In My Garden: Succulent Box Planters

Succulents in box planters can be a challenge. Many box planters are placed underneath windows which receive full sun all day long in many instances. This may burn the plants to a crisp in the desert southwest.

In my porch and walkway, I've placed box planters made of coco liner on a long plant stand with two shelves. The stand is made of wrought iron, as is the planter shell. The backside of the planter faces the wall.

This container was planted on April 24, 2013 and contains:
1. Senecio vitalis - Narrow-Leaf Chalksticks
2. Kalanchoe longiflora var. coccinea
3. Agave species, possibly Agave filifera
4. Oscularia deltoides - Pink Vygie
5. Echeveria harmsii - Plush Plant

These types of planters dry out more quickly, so they must be watered at least twice a week to prevent the soil from drying out completely. Still, be careful to not over water any succulents, which is the easiest way to kill the plants.

In My Garden: Crazy Bunny Opuntia

The Crazy Bunny cactus is in the same genus as the well known Prickly Pear. This one is new to the container garden this spring but has clearly grown in the two months since it was planted.

Spotted: Flowering Cholla Tree on Caples

A gorgeous flowering cholla cactus tree (pronounced choy-ah) was spotted on Caples Circle in central El Paso. The bright magenta flowers are a fluffy contrast to the extremely sharp spikes of this desert plant.

Most chollas start growing as shrubs, but older plants can grow to be the size of small to medium trees.

More information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia

Spotted: Agaves on Trowbridge Ave Sprouting Flower Stalks

Two agave plants on Trowbridge Avenue are growing flower stalks, a bittersweet sign for any agave owner. The huge flower spikes are impressive, but agaves are monocarpic, meaning they die after flowering just once.

The plants seem to be of the Agave americana variety, more commonly called the Century Plant because it seems they take one hundred years to flower. In reality, the plants will bloom between 10 to 30 years of age. The flower stalk can grow up to 28 feet in height.

Echeverias Grace Two Box Planters

Two gorgeous Echeveria plants take center stage in box planters that surround a small balcony. Freshly watered, the succulent leaves form natural cups which hold the water.

'Donkey's Tail' Peaks Over a Container's Edge

A Donkey's Tail sedum starts to make its way over the side of a burgundy container. Behind the sedum sit several other succulents, including a Silver Dollar Plant, Tiger Tooth Aloe, and Aeonium Zwartkop.

'Red Apple' Plant and Cactus Share a Container

An Aptenia "Red Apple" hybrid mingles with a cactus in a central El Paso garden. The cactus is an unknown Echinopsis variety. The Aptenia succulent, which produces bright red miniature flowers, grows quickly and is well adapted to El Paso summers.

More Info
Aptenia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptenia
Echinopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinopsis