These plants are very rewarding. They are hardy (drought- and frost-resistant). They can be planted in most garden situations, except for heavy pot clay. Individual plants live for 5-7 years, but if they are happy they may re-seed themselves. Remember succulents are water wise!

Collect ripe seed capsules in December, some 3 months after the plant has flowered. Lightly grind up the capsules to free the seed. Use a sieve to separate the fine, light brown seed. A conventional flour sieve will suffice for this sieving process.

Once the seeds have been separated from the ground-up capsules, they are ready for planting. Sow the seeds in amongst grit 2mm in diameter in a flat seed pan. Then cover the seeds with a fine layer (only 1mm thick) of loam soil using a flour sieve. Do not sow deeper than that, otherwise the seeds will not germinate easily. Keep the well-drained soil medium moist. Do not over-water at this stage. Use a fine spray for watering —  water gently a otherwise the seeds will be washed out.

Under optimum conditions the seeds will germinate in 7 days. So, what are optimum conditions? The ideal time to sow these seeds is during the months of March, April and May, this being when the winter rains usually start in the Little Karoo.

The seeds will germinate rapidly. Once they have six leaves, prick them out and plant into a one pint plastic bag or a small 6 cm plastic pot.

If they have been cultivated under shade conditions, remember to harden them off by exposing gradually to bright sunlight before they are planted directly in full sun. From seed sown in March there is a possibility of flowering plants by September. Once they have germinated, growth is very rapid.