Hi everyone. I need to see what your 'Blue Whale' looks like this time of year. March.
Here is mine from March of last year.


There may be two different clones in Europe.

Here is a photo from today 3/26/2023
It has proven to be a strong grower, stays healthy in all seasons.

'Blue Whale' taken today

Lynn,

I would just like to see any of my plants!😀
I know they are in there, some where!

Curtis, I see you have one that is violet in color? Or is that a different semp?

Oh no, Rj that is not what we like to see this time of year. That looks about what goldfinch4 got over night. SO sorry.

valleylynn said: Curtis, I see you have one that is violet in color? Or is that a different semp?

Yes, its the same plant. Here's what it looked like last summer when I got it from the Sempervivum Patch (Blue Whale is in the center)

Thank you Curtis.

@JungleShadows
Kevin, can you show us what yours looks like now? Does your ever turn a dark violet color?

My Blue Whale was destroyed in a racoon attack over the winter. They ruined two of my beds. I put bird netting over all the other beds but they even did damage to one that was covered. Skinks live in the walls of the beds near the east end of the property and I'm sure that's the reason for the racoon attack. They are NOT my friends,

I have never seen Blue Whale go too dark. Chris has two giant ones that are in progress from Blue Whale X self. One has a reddish base and one goes sort of pinkish.

Kevin

Hello everyone, we have Blue Whale in our collection too. We got the variety from two different sources. Most of the year both look identical, but just now are very large color differences. Here are photos of both of our clones that I took on 3/19/2023. Both rosettes are about the same age, growing in the same substrate and in the same location. I already noticed these color differences last year, so I'm afraid that these are 2 different clones. In Germany Blue Whale is not yet so widespread, so there are few comparison pictures. Therefore I ask you for your estimation. In the course of the week I will take some more pictures, today the weather was too bad for that. What do you say? Thanks a lot for your help.

I know your green one is correct, Sabina.
If the violet one continues being that color I would cull it. Not propagate as 'Blue Whale'.
All things the same I can not image why it would show such a violet color.
Let's see what Kevin says.

Yeah the purple one is NOT Blue Whale.

Kevin

Thank you Kevin.
This has been solved by the breeder of 'Blue Whale'.

Thank you Kevin for your quick help and assessment. We immediately informed the seller about this knowledge, he is checking his stock. Beatrix Bodmeier also knows and we are considering publishing a notice in the German Sempervivum List, because the wrong clone is unfortunately already proven to be in circulation. We have permission to link the entry to the German Sempervivumlist here

https://www.sempervivum-liste....

Kevin please take a look at Erwin's picture from 05/24/2019 The purple coloration comes through clearly here as well. What do you say, can this be your cultivar or is this unfortunately the mix up?

I love when teamwork comes together.

I'm wondering where the purple clone came from. Maybe a stray seed.

Blue Whale can look like the image from Erwin, in fact that was the coloration that attracted me to it initially. One of the seedlings from Blue Whale enhances that grey color.

More often it is bluer, as in the images from Lynn.

Kevin

I took updated photos of both of our specimens again today and also right next to each other.... even if the rosette and leaf shape fits, the color of both Blue Whale differs clearly from each other







Beatrix also took a picture of her Blue Whale today and asked me to show it here. Hers also shows this purple coloration.



We also have asked another collector for a comparison photo, let's see, not that there are really two different clones in circulation... 🤔
Kevin, Lynn, what is your opinion?

Or do you know any other collectors who can show us photos for comparison here?
Thanks for your support 🌺

Here is the latest photo from today from Gisela Völker



Gisela writes that her Blue Whale was only green on arrival, not since. Gisela and Beatrix got theirs from you Lynn, Erwin says his Blue Whale is directly from Kevin.

@JungleShadows
Kevin, I wonder if 'Blue Whale' is one of the semps that can change color depending on growing conditions?
Mine has always been shades of green, blue/green. All the offsets are shades of green or blue/green.

The ones sent to Gisela and Beatrix came from Kevin's house to mine for mailing. The ones Sabine has came from my colony of 'Blue Whale', which came directly from Kevin. None of mine had shown the dark violet colors. ??????