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Showing posts from July, 2021

The great 2021 Dudleya torture test

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This post is the result of a six-month experiment to see how various Dudleya  species and hybrids handle our hot and dry summer. Consider it an intermediary snapshot. Another post will follow in mid-winter, hopefully to show the same plants at their best.  Since this post is primarily meant as a reference , it contains photos of dudleyas that look unattractive or even dead. Some may actually be dead, although I'm hoping they're just dormant, which would be the normal behavior for many species. In any case, you most likely won't be wowed by the plants in these photos, but they're a realistic reflection of what to expect when growing this iconic genus of succulents. With that out of the way, here's a brief introduction to dudleyas. While there are other succulents native to California, including agaves, yuccas, and opuntias, arguably none are as intriguing, mysterious, and poorly understood as dudleyas. Found from southwestern Oregon down the entire length of the U.