Surrey Homes | SH59 | September 2019 | Education supplement inside

Five easy succulents to grow
Sedum spurium ‘Dragons Blood’ (Stonecrop) – this
is the sedum I used on my roof. It is reddish in colour
(new foliage starts green), with pink/red flowers in
summer, turning a deeper red in autumn. The stems
are lax and it quickly spreads to make a carpet
Aloe vera – probably best as a houseplant, as it will only
thrive in the warmest of summers outside. It likes to be in
full sun, watered deeply occasionally. Aloes are quick to make
‘pups’ and may need repotting each spring. They can be used
medicinally and apparently are great for treating minor burns
– just break off a bit and gently rub it on the area as a salve.
Sempervivum arachnoideum – the ‘cobweb’ houseleek
is an evergreen, rosette forming plant with a fine mesh
of webbing over it – looking a bit like a spider’s web.
Mature plants have pale pink flowers on long stems.
Sometimes also called ‘Hen and chicks’, as the main plant
is quickly surrounded by lots of little offsets, or ‘chicks.’
Seasonal care
Outdoor succulents will grow rapidly in the spring and early
summer, often doubling in size, producing many little offsets
and flowering (the flowers are quite peculiar – more suited to
the set of Star Trek than the garden). Once they have flowered,
they will die, making room for the offsets to take their place.
It is in the winter that succulents may need the most care
and attention, as they won’t sit happily outside in damp
winter conditions. Containers can be brought under cover
– most will be fine somewhere sheltered outside, as long
as they are kept on the dry side. If you can’t move them,
perhaps try covering them with horticultural fleece, or
something lightweight, over the worst of any winter weather.
Bring them out again in the spring, freshen up the
compost, repot or feed (although just changing or topping
up the growing medium will probably be enough), give
them a water and they will burst back into life. Spring
is when, in their natural environment, they would get
the most water; they are primed to respond to fleeting
spring rains and warming weather, to making the most
of those moments before it gets too hot and dry.
Echeveria secunda var. glauca – the ‘pinwheel’
succulent is another rosette forming plant, with pale
green, glaucous leaves tinged with pinky-red at the
edges. It is slightly less hardy than the sempervivums and
benefits from being brought under cover in winter.
Aeonium ‘Cyclops’ – a tall and very striking succulent
with rosettes of reddish-bronze leaves on long stems. It
may get to be about a metre tall with rosettes spanning
up to 40cm across. They are quite happy outdoors
for the summer, but will need to be protected in
colder weather and brought inside for the winter.
Visit hornbrookmanor.co.uk to find out more about the
gardening workshops and courses that Jo Arnell runs
throughout the year from her home in Woodchurch.
Propagation
Although succulents can be grown from seed, the most
popular way to make more is by taking cuttings. Often this
is as easy as pulling off a leaf, leaving it for a day to callous
over and then poking it back into the soil. Many of them
will even do the job for you, producing lots of offsets, or in
the case of Aloe vera – ’pups’, which are miniature versions
of the adult plant. In just a few weeks over the summer I was
able to make enough new sedums to cover the whole of my
workshop roof and saved a lot of money (it did take up time
and space, but it was not a huge chore and the baby plants
looked after themselves really well). Making plants for free is
a rewarding process, but be warned, it is easy to get carried
away – many a nursery business starts with a few cuttings…
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