Succulent Patch Rehab

  A mass of Graptoveria 'Fred Ives', a  little past its prime

Succulents grow vigorously here and some types offset generously.  They've proven to be great no-cost edging plants in areas where the dryness and heat is not too extreme.  

Even under roses!  The edge of this bed is very dry, but when shaded much of the day by the roses the succulents perform very well.
 However, eventually the beauty declines as the plants grow and bare stems appear.
 While minor touch-up works for a while, eventually it is time to bite the bullet and do a complete rehab.  "Complete" means pulling out everything and replanting afresh.

First, I cut off the largest, healthiest rosettes from their bare stems and set them aside.
 Smaller rosettes set aside in a different space. 
 A whole lot of them!  I may leave them out on the curb with a "Free Plants!" sign.  With our Covid-19 stay-at-home order from the Governor, some people may do a little gardening to stay busy. 
 The next task is pulling out what is left:  bare stems and shallow root systems.  The easy part is that most small succulent plants have minimal root systems barely below ground.  The hard part is the weight and bulk of the stems. 
The ground was surprisingly moist.  We've had good rain in March.
And, finally, refreshed.  I cleared the Dymondia ground cover away from the edging, and patched it a bit also, though at this time of year it will grow back quite fast. 
 Refreshing a succulent patch can be a lot of work.  No wonder I put it off so long.  Looks tidy again, though, and it will look good for two or three years more.  

Hmm...I should really re-do those Aloe brevifolias also...but...not right away. 

Comments

  1. If only we could grow succulents year round in the garden here! With the conservatory most of mine survive the winter, Wouldn't it be great if your offers of plants 'seeded' new gardeners.

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    1. Everyone can grow something someone else can't, right? I dream of herbaceous peonies and hostas and dwarf conifers...

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  2. Looks like you got that tricky bit of succulents tamed with the snipping, digging and resetting of the rosettes. It appears that you will have plenty of them to share. Lucky neighbors.

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    1. Now I'm wondering if people will not touch them because they fear contamination. Everything is a bit out of whack these days!

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  3. I love Fred. He is so east to propagate. I have many iterations of him from leaf babies to big mature plants that should be probably be whacked back and restarted. I like the look of how you edged your garden with his rosettes. You must be feeling good about all those niggling tasks you are getting done.

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    1. 'Fred' is adorable. The variety of leaf colors he offers is coral, tangerine, olive, lavender, grey, purple, pink, aqua.

      I feel like I'm starting to catch up on a lot of things. Weird!!!

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  4. Tidy indeed! 'Fred Ives' is one of my favorite succulents but they're not as prolific here as in your garden. I hope your arm is steadily improving.

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    1. Thanks, it's continuing to improve, (much less pain!!) though still doing a lot of gardening with the other one only.

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  5. I thought it looked fine before, but you were right, it looks so much better afterwards, and hasn't even grown in yet.
    The overwintered succulents here have been disappointing, even after a massive repotting last year, and I think it's all the exposed stems. Guess what I'll be doing this afternoon!

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    1. Good time to do it, too. Enjoy!

      PS having trouble seeing your blog. Could be my tracking blocker or ad blocker. Will try different things.

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    2. haha, you're not missing much! I don't even know how it's connected if at all, it's just easier for me to comment via google. "Sorta Like Suburbia" is the blog.
      It's still cold here and things are slow so I appreciate news from warmer climes.

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    3. Hey, it' a good one! Your plant selection and winter is so different from here, it's "armchair traveling" for me.

      It seems to have been the tracking blocker that was messing with the formatting. Now I know.

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  6. The Fred cuttings you have me a few years ago have exploded and I've started to spread them around. I love having a piece of your garden in mine!

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    1. Likewise for the plants you kindly gave me. It's fun having plants from many fellow bloggers.

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