Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Succulent Love - Echeveria elegans



Last week I was visiting my dad and was pleased at how the succulent pots I made him for Father's Day were doing.  I became especially intrigued by the flower above.  I believe it is Echeveria elegans and you can see the base of the plant in the left photo below (it is the blueish, pointy lotus-looking one).  The flower stalks were so long it was difficult to get the whole plant in one photo.

I love how the repetitive leaves and spent flowers look like the scales along a dragon's spine.  And the color combination of the dusty blue-greens and pinks with the orange interior is striking in the most lovely, soft way. 


As you can see above I made two pots.  I originally thought I would put all the plants in one but I ran out of room and ended up planting the Echeveria in a strawberry pot with the head of St. Francis.  St. Francis came back with me from a trip to Santa Fe one year and he must have worked his magic on the Echeveria plant because it produced two beautiful, long stalks with blooms.


I don't know the name of the plant below but I almost called this post, "Succulent Ombre" because of the gorgeous color gradations.  This plant was quite stunning also because it was about the size of a dinner plate.  If you know what it is please let me know in the comments.



The plant below was not the mother of these flower but I just couldn't resist including it. 


Below you can get a sense of how long the stalk was.  I would guess it was about two feet long.  Each individual flower was only about the size of a fingernail.




Each blog post I struggle to describe my delight with these small finds in a different way.  I found this quote and thought it was perfect:

"One way can be learned by starting to see the magic in everything. Sometimes it seems to be hiding but it is always there. The more we can see the magic in one thing, a tiny flower, a mango, someone we love, then the more we are able to see the magic in everything and in everyone. Where does the mango stop and the sky begin?" - Joshua Kadison


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