Front Succulent Beds

It's been a while, but that's another story for another day.  I have been going stir crazy not writing about my recent, or not so recent succulent happenings though. 

 

Since we brought Thing One and Thing Two, aka Charlie and Molly, home one and a half years ago, things have been a little stunted in the gardening area.

 

 

 

 

 

First, they decided that anything in the ground make for a great jungle like adventure and they took great joy in flatening anything taller than them in the back yard.  The potted things up on shelves survived until they realized that it was great fun knocking them over, tearing the contents apart and listening to Momma lecture.   By the way, the Kalachoe 'Chandelier Plant' has never truely recovered from this attack. 

Then came the greenhouse that had to be put behind a quickly put up fence after said puppies learned they could bust through and destroy relocate my plants and then make their escape. 

 

Keeping things behind the fence worked great all last summer. 

 

 

 

Then came the new greenhouse and a rather blustery Christmas Day and all that went to pot.  After having to spend the rest of the winter in the garage; thus kicking me and my car out of it, I decided enough was enough and put them all in the ground.  My friend Amy has her succulents in her back yard for the most part and they always do awesome during the summer.  I figured that since my front yard gets the same sun as her back yard that I'd just throw caution to the triple digit summers and give it a whirl.

 

And so the experiment begins.  Mixed in are some hibiscus that were either rescued from the crazy ants at the coast or added to my jungle from lack of self control.  While I was at it with the succulents, I decided to give these a chance to show off in the ground as well.

 

These next few photos were taken back in May when I was taking serious heat from my husband for junking up his gargae and the front yard.  

 

The bed above has one hibiscus on the left corner.  There is a Euphorbia 'Jacob's Ladder' and then is flanked by my newest hibiscus (at time of photo) that I absolutely adore.  I put the Kalanchoe 'Pinata' in a pot to add variety and keep it from taking over.  A Euphorbia 'Firestick' takes the middle spot of the bed and is loving it.  The Kalancho 'Fang' is one of my favs, next to that.  There are a mix of others including the Kalachoe 'Flapjack' and 'Fantastic' finishing off this side. 



Another angle of the left side.  I lost the Euphorbia a the far right side, so that is empty at the present moment.  I rescued a few pieces, and am hoping that they'll grow and I can put it back here when they get to a decent size.  My pig and red pots are loving their spots on the porch again.



The front porch has always been home to a number of my succulents, with a few additions this year.  The Epiphyllum strictim 'Queen of the Night' is loving her new home up here and has given me lots of pretty blooms this season. The varigated cactus is new this year to the front porch and is growing like a weed!

The bed to the right of the door is home to a number of my favorites.  Let's start with the Euphorbia 'Lady Slipper' that is in the pot at the left side of the bed.  I had her in the ground at one point, and had to rescue her from the puppies.  Since then, she's been in this pot and if her growth is any indication; loving her pot!  The back row is home to more Euphorbia's...'Pencil Stick', two that I don't know their fun names and the 'Red Bird Cactus'.  The hibiscus on the end is about at the end of my trial period and soon to be relocated.  There is a beautiful varigated 'Crown of Thorns' being hidden, so some rearranging is in order.  The Kalanchoe beharanis - both fuzzy and non-fuzzy cap off the ends of the second row.  Kalanchoe 'Silver Spoons and 'Bronze Spoons' are enjoying their new home as well. 

These weren't the best pictures due to the river rock that took the place of mulch thanks to the neighborhood cats, but they are growing and I will post new pictures later.  The back row is shocking as to how fast it filled in. 

The next group is just an update on the front tree succulents that I planted last year.  They survived the winter and have also done great over the summer this year.  I lost a few things, but for the most part, what you see is part of the original planting from this original post and this updated post.  I did add some things when I did the beds above as well to try and get everything I could in ground. 

 

I should have put a warnig that this one was going to be long, but hey...if you got to this point of the post, you are probably as crazy for succulents as I am!!  If that's not the case, thanks for hanging in there!

Happy Planting!
Mandy

New Huerrnia - Huernia Procumbens

While it's only been a few months since I have been on a succulent hunt, it has felt like forever.  A few weekends ago, my friend and I stayed home from the coast and went on a hunt.  As usual, Shades of Green had several things that we couldn't go home without.  One of them was this cool little Huernia.  I was really excited that she had a bloom on her so I didn't have to think about the possibility of me having it already. 

Is this not darling!!

She has the raised middle like the Huernia Zebrina/Confusa 'Lifesaver', but her petals go straight back.  Below is the entire plant.  She's also a much lighter shade of green than my others. 

 

 

Of course, the piece with the bloom on it fell off on the ride home, so Amy's got it rooting across the street.  I'm looking forward to many more cool little blooms from her. 

I'm off to search out her name...  That didn't take long.  I no sooner posted this that I found it, Huernia Procumbens.

Mandy

Epiphyllum 'Curly Locks'

Recently I relized that I'd been missing the blooms on my Epiphyllum guatemalense 'Curly Locks', but was excited to see a ball that got pinker each day.  After a bit of Googling, I discovered that it was a seed pod. 

I drug Amy, my neighborbor friend, out to the back to participate in the big event...the seed pod removal!

Next, I sliced it open, and was thrilled that it really did look like a kiwi fruit.

The pulp scooped right out with a spoon.

The pulp was really ooey gooey, and after trying to mush them up like the online instruction said, I ended up soaking them for week to separate them.

I planted them over two evenings...it took forever to put these tiny seeds on the dirt with tweezers.  They are already starting to sprout.  I did three sections the first night, and even since this picture they've grown more! The sections I planted just a few nights ago already have sprouts! I put three or four seeds in each section.  There were still a number of seeds left and those went in the green pot you can kind of see next to this thing. 

This is extremely exciting in my book!  Just think how many baby 'Curly Locks' this succlent momma could end up with if all goes well! 

A littel side note on the blooms, I would have seen the last one except the darn thing opened the last weekend that we went to the coast.  I thought about staying to see it, but didn't think my husband would have appreciated that.  I did notice yesterday though that I have two little blooms just starting again.  They only bloom at night and are just a one-nighter...you have to be quick to see these darlings! 

Happy planting!

Mandy

Mother of Millions: Kalanchoe daigremontiana

This continues to be one of my favorite succulents, no matter how much of a nuisance she can be.   A few weeks ago, I was giddy to see that she's got babies piggy backing on the first set of babies on a number of leaves! 

Of course I forgot to take a picture of the entire plant, but these are really cool enough don't you think!

Mandy

Succulent Birdhouse

After seeing another friend's succulent birdhouse, it was only natural that I needed one for myself as well.  It just so happened that my mother's birthday was coming up, so I ordered one for both of us.  Mine arrived a week ago and I adore it!!

I ordered them from The Succulent Perch.  You can find her on Facebook or email her at thesucculentperch@hotmail.com for a catalogue and order form.  They make a really nice gift and are definitely out of the norm.  She takes care to try and include succulents that do well in your area as well as will send detailed care instructions.  She also includes a list of what succulents are used in your birdhouse.  That was pretty smashing for someone like myself who loves details.

After getting a quick shower with the kitchen sink sprayer, mine perked up quite nice from the travel and is enjoying her spot on the kitchen table.  In the spring I'll move her outside, but for now she'll enjoy the light from the back window.  I'm looking forward to watching it fill in, and since succulents are good about doing that I shouldn't have to wait long!

Mandy

Protecting the Greenhouse

What you ask does the greenhouse need protected from?

From Thing One...

...and Thing Two

What did they do this time?  The heathens chewed off a window flap and the mesh window and then had a feast on my succulents. 

Their entrance is taped up now, but they snapped a few branches of my 'Red Bird' Cactus and the non-variegated Jacob's Ladder...they're really the same thing, but one's variegated and the other's not.

My Kalanchoe 'Fantastic' is minus a few babies that were growing at her base.  We won't discuss the nice fat leaves that got chopped.

This one made me the most irritated.  They were cuttings that a blogger friend sent me that were doing quite well until they got plucked and thrashed about!  I think I salvaged most of them, now to just wait and see. 

The didn't eat any of the Kalanchoe 'Pink Butterfly', but they did snap one of the branches in half.  This is my most finicky Kalanchoe and they really need to leave her alone!

There was more damage, but the pictures didn't come out like they should. 

They're coming very close to being strung up by their not so little necks if they don't knock it off!

I thought about what to do while out Christmas shopping with my oldest and decided on fencing it off.  A quick call to my friend who lives across the street and it was settled...we'd build a fence around it when we both got home. 

The trip to Home Depot proved to be less expensive that I'd originally thought and the guy that helped me was a great help in getting me exactly what I needed without any overkill.  I think he felt sorry for me when I explained what I was doing and why. 

My youngest helped me get the posts where we wanted them and then covered up the damaged window.  Needless to say, that window won't be getting opened.  We also have an issue with this awful post from the phone company next to the greenhouse.  They've been working on it and some nincompoop left a ton of exposed wires, one that the dogs helped cut in half, so I decided to just fence off the whole space.  Amy got home just as I was bringing the fencing back, and we got right to work.  She taught me how to use a post pusher inner...it's amazing how easy things work when you do them right!

The cinder blocks help hold the covering down so the wind doesn't pick them up.  It's also come in handy to to keep out heathens.  It's classy I know, but the upturned laundry basket is covering the electrical outlet post that is there for the pool and my heater.  If they don't see it, they're less likely to want it.  I can untie and fold back the fence to get in and out.  Thankfully I don't go out everyday unless it's cold and I have the heater or lamp on.  

This should keep the heathens out and keep me a little more sane!  I'm not so sure how happy my husband will be tomorrow when he gets home from the deer lease, but sometimes a girl's got to do what a girl's to do! 

 Everything is tucked back in and we should be able to keep it this way.

Mandy



Puppies in the Greenhouse

Saturday started off just a tiny bit stressful.  It was raining and so I only let the puppies out just to eat and do their business before putting them back in their kennel so I could go back to sleep.  They did incredibly well at that and I was able to get another two hours of sleep in.  About 9 a.m., I was putting the ornaments on the tree, looked out the back window and realized that the zipper door was up on the greenhouse.  Thinking that I knew I had shut it, I walked out and the closer I got I knew something was up.   It had stopped raining so they were of course running around sloshing around in the mud and water.  They both followed me into the greenhouse and that's when I lost it.  Somehow, these two terrors; gone were my little angels, unzipped the door and then busted through the mesh window.  I had left one window up for ventilation, and it was definitely letting air flow through at that point!

The trampled the Palmer Sedum and made it to the back of the crushing things that were in their way to their prize.  I've decided that certain succulents must put out more appealing smells because they bypassed a lot to get to the one in the back.  And out of that pot, they only dug up the one.

The Sanseveria's took a nice hit too.

Needless to say, I sprayed the Boundary stuff all around the greenhouse and put bricks at the bottom of the door's zippers to keep them out.  They got a pretty good tongue lashing too.  They're lucky that I didn't catch them doing it or they'd have been in bigger trouble.

It's gonna be a long winter!

Succulent Withdraws

It's been a while since I've shared any of my succulents, and I think I'm having withdrawals from the lack of sharing.  The first one isn't a succulent, and I really intended to share it before Halloween...better late than never.  I stumbled on these Candy Corn Vines back in October and thought they were so darling that I needed two.  I've got the one in the hanging basket in the backyard and the one growing up the trellis in the front. 

Candy Corn Vine

The flowers look like candy corn with their yellow tipped blooms.  Their botanical name is Manettia inflata and they originate in South America.  Another reason I picked up two was that I figured I could at lease keep one alive over the winter and make more in the spring since it promises to propagate easily.  The only thing that would make the plant better would be if the blooms were edible and tasted like their look-a-likes; yummy!!

This next one is one of my favorites, mostly because of her stinky, stinky bloom!  I'm not sure if I caught any flies in the open blooms with my camera, but they're generally not far from this stinker.

Stapelia gigantea

Stapelia gigantea

Did I say the previous one was my favorite?  Oops, this next one is always at the top of my list.  The mother plant died after blooming last winter, but a few of the babies that I didn't give away are growing steadily.  They didn't give me any new babies this year, but I'm sure they'll make up for that next year.

Kalanchoe Gastronis Bonnierfi 'Donkey Ears'

And another favorite.  I looked everywhere for this and then a blogger friend offered to send me some of hers.  What's crazy though, is as soon I got my package from Florida, I started seeing them in local nurseries.  Where were they the two years I searched high and low!  I've really got to move her to a new home for the winter this year.  Besides the fact that she's the only remaining plant in this planter due to Charlie's need to pounce and dig, she needs protection from the freezes that usually come on unexpectedly during the winter. 

Kalanchoe diagremontiana 'Mother of Millions'

My Huernia hystrix is still putting out the blooms.  I can't believe the amount of blooms that have been appearing, but you'll hear no complaining out of me!

Huernia hystrix

Huernia hystrix

Today, my friend, Amy, noticed this next bloom.  I have no idea what the plant is, but I absolutely    A-D-O-R-E it!!  It's a totally different bloom than anything else in my collection.  The tangerine color had me running for my camera.  If you know the name of it, please share.  I searched for a while tonight on the internet, but came up empty handed...help needed!!

Huernia confusa 'Lifesaver'

I stumbled on another Huernia that I didn't already have!!  Let me correct that, I had one coming in the mail, but I really didn't know if they were the same or not, and the more Huernias, the better!  The other varieties I have were in this post.  Now I know that this one is different than the one that I recently received in a swap, because that one is red and this one is brown. 

Meet Huernia confusa 'Lifesaver'...in brown!

The first picture was outside, but I couldn't get close enough with my camera since it's pouring down rain right now.  I threw on my rain jacket, tiptoed through the mud to bring it in for a better picture.  I adore the raised "lifesaver" in the middle.  

I think these are running a close race for my favorite next to my treasured Kalanchoes!