Vincent Catto Succulent

Vincent Catto Succulent (Echeveria hybrid 'Vincent Catto') is a small, chubby echeveria that changes its outfit with the seasons. Its tight rosettes of fleshy, red-tipped leaves are green, silvery grey or blue-green in summer, then turn yellow, apricot and pink in winter. It grows about 15cm tall, prefers bright light to hot sun, and suits indoor pots and sheltered patios.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that changes with the season. Green, silvery grey or blue-green leaves in summer give way to yellow, apricot and pink in winter, so the plant never looks the same twice.
• A red point on every leaf. Each plump leaf ends in a small red tip, which gives the rosettes a crisp outline.
• Clusters that fill out. It forms little groups of rosettes nestled close together, so one plant becomes a miniature landscape in its pot.
• Happy indoors. Bright light rather than hot sun suits a sunny room, so it works where many succulents struggle.
• Orange-gold flowers. Happy mature plants send up spikes of orange-gold bells.

Where it works best

Sheltered patio pots. A pot out of the hot afternoon sun is ideal. Plant 15cm apart in a shallow bowl and let the clusters knit together.

Indoors in bright light. A bright windowsill suits it well. It is the succulent to choose for a room that gets plenty of light but little direct summer sun.

Rockeries and waterwise gardens. Tuck it into gritty pockets that get bright light but are shaded from the hottest sun, spaced 15cm apart.

Growing Vincent Catto Succulent in Australia

Position and climate. Aim for bright light out of hot direct sun, which can scorch the leaves. Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal outdoors. It suits frost-free gardens in subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean climates, and arid or semi-arid gardens with some afternoon shelter. Echeverias are frost tender, so in cooler regions grow it in a pot and move it indoors for winter.

Soil. Free-draining, gritty soil is what it wants. Use a cactus and succulent mix with extra coarse sand in pots, and in the garden plant into a raised, sandy or gravelly bed.

Water and feed. Water when the top of the soil is dry, and take care not to overdo it. Apply water around the plant or into the saucer, not onto the rosettes. Once established it is drought tolerant and prefers a dry spell to a wet one.

Pruning. No pruning is needed. Gently remove dead, dry leaves from the edge of each rosette.

What to expect when it arrives

Vincent Catto Succulent is sold as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. The tube arrives with a small starter rosette, and colour and clustering develop as it grows in good light, so judge it by next season rather than the day it lands.

Our grower supplies the tubes and does not always have stock. If the tube shows as sold out on this page, the grower has none at the moment, and the notify button emails you 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

• Compare other echeverias
• House and indoor plants for bright rooms
• Succulents in Australia: a complete care guide
• How to repot succulents and offsets

Common questions

Why is my Vincent Catto changing colour?

That is normal. It shifts from green, silvery grey or blue-green in summer to yellow, apricot and pink in winter. Cooler weather and bright light bring out the warm tones.

Can it take full sun?

It prefers bright light to hot direct sun. Morning sun is fine, but summer afternoon sun can scorch the leaves, so shelter it from the hottest hours.

Will it flower?

Happy mature plants send up spikes of orange-gold bells. Good light and a settled, mature plant are what it needs.