Echeverias do great in containers, so why not plant an echeveria garden all in pots? Because echeverias have great color, symmetry and resemble fleshy flowers, my own potted collection suggests an exotic flower garden. Although a few Echeveria cultivars do OK in garden beds---notably 'Sahara', 'Blue Sky' and 'Crimson Tide'---most need and deserve TLC. Nothing is as gorgeous as a perfectly grown echeveria. Otherwise, why have them?
A year ago, after a trip to Wright Nursery (owned by famed echeveria hybridizer Dick Wright), I planted an echeveria garden in five large pots on my home's east-facing deck.
The 30-square-foot potted garden enhances my dining room view and is easy to tend. In winter I move pots closer to the railing to give them rain or greater sun. In summer, I slide them back into a north-facing corner for greater shade. Every couple of months year-round, I rotate the pots 180 degrees for balanced light exposure. This is important because echeverias lean toward greatest sun, which can spoil their symmetry.
Video: Plant an Echeveria Garden in Pots (5:22)
Is it a lot of work? Not at all. The pots are lightweight, and I'm blessed with a hose bib on the deck. My biggest challenge is not splashing the window. The pots sit atop plant stands to give them greater prominence and height, and to enhance air circulation. (This also helps protect a wood deck, but ours is now a synthetic impervious to water. Over the years, potted plants rotted the original wood deck, which we had to replace.)
To celebrate its one-year anniversary, I did a 5-minute video of my potted echeveria garden. I think you'll agree it's both practical and eye-catching. As for which varieties I used, there are so many to choose from! Find specific names on this site's Echeveria page photo gallery, noted with an asterisk. But I don't think it matters much. I basically mixed what I liked and was available, then filled in with graptoverias and other common intergeneric crosses.
Echeveria Info, Photos & Varieties
Echeveria Info, Photos & Varieties How to grow echeverias perfectly, plus an extensive gallery, all ID’d About Echeverias Here you’ll find expert advice to help you grow echeverias perfectly, with a gallery of 150+ beautiful, notable species and cultivars. Learn about the plants’ native habitat, optimal care, light and water requirements, flowering, soil, fertilizer, pests,…
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