Succulents and More™

It’s hard to believe November is almost over. We’ve had dry, warm days (low 60s) and nights in the high 30s or above. That’s going to change, with a major system on the way. It’s supposed to bring rain (almost an inch on Thursday) and night-time lows at or even below freezing. I will have to move some sensitive plants onto the front porch to keep them out of the elements! In the meantime, here are some garden highlights from November when frost was just an abstract five-letter word: The light has been lovely, soft and warm. I love how it illuminates the entrance to our front garden. This  Pachypodium geayi  is one of my newest purchases. It’s almost 6 ft. tall. It’ll have to be moved under cover to protect it from the rain and freezing temperatures. Pachypodium geayi  (left) and other potted favorites like  Ferocactus histrix  and  Hechtia lanata The flower stalk on Agave bovicornuta has been in a state of arrested development. I think it will do what Agav...

My previous post on Hechtia lanata raised a common question: how do hechtias differ from dyckias? Both are terrestrial bromeliads (like pineapples), both form rosettes of remarkable beauty, often in large clusters, and both are fiercely armed with barbed teeth along the leaf margins. Visually, they’re difficult to distinguish, as the following example demonstrates: Dyckia delicata (left), Hechtia argentea (right) Some more juxtapositions of hechtias and dyckias to highlight their similarities in terms of general appearance: ↷   Hechtia ‘Wildfire’ vs. Dyckia ‘Arizona’ × ‘Brittlestar’ F2 Hechtia ‘Wildfire’ ( H. texensis × stenopetala ) Dyckia ‘Arizona’ × ‘Brittlestar’ F2 ↷   Hechtia ‘Aztec Sun’ vs. Dyckia ‘Tibor’ Hechtia ‘Aztec Sun’ Dyckia ‘Tibor’ ↷   Hechtia fosteriana vs. Dyckia pulquinensis Hechtia fosteriana Dyckia pulquinensis ↷   Hechtia lanata vs. Dyckia platyphylla Hechtia lanata (smooth-leaved form) Dyckia platyphylla (photo from dyckiabrazil.blogsp...