Little Painted Lady Succulent

Little Painted Lady Succulent (Echeveria derenbergii 'Little Painted Lady') is a small olive-green echeveria marked with streaks, stripes and splashes of red. Each rosette is around 10cm tall and wide, and no two plants are marked quite alike. Mature, happy plants send up stems of red and cream bell flowers.

Why you'll love it

• Hand painted markings. Red patterns and edges run across olive leaves, so every plant is a little different.
• Blue-green when young. Young leaves start blue-green and mature to olive.
• Red and cream bells. Flower stems of two-toned bells add colour on settled plants.
• Small and tidy. At 10cm it suits pots, bowls and the gaps in a rockery.

Where it works best

Pots and bowls. Plant 10cm apart in a shallow bowl and the marked leaves read as a patchwork. Use a gritty, free draining mix.

Rockeries. Full sun in a gravelly pocket gives the deepest red markings. In wet climates, pick a spot under an eave.

Windowsills. Bright light indoors keeps the pattern strong. Echeverias are not regarded as toxic to pets, though it is still wise to keep any plant out of a chewer's reach.

Growing Little Painted Lady Succulent in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the best leaf colour, with a week or two of gradual acclimatisation before strong summer sun. It copes outdoors across warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and in the subtropics when it is kept out of the wet. Frost damages it, so where winters are cold keep it potted and bring it inside or under an eave from autumn.

Soil. It prefers well drained soil that is neutral to alkaline. Use a gritty cactus mix, and avoid very acidic mixes.

Water and feed. Water around the base only when the soil has dried out, roughly fortnightly in summer for a pot and far less in winter. A rosette that sits wet at the centre will rot, so keep the leaves dry. A weak slow release dose in early spring is plenty.

Pruning. Nothing to prune. Remove dead, dry leaves from the rosette's edge.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Little Painted Lady Succulent as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly once it is potted up. Tube plants are young and small, with blue-green leaves that mature to olive as the red markings develop.

Succulents travel well because the leaves carry their own water. A lower leaf or two may loosen in transit, and laid on dry mix it will often root as a new plant. Unpack on arrival and stand the plant in bright shade for a few days. Because the tube comes from our grower, it is not always in stock. A sold out tube means the grower has none right now, and the notify button on this page will send you an email the day it returns.

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

• See more echeverias
• Our succulents collection
• A guide to succulents in Australia
• Indoor plant care for beginners

Common questions

Why do the markings differ between plants?

Each plant is uniquely marked, from streaks to splashes. Light also changes how strong the red appears.

What soil does it like?

Well drained, neutral to alkaline. A gritty cactus mix suits it, and acidic mixes are best avoided.

Will it flower?

Mature, happy plants send up stems of red and cream bells. Flowering follows a period of settled growth in good light.