Plant ID card
| Botanical Name | Echeveria. |
| Common Name | Echeveria. |
| Family | Crassulaceae. |
| Origin | Mexico |
| Size | Between 5 and 40 cm tall depending on the variety. |
| Foliage | The Echeveria is recognizable by its fleshy leaves arranged in rosettes. They can be triangular, cylindrical, linear or spatulla in shape. They are also distinguished by their wide variety of colours, which range from light green to dark green to bronze and even blue with silver reflections depending on the variety. Some are even covered in hair! |
| Flowering | The flowers look like small yellow, red or orange bells. Depending on the variety, they have more or less erect or spreading petals. They are located in the axils of leaves, grouped in clusters, cymes or perched at the top of petioles. |
| Exhibition | Because it thrives particularly well in dry or even semi-desert regions, Echeveria likes to be planted in full sun. |
| Ground | Ideally, it should be placed in soil that is poor, light and well-drained. Indoors, a potting soil for cacti will do just fine. |
| Rusticity | +5°C. |
Graphic, resistant and not very rustic: these are three adjectives that define the Echeveria very well! With its thick, waxy-looking leaves arranged in rosettes, this pretty little succulent takes pride of place in many interiors. And we understand that it seduces with its more or less geometric silhouette and its leaves that can cover a wide range of colors, ranging from green or brown, through gray or even blue.
Where to place an Echeveria?
It is best to grow Echeveria indoors unless you live in an area with particularly mild winters. Copyright (c) 2022 Oleksii Maznychenko/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
Since Echeveria usually does not survive when temperatures drop below 5°C, it is best to grow it indoors unless you live in an area with particularly mild winters.
It is recommended to plant it in a shallow pot or terrarium and take it outside in summer so that it can enjoy the sun's rays. The rest of the year, reserve a very sunny location for it, close to a window for example.
When to water an Echeveria?
Highly resistant to drought, the Echeveria needs little water to grow well. In the summer, water it once every two weeks or so in small amounts. In winter, just water it once a month. Whatever the season, make sure that the soil is thoroughly dry between waterings.
How do you care for an Echeveria?
Echeveria is a succulent plant that has the advantage of requiring little care except to be protected from the cold.
- Pruning: Since Echeveria is a small plant, it is not necessary to prune it. However, it can help preserve its compact silhouette, which tends to spread out over time. It is also recommended to cut off damaged stems and stems from faded flowers;
- Repotting: Repotting the Echeveria is done in the spring. To do this, get a pot that is about 3 cm larger than the previous one. At the bottom of the pot, place a layer of draining material, such as clay pebbles or pozzolana for example, before adding a potting soil for cacti or a mixture of potting soil and sand. Carefully place the Echeveria in it, being careful not to damage its fragile leaves;
- Diseases and pests: Especially when growing indoors, Echeveria can be targeted by aphids and mealybugs. To get rid of them in a natural way, try to act at the first signs of invasion by spraying the Echeveria with a mixture of water and black soap.
How to multiply the Echeverias?
It is possible to take an Echeveria leaf or stem cutting in the spring. Copyright (c) 2023 Little daisy/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
When the Echeveria grows in conditions that are suitable for it, it naturally produces suckers at its base that can be separated and then replanted. It is also possible to take a leaf or stem cutting in the spring.
Which Echeveria variety to choose?
There are nearly 250 varieties, offering an impressive array of shapes and colors. Here are our favorites:
- With its leaves that turn black when exposed to direct sunlight, Echeveria affinis (Echeveria 'affinis') is a bold choice when it comes to decoration.
- Echeveria nodulosa (Echeveria 'nodulosa') is distinguished by its very original variegated leaves, where green and red blend in delicate arabesques.
- In addition to its green leaves with shades of pink, it is above all their tubular shape that makes the Echeveria Trumpet Pinky (Echeveria 'Trumpet Pinky') original.
- More resistant to cold than most of its congeners, the Echeveria setosa (Echeveria setosa) can tolerate sub-zero temperatures from time to time. It is recognizable by its fleshy leaves covered with fine white down.