Can one have too many succulent plants?

In the last few years, I've greatly expanded my collection of succulent plants.  I'd very few in my former, shady garden but the sunnier, drier garden I inherited with the purchase of our current home 6 years ago seemed to call out for succulents, even before the drought became a significant issue here.  Other than a few Agave attenuata and some ragged Delosperma, this garden had no succulent plants when we moved in but today I can't even venture a guess as to how many succulent genera I have, much less muster a count of the sheer number of plants I've accumulated since our move-in date.  Every time I go to a garden center or nursery, I usually come back with at least one, and often several, succulents.  It's on the verge of becoming an addiction.

So, was it a good idea for me to spend last Saturday morning at the South Bay Cactus & Succulent Society's Show & Sale?  I didn't have any specific purchases in mind.  I went just to look...I admit that I spent most of my time scouring the sale tables but let's start with the show plants, shall we?  Here's a small selection of what was on display:

Among other things, this table featured: Aeonium 'Velour', a crested Euphorbia lactea, Mangave 'Pineapple Express' and Mangave 'Kaleidoscope'

My favorites on this table included: Aloe 'David Verity Hybrid', Hydnophytum formicarum (a plant I also recall admiring at last year's show), and Peperomia kimnachii

The plants that drew my attention on this table included: Cyphostemma juttae x cirrhosum, Echeveria 'Etna', Fockea edulis, and Gastrolea 'Green Ice'.  The second and the fourth aren't all that unusual, but aren't the specimens perfect?

Clockwise from the upper left, other plants I liked included: Agave victoriae-reginae 'Compacta' (another perfect specimen), Echeveria 'Dick Wright Hybrid', Echinocereus triglochidiatus, Lithops aucampiae, Lithops olivacae, and Neochilenia napina

One of my favorite displays involved some relatively ordinary but stylishly displayed succulents:

Through inadvertent eavesdropping, I learned that this contributor is a local TV weather forecaster.  As I recall, I enjoyed some of her creative presentations in prior years too.

This piece featuring Sansevieria and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' was entitled "Lift Off: Fly Me to the Moon"

This one, constructed using noID Aeonium and what I think may be Senecio barbertonicus, was called "The Eagle Has Landed: One Small Step for Man..."

This one, featuring Kalanchoe luciae and noID Tillandsia, was entitled "Succulent Galaxy: Does Anyone Out There Hear Us?"

And finally, this one with Aeonium 'Sunburst' and Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' was entitled "Houston: We Have a Problem"

The sale areas were packed and just about impossible to photograph.  Here's one display that particularly intrigued me:

EMT Design Studios had numerous succulent displays in both the show and sale areas but I was particularly attracted to these succulent kokedama.  I don't like most kokedama but I liked these and, after-the-fact, regretted that I didn't bring one home with me.

Even though I passed up on the kokedama succulents, I certainly didn't leave empty-handed.  In fact, when my sale was tallied by the cashier, I actually blinked.  Here's my haul:

Back row, left to right: Sedum oxypetalum, Senecio macroglossus, Aeonium nobile, and Aloe cameronii
Middle row: Crassula platyphylla, Rosularia murtagadhensis, noID Echeveria, and Agave macroacantha
Front: Albuca spiralis

Two plants were tucked into pots but the rest found homes in the garden.  Now, if I could just clear out some of that ivy and honeysuckle on the back slope, maybe I could find myself some more room...


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party