2015 Succulent Extravaganza plant porn (1 of 2)

Yesterday I recapped the 2015 Succulent Extravaganza held September 25-26, 2015 at Succulent Gardens in Castroville, CA. It was a great opportunity to photograph the many thousands of succulents growing at the nursery.

As always, I took hundreds of photos. I finally winnowed them down to 64. 32 are in this installment, the other 32 in tomorrow’s. The photos aren’t in any particular order. You never know what you’re going to see next. That’s the same experience you’d have during a visit to Succulent Gardens.

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Arrangement by Baylor Chapman as part of her demonstration “Living Centerpieces”

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Succulents for sale

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Undersea garden created by Danielle and Michael Romero for the 2015 Succulent Extravaganza

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Row of Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ and grasses

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Agave attenuata ‘Boutin Blue’

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Hee haw

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Agave attenuata ‘Boutin Blue’ and Agave potatorum

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Agaves along Amaral Road

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Agave ‘Blue Flame’

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Agave ‘Blue Flame’ and Agave parryi ‘Truncata’

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Agave ‘Blue Flame’ and aloe flowers

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Agave ‘Blue Flame’

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Agave ‘Blue Glow’

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Aloe vaombe

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Aloe vaombe

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Fan aloe (Kumara plicatilis)

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Agave flower stalk, tall as a tree

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Agave attenuata ‘Boutin Blue’

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Agave attenuata ‘Kara’s Stripe’

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Golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and Agave ‘Kichiokan’

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Agave ‘Kichiokan’, thought to be a form of Agave potatorum. However, I had a nice chat with Brian Kemble, the curator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, who thinks it’s a form of Agave isthmensis.

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Aeonium tapestry

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Most of these aeoniums are still summer-dormant. As cool fall weather approaches, the plants will spring to life, and the rosettes will begin to open up.

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Ferocactus wislizeni

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Ferocactus wislizeni and…

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I wasn’t sure what this stunning agave was so I asked Brian Kemble. It turns out it’s Agave ‘Cream Spike’, a variegated cultivar of Agave applanata. Yes, that’s what that cute little agave many of you have in their collection will eventually grow up to be. I bought a larger specimen a few months ago but it’s still nowhere near as impressive as this one.

 

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Comments

  1. Ahhhh, that Cream Spike...! And those glorious Kichiokans with the golden barrels... [swoons]. Love the ferocactus... Such a pity I can't have attenuatas here. Wonderful report -- can't wait for the next installment!

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    1. I know what you mean about Agave attenuata. Even though I've sworn off them, they're still the holy grail for me since they're so hard to grow here. They hate both our summer heat and our winter cold. Interestingly enough, my 'Boutin Blue' has survived six or seven winters now on our front porch; it does get covered on cold nights.

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  2. My 'Cream Spike' is still tiny. I wonder how long it will take to reach the size of the one in your photo?

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    1. I really don't know. Based on my own experience, I'd said 7-10 years. They seem to grow a bit faster once you put them in the ground.

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  3. Lots of gorgeous spikes! Can't wait for part 2! (Thanks for not being stingy with the photos)

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    1. Photos: one thing I'm never stingy with since I take so many :-).

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  4. Difficult to pick a favorite, but the first Aloe vaombe photo made me stop scrolling. Such a nice photo! The second one with spider webs is pretty excellent too. I guess maybe I just love that plant? :)

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    1. Thanks!! I fell in love with Aloe vaombe and would have bought one. Unfortunately, they only had larger plants--much too big to fit in my Honda Civic. No 1- or 2-gallon sizes...

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  5. Interesting about possible isthmensis origins for Kichiokan. I put a cluster of those in the ground too and they're starting to get that domed shape, but mine show a lot more yellow than those. That 'Cream Spike' is exasperatingly slow, but wow, if that's the result, I can be patient!

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    1. Agave Kichiokan' is still shrouded in mystery, despite the possible link to A. isthmensis. It originally came from Japan, and it's well possible that its creators tinkered with things like gibberellic acid.

      While I've had several 'Cream Spike' for many years, I hadn't paid much attention to them until I realized how beautiful their adult form is. As you said, patience is the key. I bet over time we'll begin to see mature plants for sale in nurseries.

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