Wax Echeveria

My wax echeveria just bloomed for the first time, so I thought I would share it with you.

I have seen this plant referred to as echeveria wax, lipstick, agavoides, and ebony, so take your choice. I learned the hard way that it is prone to sunburning, so be aware and give it some protection from full afternoon hot sun.

The plant is nice and fleshy and probably more impressive than its blooms, since they are of the smaller variety, but it is still a nice specimen for your collection. The coloration on the tips of the leaves is nice, and the blooms are colorful and dainty, so I recommend it. I don’t treat it as cold-hardy here and bring it in for the winter.

A Field of Kalanchoe Color

Well, not exactly a field, but a bit of color on a dreary winter day. We are caught in the prolonged series of cold fronts that you may also be experiencing, and I suspect that you, too, are good and ready for Spring to show up. But in the meantime, I can slip into the greenhouse and be thrilled to find plants blooming their little heads off in spite of the cold. So let me share with you:

The pot in the upper right-hand corner is the old tried and true red bloom, and while it is the oldest plant, it seems to be a little slower coming around.

 
These buds have been trying to open for over a week, and we just haven’t had enough sunshine to make it happen. But they are trying.

This bloom is a single; the pinks are doubles and make a nice showing once they open.

As you can see, I still have lots of color to look forward to as they continue to open. That is, if the sun will cooperate.