Tuesday, September 25, 2007

And speaking of cold hardy plants...


Our expertise over the years has not focused on cold-hardy succulents (other than semps and sedums). The exceptions have mostly been the result of accidents.

Take Echinocereus viridiflorus, the green-flowered hedgehog. For years we've grown plants whose parents grew in Northern Colorado, almost into Wyoming, at a fairly high elevation which gets exceedingly cold during the Winter. But it wasn't until last winter that we found out how well they can do, even in our wet-cool winter climate.

These plants are usually in an unheated greenhouse during the winter. Last winter we brought them in from an outside growing bed and placed them in a flat, ready to be potted up at our convenience. The pot was at the back of the unheated greenhouse next to an area open to the outside. We got busy and forgot about them. (It happens!)

Sometime early in the winter, something - we assume a cat - knocked them out onto the outside ground where the remained bare-root through the snow and rain. They survived quite well thank you.

But, please note! They did have excellent drainage!

Luther

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