Old Newsletters 9

As vigorous and tolerant as they are, succulent plants in the garden often need a little special attention to come through winter ready to dazzle again in the spring.

If you live in an area where winter frosts are routine, one of the best ways to prepare your succulents for winter is to start at the very beginning: buy only those varieties that are proven survivors of cold weather. These include some sempervivums, sedums and even a few agaves.

But the palette of succulents is so broad that choosing only the cold-tolerant ones can feel limiting. If your succulent collection wasn't selected strictly on cold-hardiness, winter could cause some damage. Here are five tips on how to support your succulents through the colder months:

*When frost is in the forecast, cover succulent plantings with frost fabric. Depending on the type, it can wrap plants in as much as eight degrees of additional warmth. At Succulent Gardens, we use it on all plants that are outdoors; last winter, we had one cold spell where the coverings stayed in place for a full week.

If possible, frost fabric should be kept from touching the plants, because anywhere it lies on the leaf surface, cld and moisture can get trapped and damage the plant.

*There's a second kind of protection that frost fabric can offer. Hail sometimes causes spots or pockmarks on the surface of thick agave leaves-it may not show up immediately, but within a few days, the marks become visible. Frost fabric placed over agaves and other thick-leafed plants gives the hail something to bounce off of that it can't harm.

The thick leaves of this Agave americana are nicely tattooed with its own 'teeth marks.' Don't let hail stones ruin the look by denting the leaves. Drape frost cloth over this and other agaves if hail is in the forecast.

*Move container plants close to a house's walls, where they benefit from the warmth of the walls.

*In areas with very hot summers, such as California's inland areas, gardeners know to put their succulents in shaded or north-facing areas, to protect them from the effects of oppressive heat. Winter is a great time to let those plants bask in the sun, which will bring out their best coloration. Because intense heat isn't a threat in winter, consider giving containerized succulents a winter home out in a higher-light environment.

But please, be sure to return them to their protected havens in spring, before things heat up again.

*Be vigilant abut snails and slugs that appear during rains. The bites they take out of thick, fleshy succulent leaves will be visible for a while, so when weather reports call for rain, deploy whatever snail-beating technique you prefer. That might be putting down cups of beer or snail bait, or it might mean hand-plucking snails out of your garden.

There are many succulents that work well as house plants. Some of the best I have found are from the Haworthia family. Haworthias do well in low light conditions and work well in a variety of interior environments. Along with the haworthias, there are a number of miniature Aloe hybrids that have been introduced by hybridizers like Kelly Griffin, who's well known in California for his work.

Haworthia reinwartii

Aloe aristata

Aloe 'Christmas Carol'

As soon as the new year begins, Succulent Gardens goes into roadshow mode, as we take our plants and our expertise to assorted winter events, spreading the word about the many creative ways to use this plant palette that we love.

Look for us at any of these events:

Feb 11-15: Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, where Robin will unveil a new creation that's sure to make hearts beat a little faster.

 

Feb 12: Nor Cal Landscape & Nursery Show in San Mateo, where several of us will staff a trio of booths and connect with landscaper professionals from all over the region. This year, we'll highlight our offering of specimen-sized stock.

 

March 18-22: San Francisco Flower & Garden Show in San Mateo. Our greenhouses are brimming now with the wide array of succulents we'll have for sale at this year's event, where the theme is 'Going Wild.' Combining display gardens and sale areas like ours, the show is a don't-miss!

Pictured above: The 2013 ASU display

 

June 20: Monterey Greenhouse Growers Tour. For this one, we're not on the road, you are. This all-day event spotlights the vital role that plant growers of many kinds play in the Monterey area. Visitors can drop in for backstage tours at several growers' sites throughout the day, including not only always-open retailers like Succulent Gardens, but some growers that are usually closed to visitors.

Centerpiece Class

On Saturday, Nov. 15, our crafty Simone LaJeunesse led a seminar in making succulent-topped autumn centerpieces. About a dozen people attended, and went home with creations like this to adorn their Thanksgiving tables.

Big Blooms!

The seven-foot bloom stalk on this Agave 'Super Nova' has been a spectacular sight in our garden boutique area for the past week.

A Succulent Thanksgiving Happening Here

We spotted this next to one of the greenhouses in late November. Which is it, an agave coming into bloom or a turkey hiding out on our site in hopes of evading its Thanksgiving fate?

More Succulent Flowers

These vibrant blooms in our greenhouse last week were hanging from a Kalanchoe tubiflora. It's easy to see why this beauty's common name is "Chandelier flower."