Succulents

What are succulents?

Succulents store water in their leaves, stems or roots to help them withstand the severe drought conditions of their native habitats. They also have other adaptations to reduce water loss through transpiration, such as hairy or waxy surfaces. Cacti have succulent stems too, but they are classed in a group of their own because of the way their spines are produced.

Echeverias

Don looked at a particularly attractive perennial group of succulents called echeverias. There are around 150 species of echeveria, plus an amazing number of hybrids. Most of them come from Mexico, but some members of the group range as far south as Peru. They are grown mostly for their very colourful, symmetrically shaped leaf rosettes, but they also produce arching stems of bell-shaped to cylindrical flowers. Some echeverias are low growing, others form multi-stemmed bushes to around 1 metre (3′) tall. The foliage may be plain green or highly coloured, often with contrasting or wavy leaf margins. Echeverias are hardy, low maintenance plants, and they’re easy to grow anywhere in Australia.

In our segment landscape designer Matthew Snowden demonstrated how to put together a fantastic arrangement of echeverias. The first step is to fill a pot with a soil mix suitable for succulents – we suggest two parts potting mix to one part washed river sand. Next, choose a plant to go in the centre, and then choose plants to harmonise with the centrepiece. Matthew chose a grey/green, silvery/green, silvery/mauve colour scheme, but there are hundreds of possible combinations to try, and they are limited only by the gardener’s imagination.

Care of echeverias

Echeverias will take full sun through to about half shade. Whether they’re grown in pots or in the ground, they need good drainage. They don’t like too much fertiliser, and they sometimes require protection from snails and slugs.

Getting started

You’ll find a good range of echeverias and other succulents at the following nurseries:

NSW
Sydney Plant Market
Annangrove, NSW
https://sydneyplantmarket.com.au/

Cactus Vision
Tempe NSW
https://www.cactusvision.com.au/

Valley View Nursery
19 Bay Road
Arcadia
Phone: (02) 9655 1550

The Succulent Corner,
Dulwich Hill

VIC
Collectors Corner at Garden World
Springvale Road
Keysborough
https://www.collectorscorner.com.au/cacti

Gill’s Nurseries
1 Centre Road
Brighton East
https://gillsnursery.com.au/

SA

Greenland Garden
MacDonald Park,SA
https://succulent2018.com.au/

The Conservatory
80 Unley Road
Unley
Phone: (08) 8272 9657

WA

Bloomin Good succulents
Wanneroo WA

Andrew’s Succulents and Garden Centre
Mariginiup, WA
https://www.facebook.com/Andrewssucculents1/

Fraser Giftware and Garden Centre
Cnr Fraser and Comrie Roads
Canningvale
Phone: (08) 9455 1174

TAS

Woodbridge Nursery,
Woodbridge, TAS
https://www.woodbridgenursery.com.au/

Chandlers Nursery
75 Queen Street
Sandy Bay
Phone: (03) 6223 5688