FF, I agree, especially if you're a serial overwater (now in remission) that I used to be when I lived in OH. I killed some really cute plants and just thought, those aren't for me... they sure like the AL sun though. Hey, Sarah! IDK... that's why I was asking. TJ, yes, I was shocked to see species names too, most of them seem to be correct from the plants I bought and pics I can find... the labeled ones are from cactuscollection.com - where one could get lost looking at pics all night... I like them a lot better than the Costas Farms plants, no scale that I can see.

Thanks, MrLike! So this Stapelia thing isn't a cactus, can't handle a lot of direct sun? And I was googling - this is what is referred to as carrion flower? Not sure this is suitable for a mini garden. How long until my little plant looks like the 2nd one down? Months, years, a decade? Is the sideways growth what these usually do? What does fire sticks do that is nasty? Thanks, Kathi!! That was all green when I got it in Jan. Had I known it would turn purple, I might have gotten two. Have since seen that it propagates very easily and there are a few babies around here already. If it hadn't been so cold lately, I'd rinse the pollen off of it. Not getting anybody wet right now.

I'm sure it's nummularioides. I got a beautiful large EA basket earlier in the summer and it has stayed gorgeous. Good thing because a nummulariodes I ordered from an online vendor came with about 3 sticks that promptly died. Funny thing, i paid about the same for those sticks as I did for the gorgeous EA basket. I've never tried to contact Costa Farms but they have been putting out some great baskets of plants this summer. There is never a name, not even hoya. I believe they grow plants only for Lowes and HD. Susan

Re: the roots growing out through the net pots - it doesn't always work that way :-) Many annual and perennial starts are propagated this way beginning as plugs and I can't count how many that have failed and when dug up or unplanted from a larger container, all the roots are still contained in that tight little net casing. No lateral movement or penetration "through the net pot" at all. Not removing it just saves time for the wholesale grower (and time is money). Leaving it in place is of no benefit to the plant and often a handicap.