The Succulents and the Night of the Long Knives

When we moved from Sydney to Canberra I brought with us my modest collection of succulents. Nurtured and cajoled from babyhood, they were the embodiment of my first ever gardening efforts and I valued them accordingly. Once settled in our new house I placed them in what I hoped would appear to be artfully haphazard and unpremeditated vignettes in the sunshine along the verandah.

I remember it was sometime in early July when we awoke to our first experience of a frosty morning. We spent the next hour in the garden gawping at the beauties frost had bequeathed on various plantings until we reached the verandah and I noticed my Aeonium arboreum leaning on a drunken angle in a pulpy state of undress. Letting out a screech of distress I raced from one succulent to another only to find them all in a similar state. All that is, except this Sedeveria which I now suspect would survive and thrive in a nuclear fall-out without blinking a metaphorical eyelid.

You'll be happy to know that my new collection of succulents are living the life of Riley on the window sill for the winter, patiently waiting out the many nights of the long knives for the return to spring and verandah vignettes.

Comments

[freefalling]

Last year was my first winter in Ararat.
Lots of frosts.
Steep learning curve.
Don't stick those succulents out too early - some of our worst frosts were in Spring.
Makes you wonder how plants grow in places where it snows.

I didn't know that was the name for that plant. It's one of my most hardy succulents too - I planted it in city garden at the front of a bed and it has formed a lovely carpet that looks spectacular when it flowers.
Has yours flowered yet?

[jasmine]

Ok. That explains a few things. I too have just moved to frostier climes and have not a clue about which of my city plants will survive. Looks like my once plump,juicy and un-pock marked agave attenuata are gonners.

Beautiful, beautiful shots of one of my favourites.

[Christina]

I suppose succulents are predominately water and would have frozen and been pretty shocked about it all! Good to know for if I ever move to a frostier place. :)