Each succulent stands out in its own way — that the variegated foliage of Aeonium, the elegance and size of agave, the cold-hardiness and durability of Sempervivum. Out-of-this-world color and yearlong attractiveness belong toEcheveria.
Hailing in semidesert areas of Mexico and of Central and South America, Echeveria thrives in the mild climates of California and the American Southwest. Its vibrant, glaucous foliage and year-after-year flowering makes it among the most common succulent types. Cold sensitivity might be a concern for many gardeners, but handily enough, Echeveria creates a excellent container plant. After fall rolls in, just pack up and bring it indoors. Welcome your containers back.
Gardens from Gabriel, Inc..
Botanical name: Echeveria spp
Common names: Echeveria, hens-and-chicks
Where it will grow: Hardy to approximately 32 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on species (USDA zones 9 to 11; locate your zone)
Water requirement: Looks best with moderate water
moderate requirement: Full sun, but shelter it from harsh summer sun
Mature size: Varies with species
Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant; bull resistant
Seasonal attention: Evergreen; flowers in summertime
When to plant: Plant cuttings or offsets spring through fall; allow the stem end to become callous.
Revealed: Echeveria elegans in bloom backed by Aeonium ‘Sunburst’
Revealed: Echeveria ‘Zorro’
Bloom Garden Design
Distinguishing attributes. Echeveria is rosette forming, with fleshy green leaves in colours ranging from green into gray-green to purple, with colored hints and other exceptional accents augmenting its lively demeanor. The color remains strong yearlong, and even in the dark grays of winter, your backyard will be given a great pink leaf pick-me-up.
Unlike many succulents, Echeverias are not monocarpic and can flower many times throughout a lifetime. In summer look for a stem of clustered flowers, often in bright pinks and yellows.
Revealed: Echeveria ‘Afterglow’
Revealed: Echeveria ‘Imbricata’
Kiesel Design – Landscape Architecture
How to use it. Plant Echeveria en masse, as a container specimen or along a rocky bank. Based upon your climate change and style preference, the options are fairly spacious. Landscape architect Jack Kiesel uses E. ‘Afterglow’ as a garden statement piece. He notes its tolerance of shade and ability to brighten darker garden patches as winning attributes. He likes to use Echeverias with succulents, in addition to with contrasting grasses. Kiesel indicates you avoid planting Echeverias where there’ll probably be heavy foot traffic, as this can damage the plants.
Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ is exhibited here planted in wide swaths using Elijah blue fescue (Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’), blue moor grass (Sesleria caerulea) and blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens), using a mixture of blue foxtail agave (Agave attenuata ‘Nova’) and orange Libertia (Libertia peregrinans).
Joni L. Janecki & Associates, Inc..
Revealed: Echeveria ‘Afterglow’
Grounded – Richard Risner RLA
Echeverias are planted in containers. Their portability makes summer and winter maintenance that much more easy.
If summer climates are more intense, shelter plants out of direct sunlight. In case your climate experiences winters, bring your Echeveria indoors. Be sure to provide ample direct lighting.
Revealed: Echeveria subrigida ‘Fire and Ice’
Donna Lynn – Landscape Designer
Echeverias can also be utilized in living partitions for bright locations.
Gardens from Gabriel, Inc..
Revealed: Echeveria ‘Afterglow’
Planting notes. Landscape designer Gabriel Frank says Echeverias look healthiest and produce the greatest year-round color when planted in full, coastal sun. “As it gets hotter, even 4 to 5 kilometers inland, they lose that touch jewel-tone glaucous covering which makes their leaves so ethereal,” Frank says.
Many Echeverias create tall stalks, and eventually you might choose to cut and reroot the rosette, much like is done using Aeonium. Leave the stalk and fresh Echeverias will sprout. Others produce offsets, which can also be utilized to propagate.
Attempt to steer clear of extreme temperature and light swings while providing excellent air circulation and good light. Give it some water but not too much, and let it do everything.
Revealed: E. gigantea and E. ‘Zorro’
Great Design Plants: More beautiful succulents for the backyard