I Will Survive

A Facebook friend recently posted about her succulents and she referred to a song called "I Will Survive." Ever since then, whenever I am working among my succulents,  that song plays in my head.   It has been a tough year  for succulents in general.   Where I garden, in Eureka, CA, we had a week of sub-freezing weather in November.  There are many others who have had far worse conditions.  I was able to save most of my collection through shear determination, frost cloth, cardboard, and heat (in my greenhouse).  I did still lose a substantial amount of plants behind my house.  I was so sad after the frost, and was sure that I had lost most of my plants, but they pulled through.  I was out in my garden today and I thought I would share a couple photos of my plants who have survived.  It has been a great couple of weeks of warm days, and cool nights.   My plants have been covered at night to keep them as warm as possible.

Agave "Blue Glow" sitting pretty and showing off.

This Agave has done very well on the south side of my house.  It is very happy in a large Terra cotta pot.

Echeveria imbricata

Echeveria imbricata always seems to do well.  I did lose a few to the frost, just a few feet away because they were shaded by the fence.  Lesson:  Microclimates are very important!

Crassula congesta

This is Crassula congesta, it came to me as a very small plant and I went ahead and planted it, half expecting it to not make it through the winter.  This is the third winter it has survived. 

Echeveria "Doris Taylor"

This is Echeveria 'Doris Taylor'  I believe.  It has lovely fuzzy leaves, which have the unfortunate ability to trap my pets hair. 

The flowers from sting of pearls

These are the sweet flowers of Senecio "string of pearls"  I love the little purple stigmas that make loops.  

I have been meaning to take this Romneya out of my front bed for a few years. It had become a real hindrance to my succulents and it was taking over the world.   As much as I love the plant, it had to go.   You can see the huge area I will now have for my succulents.   These were just cell phone pictures, but you can see the difference, and can you see the aloe that had been hidden completely? 

I planted another on the other side of my yard a couple years ago, so that I would not be without one entirely.  I made the attempt to save the one I removed, we will see if it makes it.

I am eagerly planning my beds for next year.   I can not wait to get even more succulents in to thrive. What changes are you making for the next gardening year? Since we are in such a drought year, succulents will be a great choice to reduce the amount of water that you are using in your garden.   Only 51 more days till spring! 

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