20 May 2011 ,11:32 Succulent succulents
Succulents are the architectural and drought-hardy leaders of the plant world. They’re from the arid regions of the globe . You’d probably know a few of the main species such as aloes, agaves or kalanchoes.They have fleshy leaves and stems, and sometimes even roots that store water for the drier months.
 
They have other adaptations to save water also: absent, reduced, or cylindrical to spherical leaves; reduction in the number of stomata; stems as the main site of photosynthesis (rather than leaves); a compact, reduced, cushion-like, columnar or spherical growth form; ribs enabling rapid increases in plant volume and decreasing surface area exposed to the sun; and a a waxy, hairy or spiny outer surface to create a humid microhabitat around the plant - which reduces air movement near the surface of the plant, thereby reducing water loss.
 
Flowers are magnificent although you may have to wait til maturity for most to flower. Good drainage and a hot dry spot are two musts for these plants. Most will only need water once a week in peak summer and less in the wetter months otherwise they’ll rot off.
 
 

About our Blogger

img Jody Rigby
Jody Rigby is a well-known horticulturist and TV presenter.
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A constant learning curve, gardening is all about trial and error. Knowledge grows from sharing information between friends, passing down through generations, or just getting it wrong a few times before you get it right. It's about getting grubby outside and aching from digging too much, but then feeling that fall away when you get your first flower or prize fruit off a new tree... and getting so excited you need to tell everyone.

Yours in Green is everything I’ve learnt so far - what to do when, how to do it right the first time, and of course, some frustrations along the way and how to remedy them.

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