Succulents

Succulents keep topping the charts for popularity and it’s not hard to see why.  They are TOUGH.  When all else fails these guys are still surviving, and better still, looking good.  Succulents come in many different forms.   They really are the chameleon of plants. There are some that cascading, others that are vertical, and still more that mound with rosettes of leaves that look like flowers, like Echerverias and Graptopetalums.  With many different genera, the thing they have in common is the ability to store water in their leaves, and therefore withstand long periods of drought.  

Aloes are best known for Aloe vera, the species that is good for your skin and helps it recover from sunburn, bites and stings.  As a garden plant, it’s pretty ho-hum, so pop it in a pot or corner of the garden to ‘break in case of emergency’.  The flowering Aloe-Aloe selection. Chosen for their ornamental qualities, are a completely different scene, flowering spectacularly for many months, attracting birds, and range in size from small

Kalanchoes have leaves that vary from felted to smooth, and some have spectacular flowers that bloom for many months and make brilliant flowering pot plants for inside.  Then there are the Sedums.  These look like jellybeans and make great hanging baskets, changing colour as the weather gets colder. They also have wonderful golden flowers in clusters in spring.

Our range of Senecios in store is wonderful too.  We have the chalk sticks type, as well a fine leafed form.  We also have superb Euphorbias, which glow red as the cold weather encroaches.  And for good measure, don’t forget to buy a jade plant.  They are known as money plants and placed at the front and back door are said to bring good fortune, and then hold it there!  They are also hardy, beautiful and grow well in a tub, and we have beautiful grey leafed and golden variegated ones as well as the traditional green.

 

By: Meredith Kirton