Making plans to visit Cistus Nursery this time of year can be a crap shoot. The appointed time arrived. It was cold. It was raining. It was super-windy. We went anyway. There were cars in the parking lot, but we were the only two people in sight. An assortment of umbrellas were thoughtfully placed near the door to the outside. We huddled under them and made the rounds (at a brisker pace than I have ever managed that circuit) before looking at each other and conceding that “maybe we should just come back on a nicer day”. The indoor spaces were crammed with interesting plants, as usual, so we lingered there for quite a while (it felt downright cozy compared to where we had just been).

This was Laurie’s first visit to Cistus, so she was following my lead. We both came away with one of these Aloe ‘Carmine’.

I seem to be gravitating to the Aloes of late. Look at those toothed edges in a deep pinkish orange…what’s not to love?

Seldom have I come away from that nursery with just one plant, but it opened up new possibilities. I immediately went shopping for just the right pot to set off its spotty, jagged beauty. I think I found it. Now TODAY would be a perfect day to visit Cistus. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. Since it is also my birthday, I might just mosey over there and indulge in one more plant. I’ll let you know.