A Suffusion of Succulents

Okay, I have a bit of a thing for alliteration, hence the title of this post, but I think you can say that succulents have "suffused" (i.e. spread in the manner of fluid or light) into our nurseries, at least here in Southern California. There was a time when succulents were rather hard to find outside of specialty nurseries.  Not so any more.  They're everywhere.  Unfortunately, their prices increased with their popularity too, which is frustrating given how easily these plants can be propagated from cuttings.  Recently, a few local nurseries have begun offering inexpensive succulents in 6-packs.  No Agaves or Dyckias - most of the succulents offered for sale this way are the more common Crassulas, Sedums and Echeverias - but the less expensive offerings are still appreciated.  This little display in my garden was created in February entirely with succulents from 6-packs.

Crassula radicans 'Small Red', Graptosedum 'California Sunset', Sedum 'Salsa Verde'

Whereas succulents, if they were available at all, were once tucked in the odd corner of the nursery, garden centers are now featuring these plants front and center in their displays.  A friend took the following pictures for me at Rogers Gardens in Orange County a couple of weeks ago using her phone:

Okay, in the interest of truth telling, this display wasn't actually at the front of the nursery but rather toward the back near the nursery's business offices but, nevertheless, it is a large and prominent display.  Rogers moved most of the succulents it offers for sale up from the back of the nursery to the front last year, reflecting their increased popularity with shoppers as well as the nursery's push for increased use of "California-friendly" plants.

A lot of nurseries offer fanciful, densely planted succulent pots.  These are generally very pricey but they can provide inspiration for your own creations.  I took the following pictures at Sperling, a nursery in Calabasas, on a recent stop.

This pretty arrangement comes with a birdbath but did you note the hefty price tag?

As those of you who viewed my earlier post on succulents know, I already have a lot of containers filled with succulents.  Even so, I'm preparing to add some succulent-filled hanging baskets.  With our Santa Ana winds, hanging baskets filled with herbaceous plants require constant attention whereas hanging baskets filled with succulents, like the one pictured below, bloom despite benign neglect.