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Echeveria x imbricata 'Compton Carousel' (Variegated Hens and Chicks) - This succulent forms attractive clumps under 6 inches tall of small tight rosettes 4 to 6 inches wide with short blue-gray leaves that have wide cream-colored margins with a hint of pink on older leaves and leaf margins, primarily in winter. We have yet to see this cultivar flower but plants that have lost their variegation (reversions) have nice orange and yellow flowers on a 1 foot tall inflorescence that rises vertically and then arches over gracefully.
Plant in part sun to light shade or keep indoors in a brightly lighted location in well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally. We have had this plant outdoors for temperatures down to 32°F but have not fully tested its frost tolerance - based on its supposed parentage and origin it will be hardy to at least the lower 20s°F . This tight clustered plant produces offsets and in the right situation, it can form a good sized cluster and has performed well in containers both in part sun and in our greenhouse, where it really excels with rosette diameters to 8 inches.
We first received this plant for trial in May 2010 from PlantHaven International, a company that represents plant breeders and manages agreements and testing of new varieties worldwide. The plant, originally designated Echeveria secunda 'DS-2009', was discovered by David Sheppard, a bay area garden designer, in the garden of Lenore Dean in Sonoma California however it was questionable from the onset whether this plant could actually be a cultivar of Echeveria secunda and it differs from other form of Echeveria secunda, including the selection of this species we grow called 'Blue Mist' and note that some nurseries have offered it as "Echeveria 'Imbricata' variegata", which not only is an illegitimate name, but is also confusing. Judging from plants we have that have reverted back to the non-variegated form and have flowered, this plant certainly looks to share a similar parentage to the original Echeveria x imbricata (AKA 'Imbricata'), which is thought to be a hybrid from the 1870s between Echeveria secunda (previously called E. glauca) and Echeveria gibbiflora 'Metalica'. While 'Compton Carousel' has distinctively thinner and more cupped leaves, the non-varietaged reversion, which we now call Echeveria x imbricata 'Gray Swirl' does have foliage and flower that that looks very similar to the older Echeveria x imbricata cultivar. 'Compton Carousel' has also been marketed under various other cultivar names including 'Lenore Dean' and 'Serenity' but continue to list it as 'Compton Carousel', as this was the name this plant was first sold under when it was released in Europe and at botanic garden sales here in the in the US. For more information on the Echeveria x imbricata cultivars see our listing for the original cultivar, Echeveria x imbricata .
The information displayed on this page about Echeveria x imbricata 'Compton Carousel' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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