Friday, July 29, 2022

Looking for bargains

On Wednesday, I took a trip to OC Succulents' satellite store in Torrance, California to see what kind of selection the wholesale nursery had to offer.  It's only about 15 miles and 30 minutes from my home but, if my photographic records reflect all my visits, I haven't been there since December 2018.  In any case, I know for certain I haven't dropped in since the start of the COVID pandemic so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I was a little shocked when I walked into the tented area that houses the nursery's smaller succulents in two, four and six-inch pots.

There was a LOT of empty space

This photo, taken on a visit in July 2018 from approximately the same angle, shows what I'd expected to see

There were still a lot of plants but overall it was a smaller selection than I'd hoped to find.

There seemed to be more plants in 6-inch pots ($9.95 apiece) than in 4-inch pots ($4.25 apiece)

I didn't see prices on these larger pots of Echeveria agavoides ('Red Tip' I think) but I wouldn't buy them in that size anyway.  I took the photo mainly as a reminder of just how large this particular Echeveria can get.

There was a large variety of Sansevieria (now classified as Dracaena) in a range of sizes too

 

There were many more plants in larger pots outside.  They were undoubtedly priced competitively but the tags still made me gulp and I prefer to establish plants in smaller sizes.  (Whether I'll continue to hold onto that preference once I have large gaps left in my garden when various agaves bloom out, remains to be seen.)

The largest plants were lined up along the the seller's back fence.  I didn't check the prices on most of these but the 'Blue Glow' Agaves, all smaller than any of the specimens currently in my garden, were priced at $179.

Agave geminiflora were going for $30, which I thought was pretty reasonable for plants this size

I was attracted to this new-to-me Agave sebastiana with its light blue color but it's apparently a prolific pupper, which could be a negative

Aloe cameronii has an attractive form, reminiscent of a sea creature.  I have a small plant but adding one this size isn't entirely out of the question for $30.

I didn't see a lot of Mangaves but they did have a few varieties.  This one is 'Racing Stripes'.  At $35, the price was on par with the Mangaves sold by my local botanic garden at its spring plant sale.

I've always had mixed feelings about Pedilanthus bracteatus but they are attractive planted in groups, especially when in flower.  They were going for $49.

There were collections of mid-sized plants in 8-inch pots close to the store's main entrance, including Agave parryi truncata and Agave 'Blue Glow'.  The plants were priced at $40 but at least I now know of a source for 'Blue Glow' Agaves when my plants bloom and die.


In contrast to the selection of small succulents, the selection of houseplants was as extensive as ever.

I think you could find every house plant you might covet in a range of sizes here

Plenty of Peperomia

Colorful Crotons

A wide variety of Calathea

I noticed a sign for Philodendron 'Birkin' ($12 for a 4-inch plant) but they were all gone

I didn't see any price tags on the small mounted staghorn ferns and bromeliads but these did give me an idea for sprucing up my lath house

There were even signs providing various kinds of guidance for newbie houseplant parents

 

I didn't buy any houseplants but I didn't go home empty-handed either.

I brought home 16 succulents in 4-inch pots: 2 Sansevieria trifasciata 'Twisted Sister', 3 Aeonium 'Lily Pad', 5 Echeveria 'Blue Atoll', and 6 other Echeverias I'm unable to identify.  With the exception of the Sansevierias, they were $4.25 each.  Factoring in the 10% discount I get from my local garden center, each plant was $2.04 cheaper those at my local outlet.  Not a great savings but future trips to OCS will be worth more if their selection improves.

 

I've tentatively decided to add more succulents to one habitually dry area in my back garden, already partially filled with succulents.  That plan hasn't entirely come together yet but at least a portion of the plants purchased on this trip are targeted for placement in that area.  Others will find homes in existing succulent beds as I fill in gaps.  Given the current direction driven by climate change, I suspect my garden will contain a larger percentage of succulents each year for the foreseeable future.


All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party



22 comments:

  1. Considering California's water situation, your purchase is a mart one. There are so many colors shapes and sizes, a gorgeous water-wise garden is not only possible but necessary, and you are well on your way. The cooler shades of blue Echeveria are perfect.
    Please share your plans for mounting ferns... I love those.
    Chavli

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    1. Although I've come to appreciate succulents of all kinds, I'm still feeling sad about what seems like an inevitable shift in my plant palette, Chavli. I've said goodbye to a lot of my favorite flowering plants since moving here and I suspect I'll be marking the departures of many more over the next few years.

      I looked at videos on mounting ferns and bromeliads online and the results were sloppier (and larger) than those I saw at OCS. I'll take a closer look at the OCS models on my next trip. I'd like to mount bromeliads on the lath house supports inside and/or outside.

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  2. Did you ever find out why they were low on stock? Here, some plants are still hard to get hold of as plant sales spiked during the pandemic.

    I love the mounted bromeliad and could see something similar looking right at home in your lath house. Perhaps it is fortuitous that you ran out of steam and didn’t divide Neoregelia 'Guinea x Pepper' - you could put it to good use in such a project.

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    1. When I checked out as OCS, I asked the cashier (who I believe is the store's manager) about the stock and she effectively shrugged and said it fluctuates and they'd probably be getting a delivery soon. As I haven't been there in at 3-4 years, I can't say whether this is now the norm or just a fluke. I'll have to check in again in a month or so. My local garden center hasn't had any shortages in the supply of 4-inch succulents so I had to wonder if OCS is simply trying to push buyers to plants in larger pots with higher price tags.

      I had the same thought about the Neoregelia as I started looking at videos on how to mount bromeliads and ferns on wood surfaces :)

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  3. That was Horticat ;)

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  4. Interesting. The one in OC--have not been there for quite a while. They had good house plants especially the larger sizes. Lots of interior-decorator customers. I imagine since Covid and the house plant craze they've focused more on that. Small pot-sized succulents--by now are not we all awash in them? I sense a shift. After going through a lot of foliage phases people seem to be making bouquets of annuals.

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    1. I vaguely recall visiting the OCS store in Irvine sometime after my first 2 COVID vaccinations. I have an equally vague recollection that I found fewer "deals" among the larger succulents, although no shortage of supply among the smaller ones. Maybe I need to get a wholesale license, as I think they offer discounts to designers and others who buy in mass quantities ;)

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  5. Wait, what? Sansevieria is now classified as dracaena? I received an Aeonium ‘Lily Pad’ from Smart Plants this spring, I stuck it in the ground and it's exploded with growth, such a good plant! I hope you do experiment with mounting some staghorns and/or bromeliads in your lath house. It's so easy and rewarding to do! I just did another group of bromeliads I hope to post about soon.

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    1. Not only are Sansevierias now Dracaenas but Gaura lindheimeri is now Oenothera lindheimeri and Perovskia atriplicfolia is now Salvia yangii, Loree. And here I've just gotten used to asters being Symphyotrichum. I don't even want to talk about Coleus...

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  6. Interesting. I know some of our shops here ebb and flow, like some of the others mentioned. Quite a difference before and after there, though. Looks like they still have quite a collection of interesting plants. Thanks for the tour.

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    1. I've a nagging feeling that the 4-inch succulent plants may be "loss leaders" (or minimally profitable), hence the emphasis on larger plants. Next time I'll check to see whether there's a similar imbalance within the houseplant stock...

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  7. Nurseries up here have been quite picked over, too, because of the dramatic uptick in interest in gardening. So Sanseverias are no more, huh? And the others you listed in your response to Loree... How will I ever catch up..?

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    1. I don't think any of us can catch up given the frequency with which plants are now being reclassified based on DNA analysis, Anna. It'd be interesting if it wasn't so annoying!

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  8. I had heard about Perovskia atriplicfolia changing to Salvia yangii but Gaura? Oh well. Glad you found some fun treasures to bring home.

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    1. I seldom walk away from a plant nursery or garden center empty-handed, Susie ;)

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  9. I noticed the pot sizes were much larger this year too. I suppose it helps the plants survive longer if they don't sell quickly but larger sizes are more difficult to plant and cost a whole lot more. Your selections look great. Look forward to seeing them planted.

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    1. It's interesting that you've seen that trend too, Elaine. I've started potting up plants I don't want to place in the ground during our long, dry summer - I'd rather do that than pay inflated prices.

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  10. Wow, they either sold out of the smaller sizes OR decided to move them up to larger pots which cost a lot more. Probably a combination. The trend toward larger sizes is definitely real. I see it everywhere now.

    I love the selection of Echeverias you got. They should thrive in your climate. I do wish I could grow more soft-leaved succulents, but with very few excepts (Echeveria agavoides is one of them) they melt in the Sacramento Valley heat.

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    1. Maybe there's someone out there buying up the smaller succulents to create a mass of designer containers ;) Actually, I usually spend time refreshing my containers during the summer months when planting anything in the ground is relatively foolish. The Echeverias with larger rosettes, especially E. agavoides, have become my go-to choices too - even some of the latter struggle if they don't get regular water.

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  11. The prices of plants locally have gone up dramatically, so even your prices seem good to me, Kris. Your climate allows for outdoor growers, whereas mine is more limited and with a shorter season, so they are in business only half the year. Tough to make a living that way.
    I like your haul and I think moving towards more drought tolerant plants is the way to go. Any more thoughts on houseplants? Probably the only tender plants you'll be able to grow or perhaps it's time to build a shade pavilion? Eliza

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    1. I expect you're right about the advantages of living in a frost-free environment when it comes to what we can expect from local growers, Eliza.

      The lath house is probably as far as I'll go to provide an outdoor shade structure. I've joked about adding a covered patio extension to that structure but there isn't enough room in that area to make the effort really worthwhile, although I'm still toying with the idea of affixing plants to the outside of the lath house and possibly the cherry laurel hedge behind it ;) However, I currently spent 90-120 minutes every 7-10 days just on basic maintenance of what I already have in the lath house so even that may be unrealistic.

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