Living stones is a loose term for the cutest and most bizarre of all small succulents because they mimic the appearance of real wash pebbles in Africa's Kalahari desert. Grazing wildlife eat everything that isn't toxic or spiny. The living stones survive differently: they hide.

Anyone who has walked a dry wash here knows they are a mass of varying sized stones grouped by flow and water velocity. Lithops, the most famous genera of living stones have evolved into the colors of real stone in their endemic habitat. Only those that blend in live to reproduce, and so natural selection ensures that colonies of plants that evolve share very similar genes. That is how they survive browsers that pass over them as rocks in search of greener pastures.

The little living stones bear daisy flowers that tell us they are highly evolved in the composite family. Most of the genera bloom in our desert during the winter months when days are short. This is when you'll spot them in bloom at the garden center or nearly so, while they're rare in other seasons. They'll be well hydrated by the grower, so it's best to leave them alone until after the holidays. Once they bloom, the plants revert back to rock-like appearance to put on vegetative growth and replace lost moisture prior to summer dormancy.

The beauty of holidays in a nearly frost-free climate is using succulents year around. The racks and tables at garden centers everywhere offer a large selection of very small, affordable sizes. This means they make fine gifts and decor in this season when the living stones are coming into bloom.

Everyone has a window sill. Cute pots that sit in tiny spaces sporting unusual living things are always most appreciated gifts. With living stones you can create some simple, nifty potted gifts in regular succulent pots or a vintage ceramic drilled out for drainage, or a fine art pot. The options are unlimited once you find some lovely little lithops or its kin at the garden center budded up in a new order. Bring home a bunch as they're only about $3.00-5.00 each. Bring them home to mix and match. For cheap succulent potting soil with rapid drainage, mix equal parts potting soil with dune sand.

Don't worry if you've never planted a little succulent in a desk pot. The first step is to find some small plants your friends would love to have indoors or outdoors. Buy or recycle containers to hold the succulents until the date you want to give. Keep them dry and away from moisture. If you just want to give the plant without a pot, wrap the little nursery pot with burlap, repurposed fabric or other textiles tied with a matching bow. 

Now for the caveat! Do not buy any succulent that's been spray painted. Their stomata (pores) get filled up by paint and they can't breathe right. These plants will likely never thrive. The same is true for cactus made to appear they are in bloom when they are not. It's done with dried straw flowers which are usually hot glued onto the apex of the cactus where all the new cells are emerging. The dry flower cuts off light to this vital area too. To get the glue out, you may destroy the future symmetry of that round cactus. Beware that sometimes they impale the straw flower stem straight down into the center of the plant, introducing infection that will eventually kill it.

Whether you have a garden or not, succulents have likely caught your eye. They are a favorite of all ages for many different reasons. This season, when the living stones are blooming, pick up a few each trip. You'll end up with a nice little collection you can enjoy and give away as gifts with naturally blooming flowers in the dead of winter.