How to Plant Mexican Roses
Mexican roses (Echeveria elegans) are also known as Mexican snowballs, Mexican ghost plants and hens and chicks. They grow to be about 12 inches tall and wide. They are considered succulent plants, meaning they have fleshy tissues that store water. Mexican roses have grayish green leaves and pink flowers that bloom in the spring and summer. Mexican roses can be planted outdoors in the spring in USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11. However, they can also be grown indoors or in greenhouses most anywhere.
Choose a location that is in full sun or partial shade. If planting indoors, a sunny window sill is the perfect place to grow Mexican roses. South facing windows are best.
- Mexican roses (Echeveria elegans) are also known as Mexican snowballs, Mexican ghost plants and hens and chicks.
- However, they can also be grown indoors or in greenhouses most anywhere.
Prepare your soil. If planting outdoors, your soil needs to be well drained. If necessary, add some sand, humus or compost to the soil. Use general all-purpose potting soil mixed with a bit a sand if you are planting your Mexican roses in containers. The containers should have drainage holes at the bottom. Add a layer of rocks or gravel at the bottom to help improve drainage.
Dig a hole that is just as wide, but twice as deep as the current container that the Mexican rose is planted in. Space multiple plants about 12 inches apart. Add a sprinkle of bone meal before planting.
- If planting outdoors, your soil needs to be well drained.
- Use general all-purpose potting soil mixed with a bit a sand if you are planting your Mexican roses in containers.
Take the plant out of the container and place it in the center of the hole. Backfill the hole with soil and pat it until firm to get rid of any air pockets.
Water your plant well and let it dry out until slightly moist between waterings. Try not to get water on the leaves when watering.
Plant Mexican Sunflowers
Plant Mexican sunflower seeds directly in an outdoor garden in mid-spring to late spring when all danger of frost has passed and air temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the soil by spading it to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Mexican sunflowers prefer a location that is exposed to sunlight at least six hours per day. Scatter Mexican sunflower seeds lightly over the surface of the prepared soil. Settle the seeds by watering the soil lightly with a garden hose equipped with a spray nozzle. Allow about 24 inches between plants because Mexican sunflowers require room to spread. Water Mexican sunflowers only during extended periods of hot, dry weather and when the foliage begins to look wilted. Water the plants deeply to saturate theit root zone, and then don't water them again until their soil is completely dry.
- Take the plant out of the container and place it in the center of the hole.
- Water the plants deeply to saturate theit root zone, and then don't water them again until their soil is completely dry.
Related Articles
References
- Sunnygardens.com: Echeveria elegans
- FloriData: Tithonia Rotundiflora
- The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom; Eileen Powell
- The New Sunset Western Garden Book; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Editor
Writer Bio
Melissa Lewis is a former elementary classroom teacher and media specialist. She has also written for various online publications. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
