Bunnygirl is right on the mark. When transplanting any succulent, let the roots/cut stem dry in the air for a few days so that any small injuries harden to prevent fungal infection. Plant in dry soil and do not "water in". Soil should be at least 50% inorganic materials like pumice, perlite, gravel, etc. Do not use sand. Peat retains too much water and should be avoided like the plague! Commercial potting mixes (including those labeled Cactus and Succulent) have too much peat. My basic mix is about 75% pumice. It looks like they are all are infected by fungus, and will certainly die without intervention. The translucent color is a very bad sign. Pull them up immediately and inspect the roots and lower stem. If they are falling apart, and the stem is dark and soft, the only cure is to cut the stem above the rot. This may not be possible for the pups, as I suspect the leaves will fall off the stem leaving nothing to grow, but the parent plant may still be salvageable. After transecting the stem above the rot, let it dry out in the air for three days or more to callous. Then place in DRY soil. You may need to prop up the plant. Do not water until the plant has started to grow new roots, this will take some time (weeks). During this time, water in the lower leaves will be resorbed by the plant. This is natural. Succulents usually have sufficient water reserves to last for months without any water at all. When you see signs of new growth, start watering. Let the soil dry out completely between watering. There is no proper schedule, everything depends too much on your local conditions (heat/humidity/season/latitude/soil composition/etc). The basic rule is: If in Doubt, Don't! This axiom is true for any action, watering, transplanting, fertilizing, etc. Succulents thrive on neglect. The ideal cultural practice is called Benign Neglect. In your case, there is no doubt that intervention is necessary to save your plants. For more aloe care advice, read the Aloe FAQ page here on the site. Good luck! Brad

White Spruce Picea glauca. Useful pointers: White Spruce needles are longer; Black Spruce Picea mariana needles are shorter White Spruce needles are ± the same colour on all sides; Black Spruce needles are conspicuously more glaucous below than above. White Spruce shoots are (in your area) hairless and pale brown to whitish; Black Spruce shoots are hairy, and dark orange-brown on mature shoots. White Spruce cones are slender, with soft scales; Black Spruce cones are broad, with stiff scales. Resin

Thank you for the kind comments and likes. I am really liking the cranesbill with the roses. I put the little pink ones in a few years ago and they are really filling out now. The purple ones are from last year, and I like how well they fill in, but still give the roses room to breath.

Along with what sjerin wrote, a silly little packaging change of my own. For years (many) I've made hummingbird food once a week and kept it in my refrigerator. In a Simply Orange plastic juice jug marked 'hummingbirds'. Same large saucepan for bringing it to a boil. I decided I'd used the same plastic jug for enough months I should refresh it before it became brittle, and it wouldn't hold my normal amount. I hadn't even noticed the size (in the same shape with wider mouth than most juices) had been reduced from 59 oz to 52 oz. Now its a little shy of holding the quantity needed to fill all 4 feeders. I hadn't noticed we'd been drinking less juice for the same price, and its not inexpensive juice as far as bottled juices go.