Chroma Succulent

Chroma Succulent (Echeveria hybrid 'Chroma') is a compact Californian echeveria that rarely holds one colour for long. Its small, neat rosettes of rounded leaves reach about 15cm tall and 20cm wide, drifting through plum, rose, green and butter yellow as the seasons and the light change. That makes it a good pick for small pots, rockery pockets and bright windowsills.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that keeps moving. Leaf tone shifts with the season and the light, so your plant may not match the photos exactly.
• Tidy and small. The rosettes stay compact, which suits shallow bowls, tiny pots and gaps between rocks.
• Spring flowers. Settled, mature plants send up orange-pink blooms with yellow tips.
• Free extra plants. Pups form around the base of larger plants, ready to pull away and replant.

Where it works best

Pots and bowls. In a shallow pot of gritty mix it makes a neat table or windowsill plant. Plant 20cm apart in a wide bowl so each rosette keeps its shape and its colour shows.

Rockeries and waterwise beds. Tuck it into sharply drained pockets at the front of a rockery, or under an eave in humid regions.

Indoors. A bright room suits it well, close to a window but out of hot afternoon glass. It is not considered toxic to cats or dogs, but keep pots out of reach of a determined nibbler all the same.

Growing Chroma Succulent in Australia

Position and climate. Give it bright light, either indirect light or gentle morning sun, and shelter from hot afternoon sun, which can burn the leaves. Outdoors it suits warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and subtropical ones if it can stay out of persistent rain. Cold, wet winters are its weak point, so in southern and highland gardens pot it and shelter it from frost.

Soil. Sharp drainage matters more than richness. Use a cactus and succulent mix, or blend three parts potting mix with two parts coarse sand and one part perlite.

Water and feed. Let the mix dry out between waterings, then soak it and let it drain, always at soil level and never into the centre of the rosette. Through winter a pot may need water only about once a month. Feed once, lightly, in early spring, since rich feeding stretches the rosette.

Pruning. No pruning is needed beyond pulling away dead, dry leaves and lifting off rooted pups.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Chroma Succulent as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly once it is potted up, and in 140mm pots in packs of 10 for a larger planting. Expect a small young rosette at first, with its stronger colours developing as it grows in good light.

Echeverias handle a few days in a box without complaint. Take the plant out on arrival, settle it in bright shade, and move it to its final light over a week or two rather than all at once. Availability of the tube depends on our grower, who does not always have it. If the page shows sold out, use the notify button and you will get an email the day the tube is available again.

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 the full echeveria range
• More rockery plants for sunny, free draining spots
• Succulents in Australia: a complete care guide
• How to repot succulents and pups

Common questions

Why has my Chroma changed colour?

Colour change is normal. It follows the season and the amount of light, so a brighter spot usually brings richer tones and a dim one pales them.

Can I keep it indoors all year?

Yes, in a bright room close to a window. Turn the pot now and then, and if the rosette starts to stretch, it needs more light.

What do I do with the pups?

Once a pup has its own roots, twist it away, let the base dry for a few days, then pot it into gritty mix.