Dudleya Returns

Indulge me.  I think Dudleyas are the cutest plants ever.  My infatuation dates from before I had educated myself about native plants.  I discovered my first dudleyas at a retreat center in San Marcos:  silver jewels tucked under the deep shade of an oak.  Such an unlikely place for a succulent!  Then I saw the same silver rosettes scattered on a tall north-facing cliff (road cut) on Highway 101 near Thousand Oaks-- so delightful.  I can tell which of my friends are plant lovers: they've noticed those Highway 101 landmarks too!

These giant Chalk Dudleyas (Dudleya pulverulenta) were seen on private property in north San Diego county.
Note the tea bottle for scale.

It may be that, since Dudleyas look like desert plants, people are less likely to kill them by overwater than other natives.  They may shrivel in summer, and many of them (including the big silvery rosette kinds) get misshapen in frost.  Most prefer part shade rather than sun.  Don't cook your Dudleya. But other than that, treat them like a succulent.  Always err on the side of underwater, and great drainage.

Crystal Cove SP had these cabbage-y Dudleyas growing on a road cut (where else?) in deep shade.

This Dudleya (lanceolata, I believe) in deep damp shade did not look much like a succulent,
except for the characteristic flower stalks forming

Dudleyas really want to grow sideways.  Can you tell?

This Catalina Dudleya (Dudleya virens ssp. hassei) purchased from Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden
was directionally challenged.

No problem.  I just tucked him sideways into a slope that I can see from my kitchen window.  What a delight!

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden has Dudleya ground cover.  How cool is that?

This is also Catalina Dudleya, but with a little different growth pattern.

And no, that bluish stuff so trendy all over coastal Southern California as ground cover is not Dudleya. It's Blue Senecio.  You are not likely to see Dudleyas for sale in regular nurseries or growing in a suburban yard– though you may see the occasional Chalk Dudleya.

NOT DUDLEYA! Blue Senecio. 'Blue Fingers.'

 Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden's Grow Native nursery (in Claremont) has the best selection of Dudleyas for sale that I have seen.  Indulge yourself!

For sale: Dudleya Cymosa - Grows widely in California, even in in frosty places like Sierra foothills!

A new gardening friend gave me some cuttings from her Dudleya collection. Yippie! And the San Diego CNPS Garden Tour offered plenty of dudleyas in pots and all over gardens.  Dudleyas are starting to bloom too.  Stay tuned for more Dudleyas!

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