Succulent pot rehab

I'm still spending limited time in the garden, or outside in general.  While two sites I initially consulted, AirNow and AQMD, suggested that our air quality was good-to-moderate, the one my husband has been using, published by AccuWeather, suggests it remains poor-to-fair.  It turns out that each site factors different materials into its analysis.  A little digging surfaced a list of the best air quality applications and Plume Labs was near the top of the list and, as Plume Labs provides the data for AccuWeather, I'm now following its advisories.  Nothing associated with the Los Angeles County fires is simple it seems...Containment of the Palisades and Eaton Fires is progressing but it remains a slow process.

I spent some time rehabbing a few succulent pots that had seen better days.  As winter is generally our rainy season, I'm in the habit of ignoring those pots at this time of year.  That's been a big mistake this year.

Originally planted in November 2022, this is what my giant clam shell planter looked like last February

I didn't take a photo of it immediately before I replanted it but the only thing I retained was the Gonialoe 'Variegata' in the middle, which had turned browner due to water stress.  I added 3 small 'California Sunset' Graptosedums, as well as cuttings of a noID Crassula growing elsewhere in my garden.

The wok-style planter on the south patio had seriously deteriorated when I wasn't watching.

Even though I dumped water on this planter every so often, it'd gone to hell without my noticing.  This was the state it was in when I pulled it apart to start over.

This is it in its renovated state

The top photo is a closeup of the revamped pot.  Clockwise from the middle left, it contains a Crassula swaziensis 'Variegata', a Crassula pendens, 2 Echeveria 'Violet', and 2 segments of one of the original noID plants.

I made a few quick updates to another pot on the back patio.

With the exception of the reddish succulent, which I believe is Echeveria 'Violet Queen' (under stress), and one stem of Crassula perforata, the other ingredients are the grayish succulent that came from the wok-style planter (possibly Graptopetalum paraguayense) and 3 Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose', part of the recent shipment received from Mountain Crest Gardens

And I finally planted the tiny brain cactus I also received from Mountain Crest Gardens.

Stenocactus multicostatus is going to need time to bulk up before going in the ground and this pot, received as a birthday gift months ago, needed a plant.  I don't much like the tiny white rocks and will look for a more sutle top cover.

I wasn't sure where to plant a division taken from one of my bromeliads so that went into a temporary pot.  The pups I harvested from an Aloe in December also went into a temporary pot.

This is Nidularium wittrockia leopardinum, one of my favorite bromeliads (even if its leaf edges are vicious)

The divisions of Aloe striata x maculata need to root before I give them away.  I've already planted 8 of them directly into my own garden. 

The fountain-style planter in my front garden could use some additions but I'll shop around a bit before updating that.

The planter looks pretty good but, until the Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' planted in the center fills out, it could use a few more fillers

I still have plenty of pruning left to do and maybe I'll get to that this weekend.  I also have a little planting to do.

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and she passed along a bulb divided from a clump of Hippeastrum papilio in her garden.  It's one of my absolute favorites.  Thanks PZ!

 

May your weekend be peaceful.

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