Hello and welcome to this Six on Saturday.
The nights have been drawing in to fast and of course days are becoming shorter and like with many people I struggle at this time of the year. Indeed it manifested yesterday when I had to take a day off work yesterday due to exhaustion which coincided with Thursdays world mental health day. All is not doom and gloom though because I now have a mechanism to get out of this and a huge part of that is gardening, plants, my family and friends. So to lift by self up I have decided to write about my favourite thing succulents.
I am writing this blog on a Saturday morning which is something I don’t usually do because I usually start it on a Thursday night with a spring in my step but I have decided to try – mostly unsuccessfully – to keep the phone out of hand. Dam World Events and Dam Breaking Bad El Calmino.
Here is my six
1.Sempervivum Plum Parfait
I bought this plant from Dobbies with a Chick Charm label on. If someone does know who Chick Charms is it is an American Company that is founded by a guy called Chris Hansen who works his magic and produced new varieties of Sedums in the Sunsparkler series. I was looking forward to the release of his Chick Charm range of Sempervivums thinking that they would all be brand new varieties but was disappointed to see that 90% of them were existing cultivates that have a different name on the front of the label. This one is called according to Chick Charms called Plum Parfait but if you look on the back of the label they have the decency to give it’s proper name Prairie Sunset. Some people may thing this is cynical marketing I couldn’t possibly comment. Having said that they are healthy plants and whoever in Holland has got the license to grow them is doing a great job. However I recommend if you do buy one take it out of the pot straight away and place on a bench or saucer and allow the roots to dry out thoroughly as I bought one of their new varieties called Golden Nugget – which looks sublime – but that rotted within 3 weeks of me buying it in the wet summer because I reported it wet. I do have a couple of small rosettes left so hopefully they will come good next year.
2. Echeveria Temptation
In the early days of me collecting succulents I left this one out to the elements last winter to long and there was only 4 leaves left. Thankfully I kept it and put it in my A and E corner and it has now picked up as you can see. It is already undercover this year.
3. Jovarbia flower spike
Jovarbia are related to the Sempervivum family and usually consist of small fleshy green rosettes that usually have a tinge of autumnal colours this time of year. I was surprised to see it flower at this time of year to be honest. As you can see the flowers buds and stalk look very mathematical and looks like it has. Erm designed on a computer. What a fantastic thing.
4. Crassula Springtime
This plant is easy to from and rewards you of with fat juicy leaves. A cross between Crassula Rupestre and Crassula Perfoliata Minor these plants look good in a hanging basket. They produce wonderful pink ping pong size multi flower heads but as you can see from this plant it has a long way to go. I have managed to get my hands on a couple of new cheap plants from Dobbies so perhaps I could plant all the plants in a hanging basket next year.
N.B. I realise this blog sometimes seems like an advert to Dobbies and I can but apologise but unfortunately it may get worse as my company has got a trial site going into a Dobbies near Edinburgh as proof of concept so I may be spending some time working there. Oh the pain and oh my bank balance😂
6. New Plants
To cheer myself up I bought some new plants from a seller on eBay. The quality of the plants are spectacular and I couldn’t be happier. They should look great next year. The Tartan tray is a tray I bought in a thrift shop and it is Tartan Bitter which was my dads favourite bitter. This however was in the good old days where the choice of beer was almost nil. Thank god of the.craft beer revolution although I do chuckle to myself what he would think of me paying £3.50 for a pint of Hawaiian beer in Berwick.
That is my Six on Saturday. I hope you enjoy your weekend
If you want to write one it is not that difficult. As always to find out how six on Saturday works please follow the following link The Propagator. The don of Six on Saturday.
Until next week goodbye
Sedums, Dahlias and Hayfever 
The Crassula is a fascinating plant. It will be interesting to see its flowers when they arrive.
Take it easy and enjoy your garden…..
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Thank you.
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I noticed it is known by cultivar name, so sort of wondered what the species is.
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Aargh! I have just deleted my comment…never mind, start again.
That is my idea of a perfect Six-on-Saturday! Thank you, Paul. I am contemplating whether to risk leaving my indoor sempervivum plants outside, they are thriving at the moment but will they cope with lower temperatures? Your posts are a source of inspiration and admiration for many of us, so have a good weekend enjoying your garden.
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Sempervivums should be hardy down to minus 30. Try and keep them somewhere dryish Granny.
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Glad you have a found a way to lift your low spirits, and what a lovely combination – plants, family and friends! I enjoy reading about all of your succulents, thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Your welcome
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This crassula Springtime is very pretty. I can’t wait to see it grow up. Same thing about the Jovarbiaand the close-up photo is very beautiful !
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Thanks Fred. Yes fingers cross the Springtime will flower next year.
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Nice six Paul. You have reminded me that it must be time to bring my Echeveria indoors, it is far too wet for it now. The Sempervivums on the other hand will just have to take their chances!
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Your welcome. I spent most of the weekend inspecting most of my semi hard ones and finding the ones which have come disconnected from the roots.
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Good idea.
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Great photos. I’m glad gardening and writing about the plants you love helps lift your spirits. Gardening is certainly good for the soul.
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It certainly is good for the sole
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Buying lots of new tender plants just before winter is a high risk way of cheering yourself up. I’m the same, I get depressed because I have so many plants all over the place and nowhere to put them, so I buy more to lift my spirits. Your purchases are a good advert for eBay, a place I hardly dare look. They’re in really good nick if they came through the post.
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Yup but you have to live on the edge sometimes Jim. They are already under cover and 2 sheets of fleece have been cut and ready to deploy as and when.
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£3.50! You don’t know you’re born! Easily a fiver down here. My 11yo daughter has become (randomly) fascinated by succulents and semps. She bought 4 good size plants for a tenner the other day. They are in pots on her windowsill. What advice do you have for a semp newbie?
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X. X. Bk ltAf
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Oh believe me if I want to moan about paying fiver a pint I just go to Edinburgh. Tips if they are Semps I wouldn’t keep them in the house. They can tolerate -30 degrees C. They hate the wet. Put them in the greenhouse if you want but I think she will be wanting them in her bedroom. With all succulents take out the pot they are in straight away make sure the roots are dry them plant in a very gritty mix of 50% grit and coarse sand and 50% compost. During the winter only water sparingly once every 10 – 14 days. When you water soak the plant aloe to drain them empty the saucer. During the warmer months water every time the soil is dry. I usually water every week.
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Fab, thanks, we will repot next weekend.
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So many lovely things. Number 3 is fascinating and number 4 will look stunning en masse in a basket. Being outdoors with plants is so beneficial for the mind and the soul. The weather down here isn’t!
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Thanks yes no 3 looks very different as I said almost computer generated.
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Really fascinated by the jovarbia. As you say, geometric & riveting to look at. Was surprised about the rebranding of Prairie Sunset. My naivete had me believing that raising plants was scientific & thus . . . well marketing is marketing, isn’t it? #6 shows the variety you get w/succulents. A wonderful haul you got there.
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Thanks Lora
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I am sorry I missed all the sixes. I meant to catch up last week, but am now another week behind.
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I am a week behind as well Tony. Will catch up during coffee breaks today.
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That is not much time to catch up!
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Loving your beautiful pictures. So agree with the mental health benefits of gardening. I need the outdoors too and just keep putting on more layers of clothes so I can still tinker with my plants. Very wet and windy here in South Devon. I’ve just redone a succulent bed and raised it up to make a slope with grit etc. Replanted all of them, using large stones and some thick short offcuts branches to hold back the soil. Drainage is the thing here as it’s so wet in winter.
Have a huge green aeonium like yours. I brought them into the garage in smaller pots last winter and they came through ok. Dropped lots of leaves but in the summer have grown on in the soil and got huge. Wonderful site this and am still learning so much about growing these amazing plants. I’m now a senior citizen and find succulents are the way forward as other gardening is now more difficult. Onward and upward. 😉😊
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