For the expense of riven rock you would be better off since you are in California getting pads from Mexicans. 2 good plants are Opuntis caccanapa "ellisiana" and Opuntia ficus indica. I know nurseries in Cali and Arizona have decent indica in pots for way cheaper than riven rock. If you hold out you will get some from me. I have some good pads I will be sending your way. Ellisana, indica, lemon spreader, this one pictured, stricta spineless and normal, and Florida devil tounge humifusa.

I get my bulk ingredients from a local feedmill, so start by searching for local co-ops, grain elevators, or feedmills. And yes, most store bought bags of "mixed seed" are filled with junk, which is a cheap way to add weight, so they can sack you for 20lbs, when they actually only have 5 to 10lbs of useful seed in it. As for those blackbirds and other regulars, I have them too. Here's how I have my feeders set up: First, I have my main area, where I feed only black oil sunflower seed, and suet for the woodpeckers. Then, about 20 feet away, I have a tray feeder with my homemade mixed seed, which equals 1 part sunflower, 1 part cracked corn, 2 parts white proso millet. This mix keep all the sparrows, blackbirds, and doves entertained, while allowing the neater birds like cardinals and various finches, to eat in peace, away from the more aggressive birds. On the the bluejays, my favorite bird. It's perfectly safe to feed them cat & dog food, although for me, the crows would just eat it all. I find that my bluejays like peanuts the most, especially in the shell. They also love cobbed corn, and also really like cheese nip crackers. Also, you said that your squirrels eat the cat food?? I can't seem to get them to eat anything but my sunflower seed. They'll do everything they can to get on my feeders, even though I give them corn and peanuts to eat. So yeah, try & find a source of bulk seed, and buy the big three. Don't get carried away on the cracked corn though, because it does spoil over time, so I limit it to 50lbs, which lasts a long time. The others can last 2 to 3 years, if you keep them stored in a dry place. I use metal trash cans, and keep them in my garage, and make sure to clean up ALL spilled seed to keep mice away. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how there is no more wasted seed when you feed the seed the birds want. The only time I got weeds was when I had feeders over mulched areas, because it would get under the mulch where the birds couldn't find it, then sprout. But, I moved my feeders to grass areas, so all the ground feeding birds eat the spilled seed. Good luck! Joe

Gill, I reckon they restrict the photos to members only, so probably you see text only, the first page is all the 100 or so photos. Here are a few more interesting/rare succulents from that thread. The color on some of them are just incredible! A variegated E. chihuahuaensis? E. cuspidata? crested? No idea? Different Dudleya? A beautiful specimen of E. agavoides cultivar/hybrid? Think I recognize this one, but name escape me for the moment... An old crested Echeveria? Another crested specimen...

Good morning Jocelyn, does this resemble your mystery plumeria? Mine has a a definite gardenia-like scent though and also has a haze of pink on the front of the petal. If you go to mauiplumeriagardens.com their catalogue has a nice selection of possibilities. That is from where I received this cutting last year as a "mystery" plant so I do not know it's name. I tried to guess from the catalogue and couldn't positively decide which it might be. "Blush Pink" may have been the closest but there were a couple of others also. Take care! Aileen