Description
Echeveria elegans is a tight, rosette-forming, gray-leafed succulent which freely offsets to form a dense small mound or ground cover up to 20 cm tall and spreading up to 30 cm.
Silvery rosettes are crowned by arching stems in winter and spring, each with a bright pink lantern shaped flower, tipped in yellow.
Originating from Mexico, this short stemmed clump-forming succulent forms beautiful rosettes of silver-blue spoon-shaped leaves, often with pink to rose-red margins. At certain times of the year, but especially in winter when it is colder, and if the soil is on the dry side; the entire plant will take on a darker pink and grey hue. Anytime from late winter, spring or summer clusters of attractive pink flowers with yellow tips appear on wiry flower spikes.
The rock rose looks good all year round, is water-wise, virtually maintenance free, and wonderfully adaptable. It can be used in many interesting and creative ways in gardens of all styles and sizes. It makes a lovely ground cover or edging plant and is often used in Victorian knot gardens, as well as in modern and rock gardens. It grows easily in containers of all shapes and sizes and is wonderful in hanging baskets if planted on its own, or mixed with other plants.
It freely produces offsets to form a dense small mound or ground cover +-10cm tall, but the flower stems can reach up to 20cm tall. It will spread continually and mature clumps can spread up to 1m in diameter. It is hardy to moderate frost and thrives in full sun or semi-shade; in too much shade the plants will become leggy and the leaf colouring dull. The rock rose will tolerate almost any garden soil which drains well, including extremely acid as well as alkaline soils. It is adapted to clay loam, loam, loamy sand, sand, sandy clay, sandy clay loam and sandy loam soils.
Although it is drought hardy, it can be watered together with your other garden plants with no adverse affects, as long as the soil drains well; an occasional watering during dry periods will keep it looking at its best. It is not really necessary to feed if the soil is fertile, and over feeding can damage the plants; an annual dressing of compost should suffice. Every couple of years, large clumps can become untidy looking and should be lifted and divided to maintain vigorous growth. Plants are propagated from offshoots which strike roots readily.
