The second picture looks like aloa arisata. They are classed as half hardy but Ive never had any survive in my greenhouse over winter. They are a succulent, so are drought tolerant and very forgiving if you forget to water them.

An interesting fact that I read was that they are 20 times more potent than aloe vera medicinally. So I keep a plant on my bathroom window sill, break a leaf of now and then, squeeze the juice out and apply it after a shave. I've been doing this for years and I'm 82 next month. My wife does the same and swears it helps her wrinkles ;o)

Haha, just reread it. I was tired when I wrote it last night and didn't check it. What I meant was she uses it on her skin too but omits the shaving bit. Just thought I'd better correct this quickly Snoopdog as my life wouldn't be worth living if she saw it. Thanks, LOL.

Reassuring to know about the bathroom antics ;o)

I've let Hywel know there is a question for him, and I've added this to GoYpedia Desert Plants.

Hi Andrea. The first ones are cacti.
Place them on top of some gritty compost. Keep them in a light place, and keep dryish until they root. You can give a little water sometimes to stop them shrivelling up.

The second one looks like Haworthia arachnoidea. Plant it in some gritty compost and water it in. Then keep it barely moist during the winter. It isn't hardy so I would keep it in the house on a light sindowsill.

thankyou everyone for your comments, my wee cacti have a new home, I just hope they survive x

Don't water the cacti much in winter. Its a good idea to put grit or coarse sand on top of the compost so the green part isn't in contact with wet soil. They rot easily especially in cold weather if they are too damp. Unlike most plants they don't need watering before they have roots!