems that not a single week has passed by of recent that a parcel has not arrived for me to tear open. Sounds very indulgent I know but I do put on low bids only and don't go crazy with my maximum offer. People can get carried away with these online auction sites and get themselves on a bidding war, especially for the rarer succulents but such a behaviour I tend to avoid. There's something special and extra thrilling to know that you acquired something for a bargain price and for me part that's part of the excitement of these weekly little parcels.

Agave gentryi 'Jaws'
My succulent inclinations are still largely on the agaves but recently I've found myself liking hybrid aloes and are now currently a larger percentage of my recent purchases. Every week I find myself potting up these little gems that have arrived on our doorstep.

Some of the earlier batch has featured on our blog already but I have yet to take any photos of the newer ones. Gaz asked me to feature them but instead of me taking photos why not use the ones that the seller took and posted on Ebay? They are the same plants afterall...

Resolution isn't great and the scale is rather deceptive (these plants are a lot smaller than what the photo implies but the description accompanying them were accurate) but here are some of them...

Agave 'Little Shark'
Agave 'Royal Spine'
Aloe 'Twilight Zone'
Aloe 'Bright Star'
Aloe claviflora
Aloe 'Fire Ranch'
Aloe 'Green Sand'
Aloe 'Marmalade'
Aloe 'Midnight Child'
Aloe 'Mini Belle'
Aloe 'Pickled Pink'
Aloe 'Pink Blush'
Aloe 'Raspberry Ruffles'
Aloe rauhii
Aloe saponaria 'Variegata'
Aloe 'Silver Ridge'
Aloe 'Silver Star'
Aloe 'Sparkling Burgundy
All of the photos (apart from the first one) were taken by the seller plantlifecactus and they also have their own website which has a link to their Ebay page. They got sent bare root and have since been potted on. Once they are all arranged nicely in their home for the winter (in the Shed O'Fun) I'll take individual photos again and feature them in our blog.

Zero calorie treats!

Mark :-)

27 comments :

  1. Ohhh I love these treats!!!even more than the high calorie ones...although I´m not able to resist those either, hehehe.

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    1. I can't resist those types of treats either Lisa, especially as there's plenty of them at the moment :))

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  2. That's a lot of Aloes! I like the bumpy ones just fine, but Aloe claviflora is my favorite I think -- not sure why.

    I'd like to hear more about the mulch in the first photo: glass beads? Sand? I can't figure it out, but also am curious how practical it is. So curious now...

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    1. The aloe claviflora looks cute as it is, hopefully it will remain looking good as it grows Alan :) the mulch is coloured sand, looks fab but not very practical and I'd only recommend for small containers. I water them with a syringe so as not to ruin the surface.

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  3. Chocolate is good, but these are even better. There is a seemingly endless supply of aloe hybrids so you'll never run out of beauties to buy :-).

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    1. Indeed Gerhard, and they're fun to collect too :) funny enough one of the ones I haven't got hold of yet is 'Christmas Carol'...

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  4. Little plant treats are a perfect way of dispelling the winter blues. A nice plug for the Ebay seller concerned. I've recently noticed an Ebay seller using one of my snowdrop photos to illustrate one of their items for sale without contacting me beforehand :(

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    1. Definitely Anna, little plants arriving at a trickle keeps the gardening flames going :) contact the seller using your snowdrop photo without your permission, usually they are good at taking them down once they've been spotted.

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  5. Wow! What's the collective noun for lots of succulents? A sea? A spike? I love those brightly coloured containers and look forward to your photos when they're all arranged.

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    1. Ohh I'm not sure Helen, I'm curious now if one exists :)

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  6. They last longer than chocolate too!
    My mother was a great fan of aloes and had quite a collection up until a couple of years ago. I'm regretting I didn't keep some of them now.

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    1. That's nice to know Jessica :) you can always re acquire a few choice ones to remind you of your mums collection. And there's always a few you can grow out in your garden too.

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  7. These are the best holiday treats ever and they're all wonderful! Some of those prickly ones might be a little hard to digest so do be careful. I've been seeing aloe seeds offered on ebay and am tempted to try my hand at starting some although I'm not much of a seed starter.

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    1. Give it a go Peter :) you do have your fab greenhouse now to play in with some aloe seeds!

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  8. 'Green sand' and 'marmalade' look like something you'd find on a coral reef under the sea! This is a fascinating collection - it would never occur to me to look on ebay for plants. Like Helen, I love the little brightly coloured containers in the first photo ... ah, if only I had more space!

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    1. They do don't they Caro? There's something especially coral like with those two. And check out Amazon too, you can now buy some plants from there :)

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  9. What a haul, Mark! I recently went shopping for blue Echeverias as a Christmas gift for a friend but I came across Agave 'Jaws,' fell in love, and brought that home for myself. After viewing your recent acquisitions, I now find I also want an Aloe 'Twilight Zone' - I've never seen that one.

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    1. Jaws is going to look fantastic in your garden Kris! Such an architectural plant and will realise it's potential in your garden as you will plant it out, a fine purchase :) and I hope you get hold of a Twilight Zone soon!

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  10. What fun! I've never seen any aloes like 'marmalade' and 'green sand', very cool! It's so exciting receiving parcels isn't it? Look forward to seeing them potted up in their new homes :)

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    1. Very exciting Amy, a little treat each time :)

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  11. My goodness you have been shopping! Looks like it has been lots of fun. The first picture with all the bright color is a great sight on a grey day--it is grey even here today.

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    1. Glad to hear that the grey skies there did bring some much needed rain too Gail :)

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  12. Wow! These are beautiful, and some remind me of sea creatures. I confess I have never, ever thought of buying a plant from eBay; did not even know plants were sold that way. You have opened a door of temptation for me!

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    1. Ebay are just one of many avenues to indulge in plant buying Debs :)

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  13. Yummy indeed! I never have gotten anything from eBay. But looks like there are some great deals out there. Love the colors!

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