The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

From the garden Scrumptious succulents Story and photos By Belinda Gallagher Colmanara Wildcat Orchid Echeveria 1 Echeveria 2 Echeveria 4 It is a changeable time of the year, perched as it and geraniums. I actually recall the first time I saw is between the last of the late winter storms and a large bluish gray echeveria at Crawford's Garden the first early spring rains. Center in Milton-- I almost cried out in delight! These longer days are perfect for spending a litThe plants look very like hen and chickens, but are tle extra time admiring the new growth on the funkier. They come in unusual shapes, colours, houseplants. But there is a downside-- the strong sizes and are just plain artistic. sunshine necessitates a much-needed plant-cleanThere are two downsides to the plants. One, ing flurry of domestic activity which is never at the they are rarely labeled with the proper botanical top of my `to do' list! It is this warm, but bright, light name which is why they are called Echeveria 1, 2, that underlines just how much dust can land on the 3 and 4 in this article. I do think the one with the surface of everything over the winter. lovely reddish edges is E. nodulosa `Painted I gathered up a bowl of warm water and a soft Beauty', but despite the unknown names, they are cloth and started with an orchid. all worth a try. The second probIts broad strap-like leaves are easy lem and it is a biggie, they are to wipe and would get me started NOT winter hardy here in southern in a positive mood as the flowers Ontario, and hence the reason were spectacular and could be they are inside getting dusty. admired while cleaning. Echeverias are members of the This orchid, Colmanara Crassulaceae family that includes `Wildcat', is an intergeneric hybrid their cousins sedums, sempervithat I purchased a couple of years vums ­ those hen and chickens ago at the Royal Botanical mentioned above, aeoniums and Gardens Orchid Society show and kalanchoes among others. Some it is a favourite. It is one of those of the species are used in tradiorchids that is easy care for the tional medicine including anti-infirst time orchidist (not sure this is flammatory procedures. a real word but you know what I Echeverias are widely distributed mean). Available in many places, throughout Mexico and Central including big-box stores, this plant America and are fairly easy to tolerates a wide temperature, low propagate by leaf and head cutto medium light and with a little tings. I just break off a leaf, or humidity reliably re-blooms as it is chunk of the stem, let it dry for a doing on my kitchen table right week or two to form a callus, then now. lightly push the callused end into a What, you may ask, does this light sandy growing medium. With Echeveria 3 have to do with the `Scrumptious luck, a new plantlet appears in a Succulents' of the title? Well, it just few weeks. happens that many orchids are You do not need to fuss over the considered succulents. echeverias for the winter. You can keep them growSucculent plants have the ability to retain water ing in front of a window or just let them go dormant in some part of the plant-- usually in leaves, stems until the spring. Either way, once they are back or roots. The word succulent comes from the Latin outdoors, they provide that tropical/desert look that succulentus meaning juice and if you have ever is all the rage right now. broken a leaf or stem of a succulent plant you Three other common houseplants that are sucknow why this is an apt definition. The frugal water culents are the Haworthia, the Aloe and the retention of these plants is the characteristic that Euphorbia. makes them so popular with new gardeners and for Haworthia attenuata (pictured) is native to South indoor growing. And you might say more sustainAfrica and is named after the botanist Adrian Hardy able plants to be politically correct! If we go back to Haworth who was the author of one of the earliest the orchid, you can see the pseudo bulb at the authoritative books on British butterflies and moths base of the leaves, which holds water or moisture in the early 1800's. This plant is often seen in dish for times of drought. The wrinkling you see in this gardens with cactus and other succulents, as it pseudopod is my fault. I let the plant get too dry. remains quite small. Grown for its shape and wartWhoops! like markings you might be surprised to know that As I moved to the next room, I set about cleaning it is a cousin to some wonderful perennials includthe next group of succulents in the house. ing the torch lily (Kniphofia) and foxtail lily Sandwiched between several jade plants (succu(Eremurus) two of my top choices for a summer lents that need no picture as you all probably have wow factor. one already) are my Echeverias. Most homes have the succulent Aloe vera in a This group of plants has been available since the pot somewhere. It is a cousin of Haworthia but 1950s according to my favourite cactus expert, grows much larger. Although there is some quesDavid Naylor of Georgetown, however, it has been tion about the medical efficacy of the plant, I have only in the last five years or so that they have always used the gel from a snapped leaf on a burn become mainstream container plants like petunias per my mother's instructions. Of course, as with any thin pla the and com T cac D cac tus thro pla pla in o usu SPRING · 2011 36 S I D E R O A D S O F H A LT O N H I L L S S BUY TWO MEDIUM PIZZAS EXPIRES: NOV. 30, 2008 GET FREE CRAZY BREAD Ho GEORGETOWN 211 GUELPH STREET 905-873-9197