Designing with SucculentsHow to incorporate succulents and cacti into your garden design

photograph by : jamesptrharris / Shutterstock

With the increased popularity of succulent , more gardeners are discovering echeveria plant . This fashionable plant manakin harmonious stem canker material body with fleshy leaves that follow in a wide array of colors and forms . With hundred of dissimilar varieties , this various plant life can be arise indoors or alfresco , as a tabletop accent , in floral arrangements , terrariums , containers , life wall , rock garden , garden bed , and waterwise border .

When give the correct growing condition , echeveria is almost carefree . Like other succulents , this drought - resistant plant storage water in its leaves , countenance it to survive through dry spells . A member of Crassulaceae , Echeveriais tight relate to other democratic succulent include hen and chicks ( Sempervivum ) . Here ’s how to add these charmers to your house interior decoration or landscape .

Echeveria elegans - Mexican snowball

On this page : Basics|Growing|Care and Maintenance|Echeveria Pictures|Toubleshooting|Display Ideas|Lookalikes

BASICS

Botanical name:

Echeveriaspp .

Common names:

Echeveria , biddy and skirt

Zones:

USDA Zones 9 - 11 , or raise as a houseplant

Care level:

gentle to hold

Light requirements:

Full Dominicus ; echeverias need at least 4 - 6 hours of bright light per day .

Growth rate:

slow up to fast , depending on the variety and grow conditions .

Foliage:

Fleshy smooth or crinkle evergreen leaves form a harmonious rounded rosette . spoonful - like leaf have indicate tips and a protective waxy coating . Colors occur in shades of green , pink , blue , grey , majestic , orange , Bourgogne , and bicolors .

Flowers:

Clusters of bell - work flowers modernise on long slender stems , bloom from spring to fall . Flowers occur in sundown hues of yellow , coral , pinkish and orange . Blooms will be light when grow indoors .

Habit and size:

Low mounding habit with horizontal counterbalance . Individual rosettes can grow 1 to 4 inches marvellous and 2 to 12 in in diameter . Offsets may reach 14 to 24 column inch tall , with clumps of rosettes spreading as much as 24 to 36 inches wide , look on the variety .

ECHEVERIA GROWING TIPS

Echeveria elegansgrowing in rock ‘n’ roll garden . Photo by : Tim Ludwig / Millette Photomedia

Where to grow:

Indoors , place in an area that receives bright direct Christ Within , such as a Dixieland - face window ; or supplement with hokey lighting . out of doors , place in a spot that aim at least 4 to 6 hours of unmediated sunlight .

Temperature and humidity:

Echeveria favor hot , dry conditions . stale temperatures or selective service can lead to works damage . Too much humidity can cause root rot . Average household term are usually sufficient . out-of-door plants can tolerate temperatures between 35 to 95 degrees F. Ideally , 65 to 80 degrees F in fountain and summer , slimly cooler in winter .

Soil type:

plant necessitate a poriferous , well - draining stain to prosper , and prefer a slightly acidulent pH of 6.0 . habit cactus potting mix or make your own by mixing three role all - purpose potting soil , two parts coarse sand , and one part perlite .

Pot requirements:

Choose a pot that is ten percent blanket than the diameter of the works and slightly rich than the root ball . verify containers have undecomposed drainage holes to forbid etymon rot .

Propagation:

Echeveria can be circularise from offsets , individual leaf , or by ejaculate .

ECHEVERIA CARE AND MAINTENANCE

Watering:

Echeverias are drouth - tolerant and prefer dry conditions . Water echeverias only after the soil has dry out out completely . deflect get leaves loaded and do n’t overwater to prevent root word rot . Plants will ask more frequent watering during summer , every week or two depending on temperature and grease conditions . abbreviate watering in winter when outgrowth slow down down .

Fertilizing:

Echeverias need very little fertilizing . Apply a slow - release all - purpose fertilizer in outflow when industrial plant are actively growing . Dilute by 2 to 4 times the regular strength and apply less often than recommended . Cease fertilise during winter month .

Pruning:

crop off brown , yellow or damaged leave as needed .

Repotting:

plant seldom require repotting , only when they outgrow their current container . Repot in spring and waitress until dirt is totally dry . take away from the pot and mildly brush soil from roots . billet in a young container that is 1/2 to 1 inch larger than the previous potty and use impudent soil . urine thoroughly and place in brilliant indirect light until plant life has recovered in 2 to 3 hebdomad .

Pests:

Pests can includemealybugs , wanderer mites , aphids , scale , nematodes , or root meal hemipteran . gargle off bugs with water or tap affected area with 70 % rub alcohol . For more wicked cases , cover with a worldwide intention insecticide .

ECHEVERIA VARIETIES

Photo by : SimoneHa / Shutterstock

Mexican SnowballEcheveria elegans

Size:2 to 4 in tall ; clumps up to 20 inches wide

Echeveria elegans - Mexican snowball

Color : Pale downhearted foliage , pink efflorescence stems and bracts , pinkish and yellow peak

Also shout out pearl echeveria , the pallid blue - green rosettes go with many other people of color . Grown in vivid sunshine , the leafage will take on a pink blush . Tall 12 - inch blossom stalks are produced throughout summer .

Photo by : Sophie Leguil / Shutterstock

Echeveria elegans - Mexican snowball

Molded Wax AgaveEcheveria agavoides

Size:6 to 8 inches marvellous and 8 to 12 inch in diam

Color : Pale apple - immature foliage , pinkish blossom stem and bracts , pinkish and jaundiced flowers

Echeveria elegans - Mexican snowball

Also known as lipstick echeveria , the large rosettes , which are usually lonely , are reminiscent of agave . Bell - form flowers are borne on 12 - inch stems during summer .

Photo by : Svetlanko / Shutterstock

La RosetaEcheveria laui

Echeveria elegans - Mexican snowball

Size:6 inches magniloquent and 5 column inch all-encompassing

Color : Pale racy - Lady Jane Grey foliage , pale pinkish - grey flower stems and bracts , coral pink flowers

One of the most sought - after echeverias , this deadening cultivator produces powdery profane - Zane Grey leave which can take on a pink blush . Pale pink flower buds on light root open to coral pinkish bell - shaped flowers that flower from summer into fall . Plants are especially susceptible to root rot .

pic by : Julie Beynon Burnett / Shutterstock

paint EcheveriaEcheveria nodulosa

Size:3 to 4 inches improbable and 5 inches in diam ; clumps to 1 to 2 metrical foot tall and 2 to 3 feet wide .

Color : pallid patrician - green and burgundy - cerise foliage , immature flower stems and bracts , coral pink and yellow flowers

name for its leaf that seem to be painted . Vigorous rosettes produce a richness of offsets . Flowers come out on 2 - foot stems in summertime . Use in rock garden or large container so plant life have room to go around .

pic by : pticelov / Shutterstock

Ghost EcheveriaEcheveria lilacina

Size:3 to 6 in tall and 7 to 8 column inch wide

Color : Pale lilac - blue foliage , grey flower stems and bracts , coral pink blossom

This slow grower produces a lone little potato . Flowers come forth on shorter 6 - in stalk in spring . Propagates readily from leafage thinning .

picture by : mizy / Shutterstock

Silver Spoons EcheveriaEcheveria runyonii

Size:4 inches tall and 4 to 6 inches wide

Color : naughty - grey and pinkish foliage , grey flower stems and bracts , coral pinkish and orange flowers

This fast agriculturist has elongated spoon - shape leaves that can touch 3 inches long . Flowers appear on 8 - inch stems from late summertime into fall . ‘ Topsy Turvy ’ is a cultivar with deeply curved leave of absence .

Photo by : Proven achiever

Pulido ’s EcheveriaEcheveria pulidonis

Size:3 inches marvelous and 5 to 6 inch wide

Color : leave are blue - dark-green with dark red backsheesh , reddish tan stems , wan unripe bract , yellow flower

Provides an eye - hitch direct contrast in the landscape . Flowers appear in leap on graceful arching stems . Use this diminutive slow grower as a fend - alone accent or combined with other type of succulent .

Photo by : Jerren Gan / Shutterstock

' Perle von Nurnberg’Echeveriahybrid

Size:3 to 5 column inch magniloquent and 5 to 6 inches wide

Color : gray - pinkish foliation , pallid pink flower staunch , hoar - pink bracts , coral pinkish flower

This Graeco-Roman hybrid produces a solitary little potato in variable shades of pinkish , red , purple , and juicy - green . bloom appear on 12 - inch stems in summertime . Slow to produce offsets , but propagate easily from leafage cuttings .

Photo by : Ayasak / Shutterstock

' Neon Breakers’Echeveriahybrid

Size:3 to 5 column inch tall and 7 to 8 column inch full

colour : Purple - pink leafage , purplish stem turn and bract , pinkish flowers

Foliage takes on a more low-keyed grey quality in low igniter . rumple leaf are edged with hot pinko . In late summertime to former spill , the leaf color intensifies to a more vivid purple - pinko .

Photo by : Christina Siow / Shutterstock

' Black Prince’Echeveriahybrid

Size:6 to 8 column inch tall and 7 to 8 inches wide

Color : Dark burgundy leafage , dark burgundy flower stems , light burgundy bracts , violent blossom

Striking leaves deepen to nearly smuggled with more Lord’s Day exposure . Flowers appear in fall or early wintertime . Pair with other brightly dark-skinned succulents such as ‘ Angelina ’ sedum for dramatic direct contrast .

' Lola’Echeveriahybrid

gloss : pallid green and pink foliage , pinkish - grey flower stems and bract , orange - white-livered flower

Symmetrical rosettes have a waxy sheen that is reminiscent of bone . blossom come out on short base in spring . Showcase in a ornamental container and display on a tabletop .

TROUBLESHOOTING

The most common problem for echeveria are due to over- or underwatering . Here are some symptom to look for :

DISPLAY IDEAS

Photo by : Janet Loughrey

HEN AND CHICKS: ECHEVERIA OR SEMPERVIVUM?

Both share the common name of biddy and wench and look very similar . Here ’s how to tell them asunder :

Other echeveria lookalikes include :

See to growSempervivum .