Visit to a succulent nursery

[Agavemonger]

Isn't that Opuntia (Tephrocactus) strobiliformis?

The Monger

[Azuleja]

Yes, thank you! I was following the pot label but Opuntia turpinii does seem to be an outdated/incorrect name. I have made note on the photo. The current name should be Tephrocactus articulatus var. strobiliformis.

[Azuleja]

No photos today, but one of my favorite local nurseries unexpectedly announced going out of business and marked the whole place 50% off. I don't think they realized what a mad house it would be. I waited in line 1 1/2 hours just to check out. Plant purchases were a really nice 5 gallon manzanita and Aloe 'Always Red.' I know it's a Leo Thamm hybrid, stem forming and reblooming. Anyone have it?

[Agavemonger]

This is an easy plant to grow: fast growing and offsetting relatively heavily. Flowers are fairly nice and relatively prolific, but they are not nearly as spectacular as the "medium" and larger size Leo Thamn hybrids. All-in-all, a nice little clumping Aloe hybrid.

Be careful to treat these hybrids consistently for Eriophyoid Mites; although they have supposedly been bred for mite resistance, I have found that most of these hybrids are, in fact, mite hosts.

I would assume that most of these plants have fairly low frost tolerance, so I would protect them against temperatures below about 30 degrees Fahrenheit until true frost resistance is better understood.

All of these plants are very interesting and easy to grow. And most, if not all, offset fairly well or can be topped to force offsets. The flowers on many of these hybrids are truly spectacular. Unfortunately, very few of these hybrids have found their way into the United States.

The Monger

[Viegener]

'Always Red' is a beauty, though Ken is right, it's not a big, splashy plant. It blooms more than any of the Thamm hybrids on the US market, and the flower is beautiful. The other two reds available are larger plants with bigger flowers.

[Azuleja]

Thank you for the info. I'll post it to the gallery when I get a chance. It's developing a stem and a couple of offsets. I found a blog post by someone who tested it successfully into the mid twenties, though I don't think the flowers survived.

[Azuleja]

Not a nursery, just a really nice raised bed planting in the coastal town of Harmony, CA. Population 18, elevation 175. I particularly liked the terrestrial bromeliad group and the tall furcraea in photo 751.

[Azuleja]

A few more from another planting in a different garden. I was happy to see more puya mixed in among the succulents. Coastal fog envelops everything in this spot daily. Although many of the plants looked happy, others were clearly not. The large Aloe plicatilis seems in danger of dying completely. It has already lost numerous rosettes.

[Stan]

I hate a show off.. kidding! Outstanding garden design and healthy plants.
The Aloe plicatilis looks fairly aged. Possibly cuttings taken dont spur the oldster to fill. Mine has a few missing branches- taken cuttings at midnight type of thing,and they do not branch from a cut stem.

[Azuleja]

We did visit two nurseries. One in particular had a lot of interesting plants, some hybridized in house. Between the two, I was a little overwhelmed. Photos are a mix from both.

[Azuleja]

More...

[Azuleja]

I hate a show off.. kidding! Outstanding garden design and healthy plants.
The Aloe plicatilis looks fairly aged. Possibly cuttings taken dont spur the oldster to fill. Mine has a few missing branches- taken cuttings at midnight type of thing,and they do not branch from a cut stem.

I know Stan, this whole thread is kind of the worst. I personally like window shopping and eye candy so...maybe others do too?

Oh good, maybe the A. plicatilis isn't dying after all. It's certainly possible that people have cut from it but it has a lot of blackened leaves too. There was an A. americana mediopicta 'alba' that also had a lot of black fungal spots around its leaf bases.

[Viegener]

Plicatilis is really well-suited to CA coastal climate, which is similar to the Western Cape of S Africa where it originates. Also, btw Stan, I've rooted stems with 3 branches. The trick is to let the cutting dry thoroughly, and do it only in midsummer. Plicatilis is one of the most beautiful aloes in my opinion. It's a relatively slow grower and every time I see one planted near a sidewalk I notice that branches have been lopped off. It really looks its best when left alone. Actually I often see tree aloes with missing branches. Part of what makes them so beautiful is the form.

The best you can do with a cut stem from these aloes is to whittle it back to a main stem so at least the form looks more natural. I've also see branches twisted off from the plant, often scarring the trunk, though I guess you could say it looks more natural than little stumps.

[Stone Jaguar]

Thanks for the beautiful images, Azuleja. Where are these nurseries? Inquiring minds, you know...

[Azuleja]

^Thank you and my pleasure, both are in Cambria south of Monterey.

[Stan]

I was kidding on the showing off. Nothing wrong with it!..its like artwork..made to be seen and -hopefully-admired.

I know Aloe plicatilis will root from cuttings...its when a branch has the end broken off..it doesn't respond with a single replacement let alone a few. They just stay there,amputated looking forever.

[Gee.S]

That really is a bunch of nice stuff. Thanks for posting!

[Azuleja]

Here are the three things I brought home. From my wishlist, A. Gentryi 'Jaws.' It's going to be a rough adjustment probably. Even with the A/C on behind tinted windows, it got a few spots of sunburn in the car. Say goodbye to coastal paradise. The variegated Yucca gloriosa is maybe not too special, but knowing how tough the original is it seemed like a good bet. And an unlabeled aloe, which I hope isn't just a stressed out A. maculata.

[toditd]

Nice photos! Looks like you found some interesting places to explore. It must have been a fun trip. I would have been extremely tempted to bring home that Agave horrida!

[Azuleja]

Thank you! The A. horrida was a little beyond my souvenir budget, though $145 seems perfectly fair for something so beautifully grown.

[Gee.S]

That is a (gasp!) breathtaking price. I could probably pick one up (3-gal) for you for $24 at HD + ship if you really want one, but they are super tender.

[Azuleja]

It was larger than anything I've seen at HD around here. A. horrida isn't on my want list but I always admire it in other people's collections. The other nursery had large A. asperrima about that size for a similar price. It was a really nice form, but also something I'd rather grow myself from a smaller size.

[Gee.S]

Well sure, you know what happens soon after bringing a shockingly expensive, mature Agave home, right? it blooms.

I'll never forget seeing a $1000+ price tag slapped on a huge A. parryi in a 36" box a few years back...

Oh, and let me know if you want A. asperrima. I have a couple nice 1-gal greenies, and am being absolutely overrun by asperrima ssp. zarcensis pups.

[Azuleja]

I've got regular A. asperrima and zarcensis, both very pretty. I agree about the high price tag for large plants, but I guess very wealthy folks are sometimes happy to pay for an instant garden. The place that had that A. horrida also does xeric landscaping up and down the coast.

[toditd]

Well sure, you know what happens soon after bringing a shockingly expensive, mature Agave home, right? it blooms.

Ha, not too long ago I saw a listing on Craigslist selling an agave in full bloom! I wonder if it sold?