Orostachys Iwarenge

Tiny Plants in a Stone Wall

| Flower Roberts

Stones stay warm after the sun goes down.
I have places to sit in my wall which are cozy on cool evenings. Sedums and succulents appreciate the warmth and good drainage of a stone wall.


My most interesting type of tiny plant in the wall is tucked in a safe spot behind a seat where I can sit next to it to care for it and enjoy it.

Chinese Dunce Cap

This is Orostachys malacphylla var. iwarenge. I call it by an easier name, Chinese Dunce Cap. It gets that name because its fall blooms are on tall cones.

Orostachys malacphylla var. iwarenge


I love the gray rosettes against the gray stones. This plant needs full sun and perfect drainage. You will want to sit near it while it blooms. The cones are complex and beautiful.

My warm seat in the evenings.

FLOWER

Bees on Dunce Cap Blooms

| Flower Roberts

I must admit I would never have noticed these tiny blooms if it weren’t for the bees. Bees are busily visiting the last bloomers now before the cold sets in. They kept zooming past me as I worked to put plants into the ground before the first freeze.

All bees lead to this Chinese Dunce Cap, Orostachys Iwarenge. I usually watch as the caps arise and then ignore the plants afterward. Good thing the bees did not ignore these tiny, late flowers. I would have missed them in my haste to winterize my other green babies.

Chinese Dunce Cap/ Orostachys Iwarenge

I need to use my jeweler’s loop to see the structure of the flowers.

There seems to be a white blooming and a pink blooming form nestled here in the rock wall.

This is the best spot for them; dry, warm and sunny.

I have been watching the busy bees buzz the last blooms all afternoon.

I am glad to supply their last snacks before frost.

FLOWER