Plant shopping therapy

As the chaos in the political environment and the world as a whole continues, we all have to find respite on occasion to maintain our sanity.  I usually seek that peace by working in my garden but at times I need to take a break even from its demands.  After I complained to a neighborhood friend that our local garden center didn't currently have much of a selection of small succulents to help me fill out one area, we decided to pay a visit to a nursery specializing in succulents located just half an hour away. 

I hadn't been to OC Succulents' Torrance location in over a year and my friend wasn't acquainted with it at all.  It can't claim any of the vibrant display spaces many garden centers create to bring in customers but it definitely offers a wide selection of both succulents and indoor plants.

A shot of a small section of the indoor plant area

As neither of us were looking for houseplants, we headed directly into the greenhouse area offering small succulents.

Better prices are available if you have a wholesale license, which we did not.  This area also included plants in larger pots, which were individually priced.

The smaller plants aren't labeled by species; however, the plants larger than those in 2-inch pots are identified by name on checkout receipts

After taking a close look at display tables, we grabbed flats and started making choices.

Aeoniums, clockwise from the upper left: 'Garnet', 'Lily Pad', 'Mint Saucer', and 'Zwartkop'

Clockwise from the upper left, Echeverias I was able to identify with relative confidence by eye included 'Afterglow', 'Lola', E pulvinata 'Ruby Slippers', 'Red Ruffle', E. runyonii, and 'Sahara' 

My best guesses for the Echeverias I couldn't reliably identify (even after consulting an ID app included E. elegans, E. gibbiflora, no clue, and E. secunda

Graptoverias 'Amethorum' and 'Fred Ives'

They had a large variety of Sansevierias (aka snake plants) in stock too.  After a couple of recent houseplant losses, I briefly considered the 2 Sansevierias on the right as a possible replacement for an unhappy Dieffenbachia as snake plants are nearly indestructible but I put that decision off for another time.

I headed outside to look at some of the larger (and more expensive) plants while my friend continued her search inside the greenhouse.  

I was specifically interested in checking out the Mangaves.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any of the newer cultivars I've admired when viewing other bloggers' posts.

They had a lot of agaves but for some reason the only one I photographed was Agave bovicornuta (upper left).  The Mangaves shown here are 'Lavender Lady', 'Mission to Mars', and 'Snow Leopard'.

There were lots of cacti species in large containers but I only photographed these 3: Hildewintera aursipina, Echinocactus grusonii (golden barrel cactus, now classified as Kroenleinia grusonii), and Pilocereus azureus.  I didn't see any of the Echinopsis with flashy flowers but then I didn't ask about them and maybe they're already past their bloom stage.

We couldn't miss these palo verde trees in full flower (Cercideum 'Desert Museum'). My friend told me she'd spotted several in the vicinity of our neighborhood when she walked her dog.

A lineup of pricey Aloe 'Hercules'

Both my friend and I left with a flat of plants.  I can't say that either of us found anything new or unusual but, for me, they'll do to fill several empty spots.

Based on the information printed on my receipt, the yellow-orange succulents on the left are Cremosedum 'Little Gem'; the blueish ones to the right are Graptoveria 'A Grim One'*; the next 3 are Echeveria 'Lola'; those on the far right are E. 'Metallica Hybrid'; the pinkish ones on the lower right are Graptosedum 'Rosa'; and the 3 tiny ones on the lower left are a guess identified by my plant app as E. 'Chroma'.
*I looked for an explantion for the cultivar name 'A Grim One' and learned that it was bred by Bob Grim of San Jose, California. 

As it's been a busy week for me, I haven't yet gotten around to planting my new succulents (or the second flat of 'Elfin' thyme I picked up elsewhere) but, assuming the temperatures remain comfortable, I'll get to that this weekend.  As it is, I've a long list of other garden chores I've yet to tackle and, to complicate matters, it appears that the raccoons are loose in my nighttime garden looking for grubs, leaving things torn up for me every morning.

I hope you're able to enjoy time in your garden as well but, if you're in the Eastern or Midwestern US, take care doing anything outdoors in that intense heat!

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