XSedeveria 'Blue Elf'
×Sedeveria 'Blue Elf is a vigorous, clustering hybrid succulent in the genus xSedeveria — an intergeneric cross between Sedum and Echeveria. It forms tight rosettes of narrow, pointed blue-green leaves whose tips flush pink, red or burgundy in bright light and cool weather. Fast-growing and forgiving, it offsets freely to build up dense, low mounds, making it one of the easiest and most rewarding of the ×Sedeveria hybrids for beginners.
Description
'Blue Elf' produces compact rosettes a few centimetres across, each built from many slender, lance-shaped leaves that taper to a fine point. The foliage is a soft, waxy blue-green, and under strong light the leaf tips and margins take on a pink-to-burgundy blush — the colour deepening in cooler months and fading toward plain green in shade. Its Sedum parentage shows in the plant's readiness to branch and cluster: rather than staying solitary, it throws offsets from the base and along short stems, so a single rosette soon becomes a spreading colony. Several times a year, given enough light, it may send up short stalks of small, star-shaped yellow flowers — a free-flowering habit that has earned it the nickname 'Happy Plant'.
Cultivation
Care follows the same principles as for other ×Sedeveria hybrids; see the xSedeveria genus page for a fuller account. Grow 'Blue Elf' in a gritty, fast-draining mix and give it as much light as you can — bright light is what keeps the rosettes tight and brings out the red leaf tips, whereas too little light causes the plant to stretch (etiolate) and lose colour. Water thoroughly once the soil has dried out, then let it dry again before the next drink; ease off in winter, when the plant prefers to stay cool and mostly dry. As a soft, frost-tender succulent it is damaged by hard freezes and should be sheltered or brought indoors where frost is likely. See Watering for general technique.
Being of hybrid vigour, 'Blue Elf' is notably tough and quick to recover from neglect. It suits shallow bowls, mixed arrangements and the edges of pots, where its trailing, mounding habit can spill over the rim. Watch for the usual succulent pests, especially mealybugs tucked between the crowded leaves.
Propagation
'Blue Elf' is exceptionally easy to increase. The clustering rosettes can be separated as offsets and rooted individually, and it also strikes readily from stem cuttings or even single leaves laid on a barely-moist mix (see Propagation — cuttings). Let any cut or detached surface callus for a day or two before setting it to root.
See also
- xSedeveria — the genus overview
- Sedum · Echeveria — the parent genera
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation — offsets · Propagation — cuttings