Re: Echeveria elegans

At 07:47 AM 5/4/99 -0700, you wrote:
>Dear experts,
>
>Can anyone answer this question? A visitor to my site was curious about
>echeveria and I answered as I would a hobbyist but as you can see, she needs
>to know in a more serious kind of way.
>
>Cyndi K
>
><Thank you very much for taking the time out to reply!
>I have one other question, we are a landscape company and will be planting
>2200 echeveria elegans in the ground- what type of soil would you recommend?
>I will need % , if possible of the type of materials.>

Cyndi - 

I have some interest in Echeverias, as landscape plants but also as just
interesting in themselves.  In the restoration of the succulent garden
here on Lake Merritt in Oakland, we've been planting out many Echeverias
as well (though not in such quantity as your visitor!).

One of the most useful facts I've learned about this handsome succulents
relates to the way they grow in their natural environment in Mexico.  They
are usually found atop leaf litter in nooks and cranies and even on top of
rocks.  They have adapted to living in the top few inches of soil, where
their succulent leaves help them survice frequent periods of drought.  The
fast-draining, loose soil they like is best replicated with a mixture of
compost and coarse, multi-sized gravel or pumice.  In our public garden,
we mixed 1 part of a loose container mix with 1 part pumice.  In retrospect,
I might have added 1 part sharp sand as well to act as an intermediate
between the other two.  Our beds are raised so drainage ie quite good.

Echeveria elegans is one of the 'hens and chicks' found in older gardens,
forming clusters of rosettes over time, each 2-4in across, mounding up
with time.  Easily propogated by separating any rosette from the clump,
these are classic 'oer the fence' plants.  E. elegans has been crossed
with E. agavoides and there are a number of clones in the trade which are
apparently part of this group.  I gave a talk to some local school
children this year where I brought in a number of these and had them try
and 'organize' them between the two parents.  It was an interesting
observation of genetics trying to figure out which should go where - the
various inheirited traits making it almost impossible to do it 'right'

When these plants are grown in the ground, they can tolerate regular water
but this is only when they do not sit in puddles or become sodden.  They
also usually do not send roots very far into the soil, growing instead on
their own leaf-litter.  Depending upon the location of this planting, the
plants might enjoy a bit of shade from very hot and dry sun, which can
scorch the pearly-white leaves, even if irrigated.  One of the hybrids
montioned above is called E. x gilva, is very similar to E. elegans,
except a handsome celadon green.  It also makes a good ground cover in
partial shade.  The larger and more robust hybrids closer to E.
agavoides are better for full sun, coloring up red or orange like that
parent.  We've also planted a number of these at the public garden.

Most of my own Echeverias are currently in flower, making quite a show.  
In E. elegans, the flower stems are delicate pink arching stems with pink
and yellow flowers - very striking against the pale gray-white rosettes!

An internet image of (a non-flowering) E. elegans can be found at:
http://www.cactuscenter.com/I_eche_hen.html

If anyone out there wishes to discuss Echeverias offline, or would
like to see the Lakeside Park succulent garden, let me know.

Sean O.


Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@poboxes.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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