Two seedlings

Last year I germinated dozens of seedling from a dark red rosetted Sempervivum.  Few of them look like the parent and I have started selecting the most promising.

The first one I potted up separately is quite large, with long narrow leaves and it is already producing offsets.  Because it is quite hairy raindrops collect on the leaves and stand out clearly against the greyish background of the leaves.  (The mother plant is in the top right of the picture).

My other houseleeks do not seem to do this, at least not in any obvious way.

My second selection is much smaller, but with similarly coloured leaves.  These, however, are distinctively fringed with long white hairs and the leaf edges seem to curl in somewhat, which enhances the hairy nature of the rosette.

Toadstools among the rosettes

Recently a few small toadstools made a brief appearance among the rosettes of one of my nameless houseleeks (but a very nice one).

So far as I can tell it is Psathyrella candolleana, or something close to it (though perhaps rather small) and the cottony bits on and around the edges of the cap seem characteristic.

The small toadstools developed quickly and vanished equally quickly and they were, I think, saprophytic on the decaying flower stalk and leaves that can be seen in the top centre of the photo above.

This fungus is known, among other things, as the fringed crumblecap, the pale brittlestem and the suburban psathyrella, the latter indication its frequent occurrence in gardens on dead wood and plant debris, a habitat consistent with the place where the toadstools were growing.

Blue Boy flowers

Sempervivum 'Blue Boy' has done very well here and produced a fine spike of flower. It is the last of the houseleeks to bloom this year - most have been over for several weeks. Blue Boy was raised by Kevin Vaughn in the USA in 1977.

White-flowered mystery

This very beautiful white flower has opened on one of my houseleeks.

The other picture shows the rosette. I have no idea what it is and would be grateful for any suggestions.

First houseleek flower of the year

The first houseleek flower of the year has opened today on an arachnoideum variety called 'Jubilee' which has made a large mound in a pot.

According to the Sempervivophilia web site there are two 'Jubilees'. Mine, from Belgium, would appear to be S. arachnoideum 'Stansfieldii' x S. montanum f. raised by A. Hansen in the UK in 1969.

Moth eggs

On a rising crosier of Sempervivum arachnoideum var. I noticed a batch of moth eggs. I know of very few things that eat houseleeks (apart from the n0n-British Apollo butterfly), so it will be interesting to see how they develop.

Larva on Pastel

This morning I spot a small caterpillar on a rosette of Sempervivum 'Pastel'. I think it had been blown of nearby bushes.

Anyway, it perambulated about and was clearly not interested in eating any houseleek. Eventually I rescued it and put it on some Japonica leaves, probably its original food plant.