E.O. Orpet, a Santa Barbara horticulturist in Santa Barbara in the earlier half of the1900s is responsible for this lovely Violet Queen's arrival on the plant scene. Called the "plant missionary" he collected and grew hundreds of seeds and plants. He had a huge collection of succulents and played around with them, introducing lots of great plants. Violet is a rosette, of course, only reaching around 5" high and a bit wider, but with lots of babies underneath to fill your pot. Long, sort of narrow, pointed, spade-shaped leaves all reach skyward, slightly concave, fat and smooth. Tinted a beautiful, softest aqua/blue green with a luminous, thin white outline on the edges, the inner plant seems to glow a light green in the center. Sometimes there is a pink blush on the soft points; sometimes the blush reaches down the leaf more as if the leaftips were dipped in deep pink. And then sometimes a violet glow suffuses the entire plant giving her the name "Violet Queen". All coming from different weather conditions, of course, Violet changes her colors all year round. Blooms happen when she wants, short, shaggy, bright pink stems that curve down at the top like a shepherd's hook, with little lavender leaves dotting them, each with a few coral pink, pointed bells curving down that open at the ends in a five-pointed orange star, the nectar's inside waiting for the hummingbirds.
- Drought Tolerant
- Low Maintenance
- Pet Friendly
Quick Care Guide:
- Water - Low (1): Needs very little water to survive. Wait until the plant is completely dry then fully soak. Drought tolerant by nature.
- High - (5): Plant needs a lot of light; direct is even better. These plants do best when placed on a window sill or next to a bright window. Avoid concentrated, hot light from window which may cause burning (magnifying glass effect).
- Difficulty - Low (1): These plants need barely any attention to thrive. Set it and forget it.
View full breakdown of Care Guide here.