About Echeverias and their hybrids.

Echeverias are a member of the genus Crassulacae, which also includes the closely-related Crassulas, Sedums,Dudleyas, Pachyphytums,and Graptopetalums, amongst others.It is possible to get intergeneric crosses between Echeverias and some of the above species, which gives rise to e.g.. Graptoverias, Pachyverias etc. Some of these plants come into our collection and are listed with a capitalised abbreviations e.g.. G. X 'Debbie'. This is a shortened form of Graptopetalum ( + subspecies name) X(crossed with) Echeveria ( + subspecies name), cultivar 'Debbie'.

Geographically, Echeverias grow over a wide area from southern Texas to the tropical areas of South America, but the majority are to be found in Mexico. As a rule, they are not plants from the desert flats, but the mountainsides, cliffs and rocky hills. Some are found as epiphytes in Mexican forests as well, so they obviously don't all require the same treatment in cultivation. They prefer a better treatment than you would give the true desert cacti, and they provide few problems.

Most of the hybrids in our collection are crosses between one subspecies of Echeveria, with another. The crosses were done first in the USA, and then other countries later, for many reasons, but mainly to produce plants with better colours, textures and sizes. Most are more vigourous than the parent plants in growth, but less able to be propagated. Unlike most species, you cannot merely pluck off a leaf and leave it to grow roots and bud. The majority will put out roots from a separated leaf cutting, but not a bud. The rooted leaf-cutting then merely grows old and eventually dies of senescence, never having put out a growing bud. Most of the hybrids are propagated like Bromeliads, from offsets, or 'pups'. Many also are sterile flowered, even though they may produce visble pollen ( fertility factor of this pollen unknown). Echeveria species readily cross with each other, which makes seed not true to the parent plant a common problem . Hybrids are no different, so it is not a recommended practise. See other websites about Mendel's Theory of Genetic Heredity if you wish to further discover the small percentages of plants that grow true as F2 hybrids (2nd generation).

http://www.netspace.org/MendelWeb/home.html is a good site to begin with.

The hybrids are generally an easy plant to grow and enjoy as they have an all-year-round reward with the changing intensity of colours, and form.They certainly are not a plant that is a 'space filler'. They dominate and demand that they be seen and noticed in a garden situaion for year after year. But one word of caution. After you purchase your first plant, you may find out that they are highly addictive, and you want the entire collection...

About us.....
We are a family-owned and operated mail-order Echeveria nursery, specialising in the in the collection, growing, breeding, and selling of hybrid Echeverias. We are not open to the public, except by appointment. Because we care about our plants, and wish to give you the very best advice, we trialled the plants under all sorts of extreme conditions, so that we could authoritatively answer any of our customer's questions. As we point out in our cultivation page elsewhere on this site, there are many perils awaiting those who purchase plants from most Australian retail nurseries, as they do not seem to have the vaguest idea on what conditions to recommend, and the tag that comes with the plant is woefully lacking in correct details.
We went to a lot of trouble, and discovered the best levels of sun, UV light, fertilizer and water etc., for optimum growth, and put this information into the growing instructions that are given with each purchase. We sell only healthy, actively growing Echeveria hybrids, we back this up with an e-mail helpdesk, for after-sales service.
Compare this with a plant label's advice.
We now offer you, using our vast experience of how various Echeverias look together, starter packs at fantastic value which can be used either to get you collection going, or they can be sent as a gift to someone you love.
Download our catalogue here to see the outstanding value.

Beside finding the optimum conditions for the growing of Echeveria hybrids, we have also developed a new method of rapid propagation, that can fast-track stock numbers of many Echeveria hybrids. We are now passing the benefit of quicker production rates on to you, the end comsumer, as lower plant prices.


CLICK HERE for details on how to get more plants, faster.