In late November, following our annual tree pruning process, I started a major cleanup of the moderate front slope in the southwest corner of my garden. Although collateral damage in that area was limited this year, it was looking tired. The Aeoniums were all overgrown and in need of replacement and it quickly became clear that it'd be easier to pull almost everything up and start fresh with cuttings and new plants. I've been taking my time with the renovation and it'll be awhile yet before I'm ready to share it but I thought it was a great time to start stocking up on new succulents to use there, as well as elsewhere in my garden.
I was off and running with a succulent sale at Mountain Crest Gardens.
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| The Stenocactus multicostatus (aka brain cactus, shown in closeup on the lower right) was the initial impetus for placing an order. Other plants included in my mail order included: 3 Graptoveria 'Fred Ives', 3 Graptosedum 'California Sunset', 3 Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose', and 3 Crassula 'Variegated Money Maker'. Mountain Crest threw in a mystery succulent, one Senecio 'String of Pearls', and one Echeveria 'Perle of Nurmberg' as gifts with my purchase. |
I picked up still more new succulents at my local garden center.
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| I picked up the following plants at my local Armstrong store: 3 Echeveria 'Lotus', one Crassula swaziensis 'Variegata', 2 Echeveria 'Violet', and 3 Echeveria 'Princess' |
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| I'd acquired the Agave parryi var. truncata from Annie's Annuals & Perennials about 6 months before that nursery abruptly closed and was put up for sale - it was busting open its pot waiting for more space. I added a Portulacaria afra 'Variegata', 3 Echeveria affinis 'Black Night', and the tiny Senecio 'String of Pearls' I'd received as a gift from Mountain Crest. |
Mother Nature has also been working hard to add to my succulent collection.
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| I originally noticed 3 pups of Agave 'Jaws' surrounding the mother plant here. When I lifted up some of its leaves and checked it from the back, I discovered that there are 8 pups. It's overachieving in the pup department and I think it advisable to give the pups away (with suitable warnings about its proclivity). |
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| Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' is also an overly enthusiastic pupper. These 2 are coming up between flagstones in the middle of my south-side walkway. |
I also have a stash of assorted succulents looking for new homes. Some will go into the area I'm currently working on, while others are destined to fill in empty spots in the succulent bed adjacent to the garage, which I renovated earlier this year.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agave titanota 'White Ice' (a gift from Hoover Boo of Piece of Eden) and a division of Kumara plicatilis (aka fan aloe, which came from another friend years ago); another division of the same fan aloe plus an Agave 'Blue Glow' bulbil; a noID Aloe; an assortment of succulent cuttings given to me by a neighbor earlier this year; and 2 pups of Agave 'Mateo' |
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| The 2 new bloom stalks have straightened up and one is already over 3 feet tall |
I suspect that I already have more succulents than I need but we'll see. Another succulent giveaway may be in order early next year.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
I'm a fan of fan aloe: they have such an unusual presence and you have two waiting in the wings. I'm looking forward to see where they'll find a permanent placement and to the post about the bed renovation. Those posts are the most fun.
ReplyDeleteChavli
I'm facing a challenge with that front slope, involving moving a very large rock - I don't want to ask for my husband's help as he hasn't been feeling up to snuff and I'm just a little worried that I may crack my skull handling it on my own ;) However, once that's done, I think I'll be more enthusiastic about getting on with the rest of it.
DeleteOh, you have a great selection for this refresh. I look forward to seeing what you do. Do you usually have a group of plants in a holding position? Mine can get out of control, your giveaways are such a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI seem to accumulate pups and divisions all too continuously myself, Tracy. As soon as I clear some of them out via a giveaway, I've got more potted up. I think maybe I need to face the fact that this is a pattern and see if my industrious husband has any ideas for creating a better holding area than the one I've mocked up on a haphazard basis.
DeleteWow, I had no idea Agave 'Jaws' was such a pupper! Free plants seems like a good thing though.
ReplyDelete'Jaws' surprised me too, Loree. It didn't do much the first few years in the ground but it's made up for that in recent years. The mother plant is ill-suited to its spot, where it's constantly swamped by an increasingly large Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'. It's possibly the only agave I'd like to see bloom so I can get it out of there!
DeleteYour succulents seem to have a 'shelf life' somewhat like long-lived annuals. But with their readiness to pup, there are new ones ready to come on board. I don't have a lot of experience with them, just a few in my sunspace that could use better care than I give them! Eliza
ReplyDeleteMost agaves are good for a decade or more, depending on the size at which you plant them. Aloes are longer-lived still, as they're not monocarpic AND they pup. Many of the smaller succulents just get woebegone and warrant replacement and others, like Euphorbia 'Sticks on Fire' could go on forever except they may swallow too much of your garden to tolerate. Aeoniums will go on for years but they benefit from regular replacement using fresh cuttings every few years as they get untidy.
DeleteOoooh, succulents! I can't wait to see what you'll do with all your new (and old) babies.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it felt like I have a lot of stock, I keep noticing succulent pots that need refreshing. My stockpile may dwindle quickly...
DeleteThe Stenocactus is a definite favorite of mine. Had one that I decided to toss from the greenhouse this year as it developed a scale problem over time. That's been a perennial problem over the years - buying plants that look clean, but then seeing the scale or mealybug creep in from the crevices where they were hidden, protected from whatever insecticides the nursery was applying. I don't recall seeing many cacti in your blog, is this one getting planted in the ground or into a container?
ReplyDeleteI haven't invested in many cactus and all but one I have are currently in pots, which is where the Stenocactus will go until it bulks up. I'll keep a eye out for bugs. Alcohol swabs may take care of mealybugs but scale may be a bigger problem if it emerges.
DeleteNifty succulents, for sure! I need to add more to my pots that I keep in the sunroom year-round. They are fun and fascinating!
ReplyDeleteAll my succulents are outside but, given my iffy luck with common house plants, I should probably grow some as houseplants myself ;)
DeleteI've been on a "redistribution" kick here with succulents too and have especially made use of a large patch of Cotyledon orbiculata var. oblonga that flourished and increased in size the past few years. The smaller succulents, echeveria and such seem to dwindle away, but this "Finger Aloe" is a keeper!
ReplyDeleteThat is one good looking Cotyledon!
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