Painted Echeveria nodulosa

A fascinating evergreen succulent with vivid red markings on both the margins and middle of its olive-green leaves that will make a superb addition to your garden.

Commonly known as the Painted Echeveria, it's a type of fleshy leaved succulent that is similar to our own familiar houseleeks (sempervivums) but on a slightly more exotic scale. Frost tender, they do need protection over winter but will reward you with their interesting textures and colours, plus they make a great houseplant over winter.

In summer, the wide rosettes, each up to 12cm (5in), produce a tall stem of around 60cm (2ft) topped with pale yellow, starry flowers that are streaked with red, making the plant all the more impressive.

Just like a hen and chicks (houseleek), the painted Echeveria forms rosettes surrounded by offsets - each with the capacity to form a new plant.

Overtime, plants grow upwards and lose their compact shape, but are easily re-rooted from cuttings to bring them back down to size, making them a great education tool to demonstrate how easily new plants can be produced.

Easy to grow, Echeveria will grow best in well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Plants need to be brought into frost-free conditions over winter as they are frost tender, but will happily sit outside over the summer, so we do recommend growing them in a terracotta pot that can be moved indoors over winter.

Supplied as a collection of 6 plug plants ready to pot up and grow on.