Succulents, Cacti, and other drought tolerant plants

I finally got around to buying some new pots so I could officially plant the variegated agave from the last blogger get together I went to in Feb. and the ice plant I bought when I met up with Diana at the Barton Springs Nursery in April. I originally planted the agave in a plastic flower pot with some regular garden dirt and the put it under the eaves of the house so it didn't get as much water when it rained. Having it in the plastic pot was a short term solution--I didn't really know where I was going to put an agave--I had a couple of choices--in the giant berm out front amongst the asian jasmine, lantanas and random wildflowers or in a pot in the backyard (in which case I would need a very large pot), or in a pot by my other cacti/succulents (in which case I would need a smallish pot--8-14" diameter). Now then, the husband still doesn't care for cacti and succulents so he didn't really want it in the berm area (besides, I still haven't decided what to do with that area--Agave/guara/feather grass combo or lantana/mountain laurel/verbena combo...actually I'd like to do both--with the agave combo in a large stock tank to either the left or right of the berm...but the husband doesn't like the stock tank idea), which left the potting options...and we all know that I'm a cheapskate, ergo the small pot option was selected.

The ice plant just sat in its little 4" pot by the water barrel while I took my sweet time getting a pot for it. I ended up choosing a shallow terra cotta bowl in the 'chocolate' color. Because the ice plant obviously isn't very big, I decided to add some of my other succulents to the pot. I pulled off some of the blue and green sedums from the other succulent pots and some of the new babies from the ghost plant.

I've topdressed both pots with extra sand I have lying around (even though the ice plant pot doesn't look it), but I'd really like to get some of that recycled glass to put on top instead.




I had decided a while ago that I wanted to plant the portulaca plant I bought at BSN in something whimsical. And I thought I had the perfect container: An old glass light fixture. So I filled it with dirt and sand and then I added the plant. And then I put it in the sun at the end of my walkway.

And then I promptly freaked out that it was going to somehow start a fire. You know like magnifying glasses and ants? only with regular glass and wood chips.

So I unpotted the plant and instead put it in a terra cotta pot. A terra cotta pot which I've been meaning to give back to Bob at Draco. Sorry Bob, you're gonna have to wait until I find a non-fire-starting-pot-of-whimsy.

Glass container AFTER I pulled the portulaca plant out.