So what is this lovely red succulent (??) in my turtle?

[Aridane]

A friend gave me an ornamental earthenware turtle planter for the garden. I shoved a small plant in it years ago which I have ignored and both turtle and plant seem to have survived outside over the years.

Now I've tidied up the garden a bit and the turtle has resurfaced , I see the plant has grown a bit, has had a baby and now fills the pot. It's also a nice reddish colour (though can't remember what it was in the first place).

What is the plant?

I tried various What's My Plant apps but did not get a definitive response.

Any ideas beyond what the apps suggest?

3 pictures - of plant in situ in turtle, a close up, and another picture with a tape measure by it for scale.

Many thanks

When sempervivums flower they die, sadly. Hopefully they would have made babies before then. I think echeverias are more long-lived. If you like this type of plants, have a look at the haworthias, fascinating, their leaves have little windows. And the lithops...masters of camoflage... beautiful.

Neighbours must think I'm mad plant lady as have been outside in the pitch black shining a torch on plant, squatting over turtle to take a close up to see if it has teeth 🦷...

Pretty sure it doesn't ,looking at it really closely with glorious iPhone flash - so if the article is right it's not a sempervivum. But,doesn't seem to be bothered by cold weather (famous last words)

(cross post with sabbatical about teeth)

It's one of the red forms of Echeveria agavoides, possibly 'Romeo' or even 'Sirius'. There are quite a few different cultivars of this species which have become very popular in recent years, and it's not always easy to give a correct ID, as the coloration can vary so much depending on light and the time of year. The strongest colour usually occurs in autumn, especially if the plant has been kept on the dry side.
HTH!

I photographed these in Kew gardens, second is just a close up of the pot, the colour is just amazing.

Great article, titchy.

Gosh - lithops are weird - like something from dinosaurs age.

And I see what you mean by camouflage!

Funnily enough, Wikipedia says "because their camouflage is so effective, new species continue to be discovered, sometimes in remote regions of Namibia and South Africa, and sometimes in well-populated areas where they simply had been overlooked for generations". Aw

And I've answered your question on the other thread Aridane.

Thank you, Nan, for your answer on this thread and the other!

I thought the plant was perhaps dying over the hot hot summer as it got no water but maybe that's helped the colour.

They're pretty tough plants, and can go without water for some time. Most of mine (in the greenhouse) get almost no water between October and March, kept at a minimum of 5c. However, I wouldn't leave it outside in the winter as a frost will probably see it off!

I think I have a Romeo!

He has been in the turtle in the garden all year round since I got him 3 - 4 years ago, surviving Beast from the East etc.

However,now I know what he is I won't push my luck and will bring I'm indoors so this winter isn't the winter that kills him.

That's lovely! If you have the courage to repot him eventually you can have LOTS of little Romeos. He sounds pretty tough...

I didn't think echeveria were hardy

What area of the country do you live in?

Also the colour may be misleading. Lots of plants become reddish when stressed, so it may just mean it is not very happy.

Live in London - garden small and relatively sheltered.

You might be right about the stress as it went red in summer (can't really remember the colour before) and it wasn't watered over our long hot summer (plant has never been watered).

It's just something that been around for a few years, ignored, and now I'm tidying up the garden and moved it to by my back door where I can see it, I wondered what out actually was. Possibly with a view to getting more.

However, as it's not hardy, I won't be getting any more 'Romeos'.

This is my 'Romeo', in a 9cm pot. You can just see a flower stem forming, which will take a few months to develop. E. agavoides is one of the hardier species, but depends on the cultivar, so I still wouldn't risk it outside in the winter.
Echeveria glauca is supposed to be the hardiest species, and often used in ornamental summer bedding schemes.

I thought I would update on my 'Romeo' that NanTheWiser identified.

Well, I never got round to bringing him indoors over winter and he is now furiously and gloriously red all over and flowering.

This may well be stress colouring (cold and absence of water), and the flowering may be Romeo's first and last flowering - but I'll enjoy it while it lasts

Sorry - duplicate photos - didn't think the photos had uploaded

Looking great, Aridane! This is the flowering season for most Echeverias, so quite normal - great colour too!