Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Spring's other colours


I know I did a post only recently about one succulent's lovely colours at this time of year (Senecio jacobensii), but I think the topic is worth another quick visit just because everything in the succulent patch is celebrating spring through colour.

Crassula 'Campfire' looks like it was made for the lolly shop.

I love a good "black", especially when it's not
really black but just a very dark shade of another
colour, so dark that in low light it looks black.
Yet in the bright afternoon sunshine Aeonium
'Schwartzkopf' reveals itself to be the product
of a very fine winery specialising in shiraz.

First prize for good, obvious names goes to the
person who decided that this cultivar of
Kalanchoe orygalis should be called 'Copper
Spoons'. This living rust never sleeps.

The marketing people have called Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, with
its big, red-rimmed leaves 'Flapjacks' but that name has never
particularly appealed to me. I prefer lipstick hippos.
Last, and probably least, in this colourful company is this
little green-leafed sedum with the red tips, whose small clusters
of daisy flowers is a cheerful sight this morning. 
As we move into the second year of our new succulent garden, with the plants all liberated from their pots and now living in sandy soil, I can't help but think that this is something that I should have done years ago. You can't undo the past, so I am simply glad that I have now done it, as almost every plant here is much happier. And the language that they speak is colour.


4 comments:

Haleh said...

These are just lovely Jamie. I have preped a square bit in my back garden (which used to be a big cracked concrete slate, now gone!) specially for planting these colourful succulents in. I think if you get the colour contrast right these can be stunning next to each other.

Jamie said...

Hope it goes well Haleh. My succulent patch is about 1.5m x 1.5m, so you don't need much space to grow a lot of nice ones together.

dirtgirl said...

So lovely to see pics of succulents. I have just arrived back from housesitting in Qld and my garden has gone crazy, particularly the 2 huge containers of succulents I planted up before I left.
I also have 4 upside down pots full of succulents hanging from the trees in my rear garden, as well as a ball container that I planted up over 2 yrs ago This does need redoing though as the birds have pinched all the coir for their nests!!
Go the succulents I say... I love them!

Kate Fernyhough said...

I love reading your blog and went and bought a succulent today after seeing these photos! I'm in Darwin and have been searching for a tropical gardening blog, if you know of one please let me know!!
Best wishes