On Saturday the 9^th of June I went with Val and Peter to the auction of the collection of the late David Bennett.  David was a keen member of the Haworthia Society and an enthusiastic grower of succulent plants. He will be a great loss to the hobby.

Although there were many cacti and other succulents for sale, my main interest was in the Haworthia (David had over 1600 Haworthia).  Except for a few of the largest plants, the rest were sold in mixed trays.  Some trays contained mainly mature plants, others were mainly young plants or seedlings. Before the auction started I wandered around with my notebook to record which lots interested me. The trouble was that nearly every lot was of interest and obviously I couldn’t have them all.

When the auction got under way it soon became obvious that bidding on lots containing even one or two mature choice plants (eg. Haworthia lockwoodii) soon shot up well beyond what I was prepared to invest. I always prefer to buy young plants anyway. I can take more pride in a plant that I have grown from infancy than in one grown by someone else. So at the auction I concentrated on bidding for trays of young plants and seedlings, I even bought a collection of cuttings.

When I looked at my purchases the next morning I wondered if I was mad – so many of the plants were looking dried up and stressed. David died in April and although some of the Somerset branch of the BCSS had been in to water his plants a few times, many were in need of some tender loving care.  The cuttings were so dried up that I left them soaking in a tray of water.  It was surprising how different they looked after 24 hours.  Although I was pressed for time in getting plants ready for our show I managed time to water all the new plants and to pot up the cuttings.

Once our show was over I had time to have a good look at my new purchases. It is amazing what even one good watering can do.  Most were looking much more alive. I have since found time to repot all of them and they really are much happier.  I am delighted with my new plants. I have quite a few duplicates so expect to see Haworthias in the raffle over the next few months.