Sunday Selections # 227

Welcome back to Sunday Selections!

This once-a- week-meme was originally begun by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, as a way to showcase some of the many photos we all take, but don't get around to showing on our blogs.

The rules are very simple:-

1. post photos of your choice, old or new, under the Sunday Selections title

2. link back to me, River, somewhere in your post

3. leave me a comment so that I know you've joined in and can come over and see what you've posted.

4. hop on over to The Elephant’s Child to see more of her wonderful photos.

  Andrew often joins in too.

I usually go with a theme for my Sunday Selections and this week my theme is:

succulents

I haven't had much luck with growing flowers in my little patch, it faces north and west and has no shade in the summer, so it is too hot in spring, unless I am standing out there every single evening watering with the hose. Until it gets too hot in summer, when early morning is the better watering time. 

So I have decided to try succulents in a variety of types. I already know they will survive better than flowers because the Jades, aka Crassulas, are doing very well.

I went to my favourite hardware and garden store today, (Bunnings) intending to buy just one or two plants to get me started. 

Ha.

Ha Ha.

this is what I came home with:

next week's grocery allowance.  I mean... a variety of succulent plants for my new garden plan.

Here are a few individual shots:

Aeonium black rose. these can grow as tall as 90cm

Aeonium blushing beauty, this one can/will develop a pink blush on the leaf edges; and already has two small branches which I can break off and start new plants with.

I always thought this was one of the Sedum varieties, but the library book tells me it is Crassula Hobbit, also known as C. Gollum or C. Green Coral.

a fancy leafed Echeveria. This one will do better in a pot which can be moved to shelter when the winter gets too wet and windy. I have just the right pot already waiting on my front porch.

another Echeveria with the fancy leafed one in the background

Aeonium black prince. It looks a lot like the black rose in the first image, but doesn't grow as tall or as loose.

three miniature Echeverias; these will eventually grow into mounds of small rosettes, like in the label picture.

Sedum gold mound, a very small leafed variety which becomes a ground covering mound, not too large.
In the background there, Sedum jelly beans.

a better look at the Sedum jelly beans. These come in other colours as well. I bought two of these, I can grow new plants just from a leaf, I plan to have a whole row of them, probably in front of the big jades. A few of the blues, a few greens, a yellow or two, interspersed with a miniature in a red/orange colour, which I got from neighbour K.

another miniature Sedum groundcover, even smaller leafed than the gold mound, with a flatter, wider growth habit. I'll get another couple of each before I start planting and put them in a checkerboard configuration. 

Senecio mandraliscae, also called blue chalk sticks, doesn't grow much taller than it is now, but will spread quite widely. It already has a second branch growing off the side, so straight away I have two for planting.
I have a few other cuttings from neighbour K as well, but I forgot to photograph those. K also told me about another neighbour who has a tiny backyard (lucky girl) filled with assorted succulents, and suggested I might like to go over and introduce myself, perhaps get more cuttings. I'll do that for sure.