And in the right-hand corner, the winter-growing caudiciforms pose for a photo. Left to right: Dudleya candida, Pachycormus discolor, Pachypodium namaquanum, Tylecodon paniculatus, Fouquieria columnaris. All receive day-long sun (SW exposure) and water about every week (2,3,5) or every 2 weeks (1,4) this time of year.
The Dudleya looks especially plush this time of year.
The new growth on the Pachycormus is a nice rich red color.
This message was edited Jan 18, 2012 9:01 PM
Up close.
The cirio is moderately leafy but very thirsty.
They look great. Nice to be able to have them outside this time of the year.
Beautiful, healthy plants Baja! Isn't it nice to have a few winter growers?! Just love the dudleya! ^_^
Sally, it sure is nice to be able to give them that exposure now while they're most active. I think they're all sun-loving plants. And they do seem to really respond to the rain.
Yeah, the Dudleya is pretty extreme. I have no idea why it's flowering right now (months early), but no complaints. I must confess there are a few aphids in among those flower buds. Some of the flowering Crassulaceae (eg. Aeonium, Echeveria, Dudleya) sure do bring on the bugs.
Funny you mentioning your dudleya is flowering early. I've noticed many of my plants are blooming a month or two earlier than in previous years. Maybe this spring-like weather has them confused?
Could be. We sure could use some more rain.
Been very dry here, too. Oddly warm but less precipitation than normal.
There's hope this weekend!
Any contenders in the left-hand corner Baja?
Your plants look great. Full time sun. What a luxury. ^_^
Helen
Baja, your Cirio has nice form. Mine is a little smaller than yours and putting out a lot of new growth, but the stems are growing more horizontally. It's in a pot in full sun. Any thoughts?
The left hand corner is home to a group of cactus-like Euphorbias. They are not doing too much right now.
I think side growth is normal for those little twiggy branches on the cirio. When they're new, coming from the top of the plant, they might shoot more upwards. But they also sprout from other places as well (eg. toward the base of old branches), and the direction can be pretty random. My plant has never been pruned. One day I might remove the older branches that no longer leaf out.
These plants seem to bonsai in containers, to various degrees depending on how they are treated and how big the container is. So if you're going for a fat, stumpy look, that's how to get it. But these are giant trees when their roots have a chance to run.
