New Haworthias Thrive, Others Await Planting in Spring

This year brought several new haworthias to my garden, with a few still awaiting planting since they were acquired in October. Others were planted on or about April 2014.

Haworthias are relatives of aloes, many of the most popular having similar shapes. They are, however, smaller in general. Growing haworthias is rewarding, and seeking interesting forms may be worth the trouble. Personally, many have been acquired on road trips to succulent nurseries in Tucson, just a four hour drive from El Paso.

Haworthia emelyae (pictured below), most likely an unknown hybrid, has a rough texture on the top of each leaf. The crystalline surface feels like a sugar coating.

This Haworthia emelyae hybrid was purchased and planted in April 2014. The picture showing the haworthia in its planter is from the following November.

It grows very slowly, but looks healthy so far and is even flowering in the winter greenhouse. It has gained some color, no doubt from the general cold of winter. The translucent leaf tips also have an interesting striping pattern.

Before and After: Large Echeveria Planter

Here are some progress photos from a large planter I put together in early March of 2014. It is filled with echeverias, pachyverias, graptoverias, sedeverias, and graptosedum.

Protecting My Succulents in Winter

El Paso is not normally subjected to bitter cold temperatures, but the thermometer does dip below freezing on many nights throughout the winter, posing a real threat to frost-tender succulents. This season, to protect my collection, I built a simple lean-to greenhouse made of PVC pipes, plastic sheeting, and duct tape, with inexpensive clamp lamps providing light and warmth.

The plastic sheeting has some slits and windows cut into it, reinforced with the tape to prevent rips from occurring and to help with air circulation on relatively mild days. In the picture below, a large Kalanchoe luciae (Paddle Plant) can be seen through the translucent plastic. A cold hardy Echinopsis sits outside of the greenhouse.

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.