My Favorite Succulent Containers (at the moment)

We've had sunny days since Tuesday but the soil is still saturated, which limits what I can do right now.  I spent three hours working on the back slope earlier this week but, at the end of that period, I was covered in mud and had badly compressed the wet soil.  However, the Santa Ana winds kicked up yesterday, which should help the garden dry up quickly.  While I waited out that process, I spent some time admiring my succulent containers.  Many are in need of rehabs but I've highlighted some of my favorites.

This is currently my #1 favorite.  Planted last August, it's filled out quickly.  It includes Aeonium bramwellii 'Sunburst', Cotyledon pendens, Crassula swaziensis 'Variegata', and Kalanchoe marmorata.

Sitting next to the prior pot is this one containing a single plant, Echinopsis oxygona.  As I recall, it was given to me as a small specimen by a friend years ago but it now fills the space. 

The Aloe deltoidonta has occupied this pot for years too, accompanied by Cotyledon orbiculata.  I added cuttings of Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' later.

It's been at least a year since I last refreshed this circle pot on my back patio table.  I seldom water the small noID small Aloes and Crassula pubescens.  The pot itself is the star in this case.

I potted this one up sometime last year but the cat figure was a recent gift from a friend.  The pot, a prior gift, contains a noID Echeveria, what may be Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose', and cuttings of G. 'Fred Ives' and Crassula perforata.

This pot sits at the edge of one of my back borders.  It contains an Agave parryi truncata, Echeveria affinis 'Black Knight', and Portulacaria afra 'Variegata'.

Planted in 2024, this bowl-shaped terracotta pot seated atop a rusty metal support is my second most favorite.  It contain Crassula pendens, C. swaziensis 'Variegata, and what I think is Echeveria 'Violet Queen'.

I received a cutting of this plant from a friend years ago.  She thought it was some kind of Haworthia but I couldn't find anything that matched this in that genus.  The closest I could get is Haworthiopsis coarctata.  Whatever it is, it's been happy in this facsimile shell pot.

I replanted this small ceramic container yesterday with a Crassula alba 'Lotus Garnet', tucking in 2 Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose' stems that had jumped ship out of another pot

I've had these 2 pots containing Mangave 'Bad Hair Day' sitting on opposite sides of the front door for several years.  They make me smile every time I see them.  The one on the left has a few slightly reddish leaves.

This pot was a birthday present from a friend last year.  I'm guessing the plants are some kind of Echeveria.

This urn in front of the garage was looking especially photogenic.  I planted it up in 2024 with a Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' pup, Graptosedum 'California Sunset' cuttings, and a Cremosedum 'Little Gem'.

I planted this pot with an Agave 'Sun Glow' and cuttings of Sedum morganianum (aka burro's tail) in 2025

We inherited this ancient chiminea with the house and I wired its front grate with a variety of noID Tillandsias last year.  The air plants are doing exceptionally well there with virtually no support from me.

I planted a pup of Agave vilmoriana 'Variegata' in a pot at the base of a raised planter in my cutting garden after the mother plant bloomed out in 2023, adding cuttings of Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi'.  The Agave's finally gained some size and I've had to cut the 'Kiwi' succulents back.

That's a wrap for my blog posts this week.  I hope to spend the bulk of the weekend working in the garden.  I hope you have plans to do something you enjoy as well.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Succulent pot rehab

I'm still spending limited time in the garden, or outside in general.  While two sites I initially consulted, AirNow and AQMD, suggested that our air quality was good-to-moderate, the one my husband has been using, published by AccuWeather, suggests it remains poor-to-fair.  It turns out that each site factors different materials into its analysis.  A little digging surfaced a list of the best air quality applications and Plume Labs was near the top of the list and, as Plume Labs provides the data for AccuWeather, I'm now following its advisories.  Nothing associated with the Los Angeles County fires is simple it seems...Containment of the Palisades and Eaton Fires is progressing but it remains a slow process.

I spent some time rehabbing a few succulent pots that had seen better days.  As winter is generally our rainy season, I'm in the habit of ignoring those pots at this time of year.  That's been a big mistake this year.

Originally planted in November 2022, this is what my giant clam shell planter looked like last February

I didn't take a photo of it immediately before I replanted it but the only thing I retained was the Gonialoe 'Variegata' in the middle, which had turned browner due to water stress.  I added 3 small 'California Sunset' Graptosedums, as well as cuttings of a noID Crassula growing elsewhere in my garden.

The wok-style planter on the south patio had seriously deteriorated when I wasn't watching.

Even though I dumped water on this planter every so often, it'd gone to hell without my noticing.  This was the state it was in when I pulled it apart to start over.

This is it in its renovated state

The top photo is a closeup of the revamped pot.  Clockwise from the middle left, it contains a Crassula swaziensis 'Variegata', a Crassula pendens, 2 Echeveria 'Violet', and 2 segments of one of the original noID plants.

I made a few quick updates to another pot on the back patio.

With the exception of the reddish succulent, which I believe is Echeveria 'Violet Queen' (under stress), and one stem of Crassula perforata, the other ingredients are the grayish succulent that came from the wok-style planter (possibly Graptopetalum paraguayense) and 3 Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose', part of the recent shipment received from Mountain Crest Gardens

And I finally planted the tiny brain cactus I also received from Mountain Crest Gardens.

Stenocactus multicostatus is going to need time to bulk up before going in the ground and this pot, received as a birthday gift months ago, needed a plant.  I don't much like the tiny white rocks and will look for a more sutle top cover.

I wasn't sure where to plant a division taken from one of my bromeliads so that went into a temporary pot.  The pups I harvested from an Aloe in December also went into a temporary pot.

This is Nidularium wittrockia leopardinum, one of my favorite bromeliads (even if its leaf edges are vicious)

The divisions of Aloe striata x maculata need to root before I give them away.  I've already planted 8 of them directly into my own garden. 

The fountain-style planter in my front garden could use some additions but I'll shop around a bit before updating that.

The planter looks pretty good but, until the Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' planted in the center fills out, it could use a few more fillers

I still have plenty of pruning left to do and maybe I'll get to that this weekend.  I also have a little planting to do.

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and she passed along a bulb divided from a clump of Hippeastrum papilio in her garden.  It's one of my absolute favorites.  Thanks PZ!

 

May your weekend be peaceful.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Stocking Up on Succulents

In late November, following our annual tree pruning process, I started a major cleanup of the moderate front slope in the southwest corner of my garden.  Although collateral damage in that area was limited this year, it was looking tired.  The Aeoniums were all overgrown and in need of replacement and it quickly became clear that it'd be easier to pull almost everything up and start fresh with cuttings and new plants.  I've been taking my time with the renovation and it'll be awhile yet before I'm ready to share it but I thought it was a great time to start stocking up on new succulents to use there, as well as elsewhere in my garden.

I was off and running with a succulent sale at Mountain Crest Gardens.

The Stenocactus multicostatus (aka brain cactus, shown in closeup on the lower right) was the initial impetus for placing an order.  Other plants included in my mail order included: 3 Graptoveria 'Fred Ives', 3 Graptosedum 'California Sunset', 3 Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose', and 3 Crassula 'Variegated Money Maker'.  Mountain Crest threw in a mystery succulent, one Senecio 'String of Pearls', and one Echeveria 'Perle of Nurmberg' as gifts with my purchase.

I picked up still more new succulents at my local garden center.

I picked up the following plants at my local Armstrong store: 3 Echeveria 'Lotus', one Crassula swaziensis 'Variegata', 2 Echeveria 'Violet', and 3 Echeveria 'Princess'

I used some other succulents I'd had on hand for quite some time to replant a pot in the back garden.

I'd acquired the Agave parryi var. truncata from Annie's Annuals & Perennials about 6 months before that nursery abruptly closed and was put up for sale - it was busting open its pot waiting for more space.  I added a Portulacaria afra 'Variegata', 3 Echeveria affinis 'Black Night', and the tiny Senecio 'String of Pearls' I'd received as a gift from Mountain Crest.

Mother Nature has also been working hard to add to my succulent collection.

I originally noticed 3 pups of Agave 'Jaws' surrounding the mother plant here.  When I lifted up some of its leaves and checked it from the back, I discovered that there are 8 pups.  It's overachieving in the pup department and I think it advisable to give the pups away (with suitable warnings about its proclivity).

Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' is also an overly enthusiastic pupper.  These 2 are coming up between flagstones in the middle of my south-side walkway.

I also have a stash of assorted succulents looking for new homes.  Some will go into the area I'm currently working on, while others are destined to fill in empty spots in the succulent bed adjacent to the garage, which I renovated earlier this year.

Clockwise from the upper left: Agave titanota 'White Ice' (a gift from Hoover Boo of Piece of Eden) and a division of Kumara plicatilis (aka fan aloe, which came from another friend years ago); another division of the same fan aloe plus an Agave 'Blue Glow' bulbil; a noID Aloe; an assortment of succulent cuttings given to me by a neighbor earlier this year; and 2 pups of Agave 'Mateo'

Meanwhile, the mutant Agave 'Blue Glow' in my south-side garden is working diligently on its bloom stalks to give me more bulbils next year.

The 2 new bloom stalks have straightened up and one is already over 3 feet tall

I suspect that I already have more succulents than I need but we'll see.  Another succulent giveaway may be in order early next year.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Gift flowers - and a hand-made wreath

With Christmas a week away, time is short and flowers are few.  A friend stopped by on Saturday for a pre-Christmas get-together and gift exchange.  She brought flowers so those went into a vase for the dining room table.

The vase holds Chrysanthemums, bicolor and red Gerberas, Dianthus, and greenery

 

Among other things, I gave her this:

The seashell is one of many that were left behind by a prior owner.  I recently filled a larger clam shell with succulents (as shown here).  This smaller version was filled with miscellaneous succulents I had on hand.

 

On Sunday, I made another stab at creating a wreath using material in my garden.  This is the third time I've done this and I'm only nominally more pleased with this year's effort.  I used larger bundles of material this time but, in retrospect, I think I should have used shorter stems and more bundles.  As in prior years, I didn't give the project the time and patience it needed.  Here's a run-down:

I used a 14-inch metal ring as a base

I assembled various cuttings from the garden cut in roughly 8-9-inch lengths.  I didn't end up including the Magnolia grandiflora seed cones (mainly because I ran out of time and patience).

This was my first sample bundle, which I decided was too wispy.  I ended up including 3 stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', 2-3 stems of Leucadendron 'Chief', and one stem of Cotoneaster berries in each bundle. 

This is what the wreath looked like after the first pass.  I used 22-gauge paddle wire to attach the bundles, overlapping each with the next one in an alternating in-out pattern.

The finished wreath is shown above in place on the gate that separates my cutting garden from the northeast side dry garden.  I wired up the heavy Aeonium rosettes separately and added a small red ribbon as the final touch.  Clockwise from the upper right, the following 4 photos show closeups of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', noID Cotoneaster berries, and Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'.

    

Our annual tree pruning is scheduled to start early this morning.  My husband and I spun around the garden yesterday, moving furniture, pots, and breakable items out of harm's way.  We've used the same tree service, owned by an arborist, for years now.  They always do a good job but there's also always collateral damage and I expect to be spending hours doing cleanup afterwards.  It'll be nice to start the new year with that chore behind us, though.

For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

 

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Quick takes on succulent containers

While cleaning up and replanting the area in front of our backyard fountain a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try using one of the seashells scattered there as a plant container for succulents.  The seashells were here when we moved in over ten years ago and I left most of them where they were, mainly because I had no idea what to do with them.

This is a giant clam shell, and the largest of the shells left by the prior owner.  When I turned it open side up, it was obvious it was meant to serve as a container for something.

I'd planned to go to my local garden center to select new succulent plants but subsequently decided to use what I had on hand.

I'd picked up the 2 partridge aloes (Gonialoe variegata) in the small pots on my shopping trip to Santa Barbara several weeks ago but ultimately decided not to use them for the purpose I'd had in mind.  I collected cuttings of other plants - Cotyledon orbiculata, Oscularia deltoides, and Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' - from my garden.

I did a mock-up before filling the shell with a cactus mix and planting

When I got around to the actual planting, I added more Oscularia deltoides and several rosettes of Graptopetalum 'California Sunset'.

I filled in the remaining visible crevices with tiny blue decorative stones I had on hand from a previous project

 

I tried out a few different areas before placing the shell.

I didn't think the scale was right for it in some spots and in other cases I was concerned that the shell's contents might be harmed by critters or careless humans

So the shell ended up on the little cafe table on our south-side patio, out of the way of intense sun, critters, and the gardeners with their leaf blowers

 

That project led me to rehab two other small planters, both of which had lost their appeal in the two or more years since I'd originally planted them.  I didn't take any before shots but here are the completed containers:

The circle planter was filled with a small noID Aloe and cuttings of Crassula pubescens

I replanted this shallow ceramic container with cuttings of Aeonium 'Jack Catlin' (center), Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', noID orange-colored Aloe rosettes, and more Graptopetalum 'California Sunset'

Little projects like these can be so satisfying!  I'm already thinking about which of the other seashells I inherited with the garden might be transformed into succulent planters.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party