Buddy Garden » Succulents

Hens and chicks and flowers

BuddyGarden — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:16:13 +0000

This is a hardy Sempervivum perennial which can be left outside in zone 6 area. It's been through snowstorm and hot & humid weather. It is extremely hardy and look what it rewards me this year. The flowers are not super pretty but I was surprised to it bloom. The other two are succulents I added this year and they are also easy to maintain. Just make sure they're in full sun, and just water a little bit when it's dry.

Night blooming cereus frostbite

BuddyGarden — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:01:13 +0000

This is my beloved night-blooming cereus. It's currently in a bad shape because I left it in the cold too long. I think I moved it indoors at the end of October and the sudden drop in temperature caused most of the leaves to turn brown. Also the rainy weather in spring didn't help much and it didn't have a good start. It didn't have the perfect conditions to bloom like last year. Last year I had 7 beautiful blooms in one night and every time it booms it's an event. The blooms usually last for one night and the the flowers give off this heavenly scent that fills the whole deck. Check out the time elapsed video here, it really does open before your eyes, it's an amazing plant, don't let its look fool you!

After some serious deadheading, it doesn't look too bad! Please don't die on me!

Some cuttings for my colleague who happens to love gardening.

Century Plant (Agave americana)

BuddyGarden — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:22:44 +0000

Gardeners from the west coast are used to seeing the Century plant, I've heard of this interesting plant but never seen it in real life. In my recent trip to Arizona, I saw many of them in bloom and it's one of the most interesting plant I've seen. Here are some interesting facts about this plant.

Century plant only blooms once in its lifetime, which is about 30 years. When it blooms, the stalk grows 5-6 inches a day. You can literally stand in front of the plant and watch it grow! Its flower stalk can reach 40 feet up in the air. The century plant uses all its energy to produce this once-in-its-lifetime bloom, and after it finishes blooming it dies. Another interesting fact about this plant is it provides native Americans a source of food, soap, fiber, medicine and weapons.

Close-up of the flowers:

Here's a century plant in Sedona, AZ:

Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden

BuddyGarden — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:11:16 +0000

Just came back from a fabulous trip to Arizona visiting Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sedona. I read many good reviews about the Desert Botanical Garden and was looking forward to it. It totally exceeded my expectation because it's not the normal botanical garden I'm used to in East Coast. It was eye opening and I learnt a lot of things about succulents.

The daytime temperature was in the nineties but I didn't think it was unbearable probably because it's desert heat, it's different from NY summers. I'll be posting pictures here on my blog and in my flickr in the next few weeks. So stay tune!

Look at all the cactus for sale!

Beautiful Chihuly glass display in the background.

The Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)

BuddyGarden — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:16:28 +0000

I read an interesting article about The Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora), it's one of the most low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants. I'm all ears about any plants that satisfies those two conditions. This is the first year I've tried growing the Moss Rose from seed. It's not really a rose but it's a succulent covered with bright flowers in shades of bright yellow, red, and white. You can plant them on the hottest part of your yard and they only need to be watered occasionally after it's established or if there are signs of wilt.

It's very easy to sow the seeds outside, just make sure you don't cover it completely with soil because they need light to germinate. I just sprinkle it on top of the soil and lightly press the surface so the seeds won't get blown away.

Seedlings

BuddyGarden — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:00:16 +0000

Thanks to the rain I finally have some seedlings! I planted them just a couple of weeks ago. It's been raining for three days straight and suppose to last until the end of the week. I don't mind the rain at all, I think it's mother nature's reward to all gardeners. Sometimes the best time to take pictures is when the sky is overcast.

Nasturtium - Cherry Rose and Alaska

Thyme - Pink Creeping

Scallions

Braunii Hens & Chicks

This is not really a seedling but I thought it looked really pretty with the raindrops.

Plants shopping

BuddyGarden — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:00:40 +0000

I found these hardy succulents today, they can tolerate a zone 6 winter and doesn't require much water, all it needs is sun! I love low-maintenance drought tolerant plants, they are so easy to take care of.

First one is a Red Beauty Hens & chicks (Sempervivum 'Red Beauty'). Here are some information on the plant tag:

Medium sized and fairly open rosettes of gray-green leaves with blood red tips. The color of red will vary from season to season. Blooms midsummer. Ideal for the cracks in rock gardens or along a wall.

Height: 3-4", Hardeness zone: 3 (Zone 3!!).

Second one is Braunii Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum 'Branuii'). Here's what it says on the plant tag:

Small, dark green leaves from tight button-shaped rosetes. Sharply pointed and occasionally flushed red depending on the season. Stalks of yellow flowers appear in midsummer.

Height: 3-4", Hardeness zone: 3.

I wanted a climbing plant this year, after looking at a few options I narrowed down to Mandevilla. I don't know how much success I'll have because it might need more than once a day watering in the hot summers.

Indoor succulents container

BuddyGarden — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:00:39 +0000

Gardening season is coming to an end but it doesn't mean my passion for gardening is coming to a halt. To my surprise, BJ's was selling indoors succulent and cacti containers! These succulents prefer low light, low moisture indoor environment. This will be something that will hold me until the next gardening season starts again!

Articles about succulents

BuddyGarden — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:06:02 +0000

Here are some interesting articles I read about succulents. Succulents and cactus are becoming more popular!

Five tips for gardening with succulents
Succulent suggestions abound in beautiful book
Cactus and succulent container gardens
Creating cactus garden dioramas in containers

Anna Goeser of Pot-ted creates adorable succulents container arrangments with miniature cactuses, succulents, rocks, glass, and toys. Also check out the containers on Pot-ted's site, they're unique and some of them are affordable.

New succulents

BuddyGarden — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:00:51 +0000

Went to Home Depot today to grab some stuff and saw they were selling a bunch of succulents including cactis. I bought my first sedum and really got into it because they're easy to maintain and does not seem to attract too many insects. August has been a busy month for me and it's tough to keep up with watering, the sedum has been growing exceptionally well despite the neglect. Fern from Life on the Balcony has gorgoeus succulents arrangments.

These plants weren't labeled so I don't know what they're called. Do you know the names of them? Any tips you can share regarding succulents care will be greatly appreciated!