As promised in last month's post, here are the pictures of my blooming succulents! Most succulents flower in the spring or summer, but because these guys have been under grow lights, they feel ready right now. I always get excited when I see a flower start to grow, especially if it's on a plant that I haven't seen bloom before. This winter, I decided to take pictures of my succulents every few days in order to track their progress. The end result is an animation where you can see the plant grow and flower in a matter of seconds! This first plant is a Haworthia, specifically Haworthia retusa. As is typical in Haworthias, it grew small white flowers on a long stalk. As you can see, the stalk grew so tall that I kept having to zoom out to keep it in the picture! It also grew quickly, as these pictures were taken over about a two week period. Compared with some of the other flowers, these blooms seem a little boring. Sometimes I just want to say, "Really? You grew a giant stalk for that?" But, I still have an appreciation for these flowers, tiny as they are. Next is one of my favorite succulents, Echeveria colorata. I love the magenta tips of this plant, and was pleasantly surprised to see the tiny leaves on the stalk follow the same pattern! I was treated again when the pink, bell shaped flowers opened up to reveal a yellow inside! This plant took longer to flower than the Haworthia, especially in the beginning stages. But, it was definitely worth the wait, and I was sad to see flowers start to shrivel. However, the other day I noticed that a new stalk was starting to grow. Yay! In addition to several succulents, I also had one of my cacti flower! Cactus flowers are special because the usual only stay open for a day or two. This cactus grew several flowers, which opened in different rounds. So, because of their short life I wasn't able to get a picture where they were all flowering at once. But, I did get several good ones. The last one in the sequence is my favorite! Here's another Echeveria, but this one grew two flower stalks! I thought it was interesting how the flowers seemed to "unroll" from the stalk in a neat line. I also like the bright yellow, which is so different from the rest of the plant. I actually didn't realize this echeveria was flowering until it was already well into the process! Even so, I managed to get some good photos. I particularly like the way the flowers are arranged at the beginning or the sequence, with one bigger one in the center and smaller blooms around it. As the flower stalk grows, they start to spread out and lose their formation. But, in exchange, we get some vivid red and yellow blooms! This last echeveria took a very long time to flower. I started taking pictures at about the same time as the Haworthia. But, while that flower stalk grew rapidly, this one hardly seemed to change at all! In the animation it seems quick, but that is only because I cut out many pictures. And, because this plant grew so slowly, I wasn't able to get photos of the actual flowers for this post. Instead, the last picture looks a little like the beginning pictures of the two-stalk echeveria, where the flower buds are lined up, waiting to bloom. I suppose that it will have to be a bit of a cliff-hanger. If any of you have flowering succulents, I would love to hear about it and see a picture! You can email me at [email protected] or comment on this post.
I hope that you enjoyed these animations!
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Common Name: Perle von Nurnberg, Duchess of Nuremberg Scientific Name: Echeveria ‘Perle von Nürnberg’
Common Problems: Even more than most succulents, Perle von Nurnberg can easily die from root rot (caused by over-watering). Overly damp soil can also cause fungus. In both of these cases, the leaves will fall off the plant and the stem will be soft or even mushy. To avoid this, make sure that you are letting the soil dry completely between watering.
Megan’s Thoughts: I love the vibrant color of these echeverias, and use them often in my arrangements. In fact, I sometimes have to force myself not to add a Perle von Nurnberg, and instead try something else. If I didn’t, there’d probably be one in just about everything I made. Besides their color, I love how the curve and point of their leaves fits together to make a beautiful pattern. They do need a lot of light to be happy, but in my opinion, they’re worth it! |
Megan KamperHi! I am the creator of Thrive Living Art! I love to learn about how to help plants thrive, and then combine that knowledge with my creativity to make living art! On my blog, you'll learn more about taking care of succulents and other plants. You'll also find out what Thrive is up to, and where I'll be selling my art next! Buy your creation in person!Archives
December 2020
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