I was meaning to remove and tidy these pots of succulents over the weekend but some of them look like they are still alive...
All of them were excess spare plants that I had used for a summer display but instead of removing them in the autumn, I opted to keep them out as they would remain looking good until the first hard frosts and freezes hit them (or kill them rather), after which I could tidy them up. So far they have stayed good right until early December when we experienced temperatures that dipped down to -6C. Once they had defrosted the damage gradually became more visible.
So it was just a matter of taking the time to remove them at any point afterwards but when I saw that some are showing signs of survival, I opted to delay their removal until much later on to see which ones may actually sail through the winter. It's going to be my mini experiment.
Despite looking intact some of them are definitely dead like the Haworthia attenuata and Graptoveria, whilst the Kalanchoe tomentosa are neither intact nor alive, it is well and truly mushed. The Agave lophantha I was a little surprised with, although I wasn't expecting it to be that hardy, a relatively short cold snap has caused it so much damage.
As for the others: a very small Agave victoriae-reginae, alive but severely damaged; Agave scabra which only has a few marks; Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy' with the outer leaves mushed but the centre looks intact; and a supposedly Agave parryi var. truncata, the star performer of the lot and is very promising for despite its small size it looks virtually untouched by the cold weather.
The Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy' is one of the hardier echeverias around and we used to have a patch of it, thriving and spreading out on a sunny and gravelled part of our garden and was never given any extra protection during winter. Alas winter 2010-11 was a very harsh one and it was only then that they perished. So it wasn't much of a surprise that this one on the dish is still looking mostly fine. I just hope the temps don't get any colder than it has been this winter already.
For now I'm leaving them all as it is and will wait and see what they will be like come spring. All survivors will definitely be kept then, for they would have proven they are definitely worth keeping!
Mark :-)
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| Sole survivor....if this tiny cluster lives and sails through winter, it's definitely going to be saved (and re-rooted!) |
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| Haworthia attenuata, Graptoveria, and Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy' |
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| Agave parryi var. truncata, Agave victoriae-reginae, Kalachoe tomentosa |
Despite looking intact some of them are definitely dead like the Haworthia attenuata and Graptoveria, whilst the Kalanchoe tomentosa are neither intact nor alive, it is well and truly mushed. The Agave lophantha I was a little surprised with, although I wasn't expecting it to be that hardy, a relatively short cold snap has caused it so much damage.
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| Agave lophantha |
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| This tiny Agave parryi var. truncata is telling me something (that it's tougher than it looks and wants to stay..) |
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| Agave scabra |
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| Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy' |
Mark :-)
Very surprised to see that your Agave victoria-reginae suffered that much damage. It's supposed to be much hardier (-12°C or so). Ditto for Agave lophantha.
ReplyDeleteAt the other end of the spectrum, I'm happy that your Echeveria Topsy-Turvy is as *hardy* as it appears to be. I had thought it would be much more tender.
Hi Gerhard, probably more to do with its size, the AVR especially as its only a tiny one. If it were much bigger it probably would have fared better. As for the Topsy Turvy, hardiness is relative and on most winters we get away with it grown outside but it's not really truly hardy as such. I don't think there's any truly hardy echeverias at all, including E. rosea.
DeleteI can't seem to get the hang of Echeveria...maybe what they need is tougher love instead of the doting kind.
ReplyDeleteHi ricki, I think tougher love if you're going to plant it outside, a bit more pampering if they will remain in pots and put inside a heated greenhouse during winter :)
DeleteI love a good succulent experiment and this looks like a good one. Hope you'll update us later in the season!
ReplyDeleteHi Loree, it's only a tiny (and unplanned) experiment. I'm curious myself how it will turn out, especially with the A. parryi with it being so small yet looking fine still :)
DeleteI'm surprised by Topsy Turvy's survival but Agave parryi is very tough. What a fun experiment - Looking forward to the spring results.
ReplyDeleteTopsy Turvy can still be hit or miss, a nice bonus though if its a 'hit' :)
DeleteNatural selection in full swing. Can't help but feel sorry for the little beggars though. Dave
ReplyDeleteYes Dave, natural selection indeed :) I do wonder now if I should have just shoved everything under cover to start with but our succulent greenhouse is so full already.
DeleteI really like your Agaves. Here I do the Hens & Chicks and Sedums. The ground over Sedums always survive even in our freezing weather and all of these are evergreen which is a bonus for me. I never bought any of the Agaves but really like them. You have a great selection of them and I always admire them.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Thanks Cher! Sedums are handy for use in arid and gravel beds here too, they help enhance the 'desert' look yet are so hardy and tough :)
DeleteAlways a useful experiment and I wouldn't have expected the Agaves to have coped as well as they did.
ReplyDeleteHi Rosie, some Agaves are quite tough and has good degree of hardiness, like the Agave parryi :)
DeleteWill be interesting to see what comes through unscathed and any that do should be definite keepers. I grow very few tender plants but I am convinced that somewhere out there is something that I've forgotten to bring into the greenhouse or wrap up. Time will tell :)
ReplyDeleteSame case here Anna, every year we always end up leaving one or two plants outside that should have been kept indoors.....
DeleteIt's certainly a case of survival of the fittest.
ReplyDeleteDo they die because the juice in the succulents freezes into ice ?
Natural selection as Dave has said b-a-g :) yes and no with freezing of the succulents, some are fine and carry on as normal after defrosting, whilst tender succulent turn to mush once defrosted. Others are fine but may develop soft spots that are prone to catching fungal infection that can cause more damage than the cold itself.
DeleteAmazing how tough some plants can prove to be. Having seen the forecast for the weekend, I'm glad I don't have anything tender to worry about. Brrr...
ReplyDeleteHi Janet, hopefully the cold spell won't last any longer than this week, brrr indeed!
DeleteThese are some of the pictures i am so sad about in temperate countries! Just like those gardens in blogs which are so beautiful, and then eventually will die totally, i feel sad. But definitely, plants are adjudged tolerant to some conditions after repeatedly letting them succumb to these conditions. They can acclimatize and eventually, hopefully get tolerant or resistant!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea, some plants do take some damage in their first winter, especially if they have been imported from warmer climates then just newly planted. But consequent growth tend to be tougher and more resistant to winter damage :)
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