Thursday, September 18, 2014

Echeveria elegans is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

If I lived in a slightly warmer climate scenes like the one below would be repeated throughout my garden...

But since I don’t, they aren’t. And so I enjoy the couple I have, this one especially since it’s along the path I walk from the patio to the house...

The agaves are always planted here for the summer, but this is the first year I've added the Echeveria elegans. I bought them at Cistus earlier in the year, if memory serves there were just two rosettes then. They've done exactly what I hoped they would, form a bit of a wrap around the base of the agave. Sadly the whole lot will be dug up in another couple of months, but be replanted in the spring.

The Cistus description: “Echeveria elegans (Mexican Snowball) Dense, blue-gray succulent species from Mexico that mounds or spreads slowly in tight colonies. Edges of leaves are slightly pink, producing equally pretty small pink flowers with a yellow tinge. Very handsome and uniform in the garden. More cold hardy than many other echieveria hybrids, this one makes an excellent rock garden or container plant that needs occasional winter protection below 25 degrees. Drought-tolerant. Plant in part to full sun.”

I love how their powder blue echoes the blue of the agaves. So...anything you're admiring in your garden this week?

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

26 comments:

  1. I have some of these in pots, they are pretty little things.

    I am feeling very edgy today as it is the independence referendum and I will be going off to vote soon. I have everything crossed for a No vote as I would to see the union break up!

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    1. Wait Adam! You "would to see" no vote means you would hate to see, or you would like to see??

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    2. hate to see Lorre.

      Thankfully the vote came in as a No, hooray!

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  2. Never met an echiveria I didn't like and this one is a charmer! Trevesia palmata is my plant fave this week.

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    1. While they are all likeable the simple blueish rosettes are my favorite...

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  3. I am with Outlaw! When I lived in SoCal I could grow them everywhere...here they are in pots mostly for the drainage not the cold. I love that you actually plan to dig them up and then put them back, to me that is real dedication to your garden and it shows!

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    1. Those two agaves have been dug and replanted 4 years running, maybe longer. I figure why not include the Echeveria this time?

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  4. Laurin got it right: you seem always willing to go the extra mile to achieve perfection. My favorites are piling up while I struggle to conquer glitches.

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    1. Perfection, well that's a stretch but keeping them alive is my goal. I'm so sorry you're dealing with so many glitches, it shouldn't be so difficult!

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  5. I love the blue Echeverias - there will undoubtedly be more in my garden next year (if we ever finish preparation of the soil in my "new" garden area. My favorite this week may be considered a weed by some but I'm withholding judgment (for now at least): http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2014/09/my-favorite-plant-this-week-is-weed.html

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    1. Kris I am so excited to see your new planting space take shape! So very thrilling and god for you!

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  6. I like the way it has almost wrapped itself all over the base of the agave. Great looking plant! Perhaps put it back next year as a bigger clump and the space it will occupy later in the season will even be bigger and more dramatic.

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    1. I might break it up a bit into smaller clumps in the same area, hoping that it conquers all!

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  7. Here in Idaho, I'm also loving my elegans. Do yourself some more love and add Echeveria Imbricata next year. They have the same blue...are huge, pup like crazy. I planted two in June, now i have 12.

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    1. They are wonderful (the E. imbricata -and surprisingly hard to find) I'll keep my eyes open, thanks for the push.

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  8. At least you can grow them in full sun. In my zone 9 garden, they burn so bad in full sun that the main rosette dies, and the babies, protected from the sun by Mommy's dead leaves, survive to form a ring around the dead center once the weather cools. Sue

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    1. They're not really in full sun but probably could be, at least yours can stay outside year round?

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  9. I´ve always loved Echeverias. I must buy one right now!

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  10. What a beautiful combination. A huge bummer you can't just let it stay and have it live on through. I can't imagine having to do what you do before every winter. A real labour of love!

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    1. It's a sickness Amy, I'm determined to have the garden I want regardless of what my climate says.

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    2. Better to be sick and happy! Safe Garden doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
      My favourite: http://crmbsgrdn.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/my-favourite-plant-in-garden-this-week_21.html

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  11. The arrangements you put together are great. The colors, forms, and statures of the plants are complimentary. And the geometric shapes of the pavers and the borders pull it all together!

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  12. A great clump there, once they get settled they really go for it don't they.
    Thought I would select an echeveria myself to match, e. afterglow, http://spikyobsession.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/echeveria-afterglow-is-my-favourite.html

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    1. Oh 'afterglow' is a good one! I'm off to see your images....

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