Happy Unboxing Day

It was yet another unboxing day, and this one went better than the last one. It was a Mountain Crest Gardens order of nine plants in seven pots, and there was not one loose leaf left inside the box after I got all the pots out. I think that is a first. And the box arrived two days earlier than the tracking showed, although eight days from order to receipt still isn't that great in this day and age. But compared to other unboxing days, I have nothing to be mad at USPS about.

Here are the new arrivals and how I envision potting them today. From top left:

• The Honeycrisp Twist trio of Gold Nugget (obscured), Appletini and Cosmic Candy goes into the 3D-printed black pot. All are Chick Charms Sempervivums.
• The huge Chick Charms Sempervivum Berry Blues gets a regular 6" terra cotta.
• Chick Charms Sempervivum Lotus Blossom is assigned a green 3D-printed pot.
• Haworthia retusa f. geraldii Star Cactus (not a cactus) is in a short 6" terra cotta.
• Echiveria pulvinata Frosty, Kalanchoe humilis Desert Surprise, and Echeveria Black Prince each get a 4" terra cotta pot.

When I printed the black pot I thought it would be ideal for the Black Prince, but it's a 5-incher and I need it for the trio. Maybe when I break up the trio, the Black Prince (who should be called the "Dark Burgundy Prince") can claim his rightful place.

The Haworthia is described as [large] on the web site, and indeed it is. It looks like it could be divided into at least five separate plants. In the trio pot, the Appletini is already sending out runners. The Gold Nugget is probably the most popular of this group and you can't even see it in the above image. Unlike the other Sempervivums in this order, it will not get huge; its fame is due to its color which changes with the seasons, culminating in a bright gold. The Berry Blues rosette already is gigantic. The Desert Surprise is unlike anything else I have. The two Echeverias are nice but seem puny next to these behemoths. And I haven't even mentioned the Lotus Blossom, which looks incredible in photos on the Mountain Crest site. All of the plants, especially those with a bit of fuzz on the leaves, are dirty and dusty from the trip. We are entering growing season for all of them and they should brighten up soon.

Here is a slightly better view of the Gold Nugget. I got these three in one pot because I wanted each of them and they were cheaper this way. I want to split them apart ASAP but I don't really have enough BIG pots right now. I'm thinking more 6" pots might not be enough; I'll probably need more 8" bowls for these monstrosities.

Berry Blues is 5 inches across, not including the runners, and is expected to get a lot bigger than that.

I really need to stop ordering succulents. When next winter approaches and I try to wedge everything back into the garage, it might be challenging... But am I really going to sit on my hands when Echeveria runyonii Topsy Turvy becomes available at Mountain Crest in a few weeks? And of course I need to order 8-10 plants to get free shipping.

Later: The potting up didn't go entirely to plan. The trio had an intact root ball and was too tall for the black pot. It went into a tall pot I drilled a hole in months ago and hadn't used yet. It is a temporary situation because Gold Nugget needs its own pot.

The Lotus Blossom went into the 6" short terra cotta, and the main part of the Haworthia was shifted over to the black pot. I didn't use the green pot. I pulled seven pieces off the Haworthia and stuck them where I could find a spot, including various bowls, a little 3D owl head planter, and two in a 3D pot that was the only thing I brought in from the garage. It went next to the kitchen window with most of the other Haworthias. This is my second experience with Mountain Crest and can attest that they ship their succulents DRY. I didn't water anything except the one I brought indoors, but I will make the rounds tomorrow and check everything.