Echeveria pulidonis aka Pulido's Echeveria

Echeveria pulidonis, or Pulido's echeveria, belongs to the Crassulaceae family. This evergreen succulent comes from Mexico. Its native range includes Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Puebla. It grows in desert or dry shrubland. Gardeners grow it for its neat rosettes and red-edged leaves. It grows slowly, making offsets that form low clumps over time.

The RHS gives garden height and spread as 0.3–1.6 feet [0.1–0.5 metres]. Plants can take five to ten years to reach full size. Each rosette spans about 0.3–0.5 feet [0.10–0.14 metres]. Short stems make the rosettes look almost stemless. The thick leaves have a spoon-like shape and pointed tips. Their colour ranges from grey-green to frosted blue-green. Red margins stand out more in strong light. Drought and winter can bring purple-red shades to the leaves.

Yellow flowers hang from long, curved, reddish stalks. Their shape falls between a bell and an urn. Each flower stalk can carry ten or more blooms. LLIFLE places flowering in spring and summer. The RHS lists summer flowers. Chicago Botanic Garden instead records November through February. These sources therefore show a broad range of bloom times. The flower stalks rise above the low leaf rosettes.

Give this plant full sun and soil that drains well. The RHS accepts sandy or loamy soil across a broad pH range. Under glass, use cactus compost and keep humidity low. Water well during growth, then reduce watering at other times. LLIFLE advises letting the soil dry before watering again. The RHS rates it H2, so protect it from freezing. Chicago Botanic Garden lists USDA zones 9–11. LLIFLE recommends a winter minimum of 5°C. It also reports brief frost survival when plants stay fully dry. In cool climates, grow it under glass with heat.

Use it in pots, rock gardens, or small borders. Clumps can fill rock cracks or trail over container edges. The RHS also lists it for houseplants and summer patio displays. Feed with dilute, low-nitrogen fertiliser during late spring and summer. Remove spent flower stalks at their base. Take leaf or stem cuttings in spring or early summer. You can also divide offsets in spring. Watch for mealybugs, aphids, and vine weevil. The RHS reports few disease problems.