Beautiful pics! Mara, Aloe cameronii has always been a favorite of mine...that color, that texture! And Rosemarie, you know I'm partial to your Jades...wish I could get that kind of Winter color on mine ;-) This is a succulent at my brother's house in Sacramento, where I visited yesterday. He started this as a cutting, from a plant growing outside of a business. I can't wait to see it trimmed...lots of back-budding. Josh

In many areas of SoCal you need to plan farther ahead fall color. I find many of my summer flowers will bloom into early December with deadheading (Hemerocalis 'Russian Rhapsody', Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer', Gaillardia, to name a few). Fall becomes a plan for December-March flowers, and the inserting the annual-grown perennials that go until I yank their tired little bodies out of the soil (dianthus, pansies). Freesias are a great one to plant, if you are not in too cold an area. Best deal I know of is a bag for $12 from CostCo in the fall; they will bloom every spring and multiply, so you really only need to purchase them once. Kalanchoe Mirabella can provide red flowers January-April every year. Bletilla is another amazing performer that blooms from about February-May for me. They aren't invasive, but they do grow quickly and can be divided. I started out with 2 small rhizomes, and now there are so many I used them en mass in a sidewalk strip. As Bahia said, it depends upon where you live. Are you looking for sun or shade plants?

Mine goes the same, best colour seems to be in the Autumn. Just as a footnote been hearing about one or two larger specimens blowing over, in other words parting company from their sylvestris rootstock.

My Cryptomeria japonica 'Araucarioides' has remained green as usual this winter. Temps got down to 18F twice this winter. The variety 'Elegans' turned a nice plum color. All the other Cryptomerias remained green. The 'Araucarioides' is not a common plant. You have a nice one. My Sasanqua Camellias are blooming also. Cryptomeria japonica 'Araucarioides'