Postage : Seeds only $4 / Plants $20
A mid sized species forming a sphere of stiff, very blue, glaucous leaves, short and broad with prominent, red-black, sharks teeth around the margin and a wavy terminal spine.
Its globular form is a stunning counterpoint to modern architecture and coupled with an ironclad constitution and impressive armament it is an ideal candidate for municipal and commercial gardens, rooftops or in a pot on the deck. Otherwise plant a few in a sea of gravel with Freesia in your choice of colours for a cheap and stunning, irrigation free, permanent lawn substitute.
Doesn't run, pups are borne clustered around the base and if left attached form attractive clumps. I would expect it to be cold hardy in 99% of Australian gardens.
Flowers are limey green and in clusters on a giant asparagus like stalk, more graceful than some of the larger species but less grand.
A fast growing, sensationally hardy garden sculpture, also useful as a source of low grade fibre for ropes and twine around the home. The single three metre wide symmetrical rosette of stiffly held, sword-like, green, leathery leaves produces, in maturity (typically 3-5 years), a towering seven metre tall many branched flower spike that bears hundreds of pendant, greenish-cream, goblet-like flowers followed by plump bulbils that are easily detached and replanted for large scale greenscaping. As it is monocarpic (it dies after flowering) it can be useful for temporary fill or scale while more permanent plants are still growing or else replace it with one of its progeny for greater dynamics.
All the glory of a large Agave without the time commitment, sans spines and suckering.
From South America and the Caribbean and looking equally at home in xeric, mediterranean or tropical styled gardens. Unkillable in any soil that receives at least a few drinks a year. Tolerant of light frosts. Survives shade and/or copious water but will be prone to toppling when in flower.
A pitiful pot subject unless it can get its roots in the ground.
A lovely low growing hybrid between P. cortusifolium and P. echinatum bearing small clusters of sugary pink flowers, each petal of which bears a small dark blotch, over a long period from mid winter until it eventually sheds its silvery, lobed leaves with the onset of summer heat. Does very well in a large pot where its cushion of bare, succulent, spiny looking stems can be shown off to best effect during summer dormancy, when it should be watered sparingly or if established in a sharply drained spot in the garden, not at all.
Elsewhere it might be a delicate hothouse flower, oh so desirable, here it is just another hardy garden plant well suited to a life on the road verge. Our favourable climate at work.
Highly recommended.
An old garden relic (no trendy cultivar name here) with large, green centred, burgundy rosettes of succulent, spoon shaped leaves, developing into a thick stemmed shrub in just a few years. Fat, fluffy cones of tiny sulphur flowers are borne in spring when mature, often exhausting the plant but any non-flowering rosettes are easily broken off and replanted so sit back and enjoy the show.
Winter growing and summer drought loving, as expected from a Canary Island plant, and as with most of the genus too much moisture and shade leads to rapid and unsustainable growth, though some protection from midday summer sun may be needed. Give it a well drained limestone cliff, or even some well drained soil, sans irrigation, and you will have a gorgeous and long lived garden plant.
Barely frost tolerant.
A quick growing variety, small enough for a large pot but large enough to make a statement, with a stiff almost harsh demeanour, useful for stark architectural style or high contrast with softer forms, especially so in groups.
Sparse, slightly taller than spherical rosettes of very rigid, long, tapering, glaucous green leaves, generously edged with cream variegation, short, dark, marginal teeth and terminating in a short black spine.
Spreads moderately by underground stolons and such colonies are particularly attractive but need appropriate space.
Individual rosettes produce after many (10+) years a spectacular tree like inflorescence, the remains of which are often used in floral art, bearing thousands of erect, yellow green, tubular flowers, in tight clusters, which are much loved by nectar feeding birds and insects, and then rapidly decline and die to be succeeded by younger offsets or bulbils.
A quite distinct form with wavy, glaucous leaves and more sedate growth than most, forming a squat, fat stemmed shrub that becomes increasingly attractive with age. A succulent bonsai perfect that funky pot. From the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Seems shy to flower, I don't ever recall seeing it, expect clusters of pale pink stars reminiscent of Daphne.
Very easily grown in any well drained soil with some protection from midday summer sun, frost and with an occasional watering.
The succulent alternative to Babies tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) without the same need for constant moisture and high humidity. This variegated form creates a dense, ground hugging mat of trailing stems clad in grey-green and white leaves margined in dark red. Small cluster of white flowers are produced in spring adding to its pale effect.
Very useful topping around larger potted plants or as a not too vigorous companion for bonsai.
As with many succulents it is not tolerant of drought or much sun in our summers, gardeners in more humid environs could expect otherwise, but short dry spells are likely beneficial to growth and it is easy and relatively fast.