Hardy Succulents - Aizoaceae

[Kelaidis]

Great to see all those delos in your garden Mark!

I have Ebracteola wilmaniae opening its flowers on warmish days.

I am attaching two pix of the two best pink flowered delos (in my opinion), both of which are very tough. The first is Delo. 'Lesotho Pink' introduced by David Salman, I believe from seed he got from Silverhill. It has gorgeous winter foliage color (a deep purple) and has never shown signs of cold damage here.

The second is 'Tiffendell' collected by my colleage Dan Johnson, who has a sharp eye. It gets enormous here (over a yard across) and likewise never has cold damage.

[Hoy]

Although the winters here perhaps are milder than yours, you have more sun and warmer summers and more sun in the fall. I think the plants need sun to harden off in the fall.

[Weiser]

The second is 'Tiffendell' collected by my colleague Dan Johnson, who has a sharp eye. It gets enormous here (over a yard across) and likewise never has cold damage.

Love to have this one but I can not seem to find a commercial source. It looks like a real show stopper! Maybe in a year or two it will be making the rounds at the nurseries.

PK  have you ever compiled a list of the hardy Aizoaceae you grow in your garden? I for one would be very interested!

Aloinopsis spathulata is a little gem I have had moderate luck with. It will do great for two of three years until I hit a snowy winter with a lot of freeze thaw cycles then it rots off. I keep trying it in increasingly, sharply drained substraits in the hope of hitting the perfect combination.

[McDonough]

Aloinopsis spathulata is a little gem I have had moderate luck with. It will do great for two of three years until I hit a snowy winter with a lot of freeze thaw cycles then it rots off. I keep trying it in increasingly, sharply drained substraits in the hope of hitting the perfect combination.

John, that's a beauty.  The flowers of this genus seem distinct in the way thy form a low central cone.  Seeing this one had me googling and losing a couple hours of viewing more succulent eye-candy, my goodness there are some awesome dwarf succulents.  I'm not sure how many Aloinopsis are hardy ones, but there seem to be a good number of species and cultivars.  Here's some links that caught my attention:

The Tucson-Gardener.com has lots of nice galleries, with an emphasis on more tender cacti and succulent species.
Flower gallery:
http://www.tucson-gardener.com/graphics/Galleries/Flowers/Flowers.html
Spination Gallery
http://tucson-gardener.com/graphics/Galleries/Photo%20Galleries.html
Collection:
http://www.tucson-gardener.com/Collection.html

Some Aloinopsis and Aloinanthus
========================
Aloinopsis Karoo Red Mix hybrid
http://blog.highcountrygardens.com/wp-content/uploads/Aloinopsis-Karoo-Red-Mix-hybrid.jpg

Lots of good stuff at Sunscapes:
http://www.sunscapes.net/Pages/Catalog.htm

Two Aloinopsis at Sunscapes, A. spathulata, and check out the hybrid one named 'Thai Dyed':
http://www.sunscapes.net/Pages/Catalog.htm
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/A.%20spathulata%2032%25%203.0.JPG
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Titanopsis%20x%20%27Thai%20Dyed%27%2032%25%203.0.JPG

And then check out the Aloinanthus (hybrids between Aloinopsis and Nanathus; superb!)
These are listed as "not reliably hardy here in zone 5 but will survive some winters in warm microclimates"
A. x ’High Noon’
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Aloinopsis%20X-1%20%27High%20Noon%27%20%2040%25%202.0.JPG

A. x 'Morning Sky'
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Aloinopsis%20x%20%27Morning%20Sky%27%2032%25%203.0-1.JPG

A. x 'Last Light'
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Aloinopsis%20x%20%27Last%20Light%27%203.0%2032%25.JPG

A. x 'Opera Mauve'
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Aloinopsis%20x%20%27Opera%20Mauve%27.JPG

A. x 'Sunscapes Pink'
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Aloinopsis%20x%20%27Sunscapes%20Pink%27%2032%25%203.0.JPG

A. x 'Yellow Eye'
http://www.sunscapes.net/images/Aloinopsis%20x%20%20%27Yellow%20Eye%27%203.0%2032%25.JPG

[Hoy]

A very attractive plant!

[Weiser]

Thought I'd revive this topic with a few pictures of another hardy Aizoaceae.

These shots are of Chasmatope musculinum. I have had this plant for five years and it has proven to be hardy for me. It is a woody slow creeper and cuttings are easy as it likes to root as it expands in size. As you can see it blooms in early spring usually starting from mid May - late May for me. 

[McDonough]

Just catching up with this, and upon reawakening the topic, John somehow I missed commenting on your photos of Chasmatope musculinum.  I love learning about all of these hardy succulents, inspired by each new species and cultivar I learn about.  This one sure is unique, reminiscent of a dandelion genetically slammed together with a succulent, a very cool plant!

After being under 5-6 feet of snow, the troughs on the sunny south side of a garden shed next to my driveway, sufficiently warm and sunny in this microclimate to melt away the snow, suddenly the troughs are exposed and visible again.  Actually, this is the time to worry, because it is usually the wild swings in temperature and moisture in spring that does the most damage. 



In the photo you can see a couple Delosperma plants, the one on the lower is the new species with orange-hot-pink-red flowers;
see: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=468.msg5118#msg5118    Panayoti...it's looking fine, firm and very much alive.  Behind it is a smaller brownish-leaf plant of 'White Nugget'.  On the left is the winter red-purple leaf color on Penstemon procerus var. formosus, and a microphlox cultivar behind it.

[Weiser]

Mark
Good to see your garden emerging.

[Hoy]

Thought I'd revive this topic with a few pictures of another hardy Aizoaceae.

These shots are of Chasmatope musculinum. I have had this plant for five years and it has proven to be hardy for me. It is a woody slow creeper and cuttings are easy as it likes to root as it expands in size. As you can see it blooms in early spring usually starting from mid May - late May for me.  

What's hardy for you isn't for me, I'll bet! Although it is less cold here than many other places it is too wet and too little Sunshine!
But I will try more Aizoaceae to if I can find any hardy enough!

Just catching up with this, and upon reawakening the topic, John somehow I missed commenting on your photos of Chasmatope musculinum.  I love learning about all of these hardy succulents, inspired by each new species and cultivar I learn about.  This one sure is unique, reminiscent of a dandelion genetically slammed together with a succulent, a very cool plant!

After being under 5-6 feet of snow, the troughs on the sunny south side of a garden shed next to my driveway, sufficiently warm and sunny in this microclimate to melt away the snow, suddenly the troughs are exposed and visible again.  Actually, this is the time to worry, because it is usually the wild swings in temperature and moisture in spring that does the most damage.  

Although you had and still have more snow than I you are catching up Mark! That's the advantage of living far south

[McDonough]

Although you had and still have more snow than I you are catching up Mark! That's the advantage of living far south

Haha, "living far south"
We had a brief break from frigid temperatures, but its back to being frigid again with snow predicted tonight.

[Hoy]

  You are still a southerner to me!

[cohan]

You are still a southerner to me!

To me too! You're all warm zone gardeners to me Even Lori 

Trond, the same name I gave you, Martin, who John mentioined in this thread, has grown a lot of mesembs in Denmark, in various degrees of cover etc.. still an excellent source for info for you

[Hoy]

You are still a southerner to me!

To me too! You're all warm zone gardeners to me Even Lori 

Trond, the same name I gave you, Martin, who John mentioined in this thread, has grown a lot of mesembs in Denmark, in various degrees of cover etc.. still an excellent source for info for you

[Todd Boland]

I'm a southerner (from a Canadian perspective) living in a northern climate (more like Tronds).  I managed to dig my way into my cold frame and several Delosperma seemed to have survived.  They can never make it outdoors here with the exception of D. basuticum.  I am amazed that my Stomatium (species unknown) survived!  I hope it blooms this year so I can get an ID.

[McDonough]

Speaking of Stomatium, I'm pleased that my Stomatium species (received as S. patulum) is looking healthy and lively even after a mountain of snow melted away, and two clumps were then subjected to snowless deep freezes, rain, more snow, deep freezes again, and sun today.  I might be speaking too early, but the plant seems indifferent to what winter throws at it so far.