Echeveria 'Barbillion'

This is one of the easiest and most durable of all Echeveria hybrids developed by Dick Wright, the master! He has created hundreds of the...Read Morese. Many are never seen outside his nursery as he destroys the ones that are not worthy.

Barbillon like many of these plants is easiest to propagate by not completely dead heading the plant. By cutting the center from the head one can preserve the most beautiful leaves from the center stem and the plant left on the stem will create faster and more plentifully the new plants that grow from offsets.

Cored head is allowed to callous in a warm shady dry place with bright light. The head should rest on dry organic potting mix after it has calloused. Within a few days or weeks, whichever comes first tiny optic-fiber-like air roots will form usuallly around the corners of the leaves on the stem. As soon as these are seen the head is ready to root.

It should then be placed in regular rooting mix with a thin layer of the fine organic mix over the top. Water it lightly and watch for new growth. When new growth appears..depending on growth cycle and or dormancy it can be up to a month before the plant is rooted. it can them be watered more freely.

If you want the best carunculations the plant will need bright light. Some of the carunulates can take full sun with almost no hardship. We have found that Barbillion needs a little protection from harsh afternoon sun. so we put it in a bright open sky with protection from the west and south.

This Echeveria hybrid is one of the many popular Dick Wright creations. In my opinion this is one of the very best. It has incredible c...Read Moreolors that change throughout the year, though primarily it is turquoise with a hint of pink and purple here and there. The leaves are huge, slightly arching, rubbery things that have a caruncular deformity along much of the dorsal surface, but not to the tips or sides. The ends of the leaves have a nice wave to them and usually have a pink-orange margin. I used to call this my Echeveria neoplastic/warty until I learned what hybrid it was. There are a lot of caruncular hybrids, but this is a particularly large one in which most of the leaf is affected. It eventually gets tall and leggy and flowers, at which point it looks a bit less ornamental, and either nees support (or it could break off of just fall over)... but it's recommended to have it 'deheaded' right below the rosette, forcing offsets which can then also be deheaded and planted later on. This is one of my favorite Echeverias in the landscape and always an eyecatcher.

Eventually it develops a hefty stem, and at some point, you are supposed to 'dead-head' this plant, and replant it as a short-stemmed plant again (usually reroots well supposedly)... however, I like the long stem (too long will be a problem and then I will do as I should) and itself is quite ornamental