Blue Curls Succulent

Blue Curls Succulent (Echeveria 'Blue Curls') is the cabbage of the succulent world: a rosette up to 30cm tall and wide of large, flat leaves that crinkle and frill at the edges. The leaves are silvery blue-green, shading to orange-pink on the outer edges, and the colour shifts with light and season. It asks only for sun, sharp drainage and a light hand with the watering can.

Why you'll love it

• Frilled, ruffled leaves. The wavy, crinkled edges make each rosette a sculptural shape that looks like a ruffled flower.
• Colour that changes. Silvery blue-green with orange-pink edges, varying with the light and the season, so it never looks quite the same twice.
• A bigger statement. At up to 30cm across it makes a real focal point, larger than most echeverias.
• Low maintenance. It is hardy and drought tolerant once established, and needs no regular pruning.
• Indoors or out. It does well on a bright sill, in a patio pot or in a rockery in a frost free garden.

Where it works best

Feature pots. Plant one rosette in a wide, shallow pot of gritty mix as a table or step centrepiece. The frills show best at close range.

Rockeries and gravel beds. Plant 40cm apart in full sun, so each rosette has space to open fully and stand out against stone.

Indoor displays. Give it your brightest window, and keep its leaves dry and clear of dust.

Growing Blue Curls Succulent in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings out the strongest leaf colour. It suits frost free gardens in subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid climates. Echeverias are frost tender, so in cold districts grow it in a pot and shelter it indoors through winter.

Soil. Plant in well drained soil. Use a cactus and succulent mix in pots, and raise the bed or add grit on heavy ground.

Water and feed. Water when the top of the soil is dry, and be careful not to overwater. The frilled leaves can hold water, so water around the plant or into the saucer, never onto the rosette.

Pruning. No pruning is needed. Carefully pull away any dead, dry leaves from the edge of the rosette.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Blue Curls Succulent as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly in a sunny, free draining spot. Expect a small rosette at first. The frills develop and the rosette widens as it grows.

Tube stock comes from our grower and is not always available. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and the notify button on the page emails you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse our full range of echeverias
• Succulents for hot climates
• Plants that suit pots and containers
• Succulents in Australia: a complete care guide

Common questions

Why does the colour change?

Light and season both play a part. In bright sun and cooler weather the orange-pink edges deepen, while in lower light the leaves look more blue-green.

How do I stop the frills rotting?

Keep water off the rosette. The crinkled leaves can trap moisture in the centre, so water at the soil, and use a pot with good drainage.

Is it safe for cats and dogs?

Echeverias are generally regarded as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Any plant can upset an animal that eats a lot of it, so keep it out of reach of a determined nibbler.