When these mysterious little plants, lithops lesliei, bloom, it is always such a pleasant surprise. And easy to miss since they open in the evening when I may not be checking on them any more for the day. But I was in the right place at the right time and wanted to share them.
This happens to be one of my favorite dish gardens even without the flowers. The pony tail palm, beaucarnea recurvate, is the centerpiece, but the little horned lizard, or horny toad, to use Texas vernacular, next to the cool rock with the hole in it all work together well. It is a pretty simple arrangement, but I like the combination. The fact that these flowers actually bloom for a few days rather than just one is a nice plus, too. They open in the early evening, close at night, and reopen next evening. So far these have reopened going on four days.
Lithops can be tricky to keep alive and you can search the Internet for all kinds of detailed tips on watering schedules, but these particular ones are still alive, I suspect, because I just sort of forget about them, water the pony tail, make sure the pot gets good sunlight, and then enjoy the fact that they are still with me. After blooming in the fall and winter, they need light watering, taper off to little if any water in the late winter till spring, and then water more in the hot summer.
On the other hand, keeping them alive and well could be as scientific and precise as my mother used to say about making good meringue; you just have to hold your mouth right.
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