Cacti and Succulents

Aeonium arboreum “Schwarzkopf Black Rose” Succulent is a Latin word meaning juicy, and is descriptive of many plants and plant families that store water in their leaves, stems and roots. Succulents can survive long periods of drought, even to a year, with this storage capacity. Aeoniums have handsome rosettes of fleshy leaves, one of which bears a spectacular terminal holding …

This holiday cactus was giving to us a few years ago by Marie’s sister Michelle. Holiday cactus can be grown outdoors in Sunnyvale. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) and Thanksgiving cactus are popular, fall- and winter-flowering houseplants native to Brazil, and are available in a wide variety of colors including red, rose, purple, lavender, peach, orange, cream, and white. These Schlumbergera …

Climbing Aloe (Aloiampelos ciliaris) is a fast-growing succulent from the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It’s named “ciliaris” due to the white, hair-like teeth appearing around the edges of the leaves and stems. Aloiampelos ciliaris belongs to the aloiampelos genus, which includes six other species of climbing aloe plants. Aloe ciliaris plants are part of the Asphodelaceae family. Aloiampelos Ciliaris …

New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2020 are Hen-and-chicks (Sempervivum tectorum ‘greenii’). This succulent forms a mat of rosettes, each 4″ across and only 2″ tall, in a lovely shade of blue-gray with each leaf tipped in deep red. Our plant was purchased from Annie’s Annual in Richmond. Older rosettes produce short stems of pink, narrow-petalled blossoms and then die, …

Sedum clavatum is an attractive succulent in the Pachysedum group that grows with stout creeping stems terminating in 4 inch wide rosettes of glaucus blue-green succulent leaves and has a compact inflorescence of many pink bell-shaped flowers in mid to late spring (April – May in Sunnyvale) to early summer that take a pink hue with age. The stems lose …

New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019 is Sedum hernandezii, native to Puebla, Mexico. Sedum hernandezii is one of the “Jellybean” sedums so named for their exceedingly plump and colorful jellybean shaped leaves . Large, star-shaped yellow flowers appear in winter and spring. A very low grower, this sedum does well as a potted specimen, great for dish gardens, windowsills, …

New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019… Echeveria derenbergii is an evergreen perennial succulent with a basal rosette of pagoda-shaped, frosted, fleshy leaves colored silvery-blue with bristly tips. In winter it bears clusters of bell-shaped yellow flowers with red tips . Echeveria aggressively offsets from a young age, forming clusters quickly. Short arching racemes of golden-yellow flowers with red tips …

Cotyledon is a genus of 10 species of perennial shrubby leaf and stem succulents with numerous varieties and cultivars. Mostly from Southern Africa, they also occur throughout the drier parts of Africa as far north as the Arabian peninsula. This particular cotyledon is growing in a succulent sampler pot only 4 inches deep. Members of the genus are shrublets, generally …

Looking for a drought tolerant but lovely flower to fill in a troublesome dry area in your Sunnyvale garden? You may want to try planting ice plants. Ice plant flowers add a bright splash of color to the drier parts of your garden and ice plant care is easy. Ice plant (Delosperma) is a succulent, perennial ground cover with daisy-like …

Our barrel cactus is flowering! Our barrel cactus in Sunnyvale is 30 years old. It now measures 14 inches wide by 11 inches tall. It started in a 4-inch pot. Echinocactus grusonii, popularly known as the Golden Barrel Cactus is a well known species of cactus, and is endemic to east-central Mexico. The plants do have some basic requirements; an …