My usual practice when getting a new succulent is to take a portrait and pot it up within the first three days. Sometimes they look a bit rugged coming out of the box and I wait a few days for the imaging. The Echeveria 'Atlantis' received from Succulents Depot April 30 was REALLY rugged at unboxing. The plant eventually came around, and here it is, finally.
This image from May 2 shows why I didn't post something earlier. Yes, it is nice that the plant has recovered as well as it has in three months, but I think the mail order companies sometimes send you plants that looked like crap BEFORE they went into the box. Succulents Depot says, "Plants may look slightly dull or stressed from being in a dark box — that's normal." Uh, sure. Maybe the Postal Service did this, maybe not. In this case it worked out, in others it does not. (I'm looking at you The Next Gardener / Echeveria 'Rainbow.') My advice always is to shop locally so you can see what you are buying, and only resort to the mail order companies for something you can't find elsewhere. Here in rural Montana 60 miles from Billings, I'm stuck with what Home Depot, Walmart and a couple of expensive local shops have on hand, then Mountain Crest Gardens is the first online alternative. The only other online shop I recommend is Ramsey's, which has the lowest prices and good quality but not a vast selection like Mountain Crest. Succulents Depot and some others will not have me as a repeat customer.
There some other plants that I didn't have images posted on my Succulent List (see right-hand menu). These include another Echeveria and four Sedums. First up is Echeveria 'Red Beauty,' which I got from Mountain Crest Gardens May 16. It was just something to fill out an order to get free shipping and I stuck it in one of the big bowls, where it has done fine. If the rosette was a little bigger I would consider giving it its own pot.
Next are two SunSparkler hardy Sedums, 'Wildfire' and 'Lime Twister,' purchased at Nana's Bloomers in Laurel, MT April 14. (I got five succulents from Nana's this year, but the problem with them is they get enough in the spring for one display table, and that's it. By the time they close for the season in early July, what little they have left is overgrown.) I keep thinking I will plant 'Wildfire' in the border of my front yard but haven't done it yet. Both of them are in small hanging baskets in the greenhouse. I took them outside to get these shots. The 'Wildfire' looks like it is about to bloom.
Another SunSparkler Sedum is 'Blue Pearl,' obtained in that infamous Succulents Depot image of April 30. Compared to the other two Sedums, it came in a very small pot and still isn't that big.
The final Sedum, unlike the SunSparklers, is not hardy. It is 'Shooting Stars,' acquired at Home Depot February 27. I have divided it and use it in two large bowls.
