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succulent

Mexican snowball

Echeveria elegans

Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.

Echeveria elegans is a slow-growing evergreen succulent for gardens in zones 9–11. It grows 3–6 in tall and 0.5–1 ft wide, so plant it 0.75 ft apart. Give it full sun to part sun and little water once established. It flowers pink in March to May. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the edge role: a low plant that finishes the front edge. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, the Desert Southwest, the Pacific Northwest and Texas and the South-Central states, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.

Facts from our plant table

Botanical name
Echeveria elegans
Plant type
Succulent, evergreen
Hardiness zones
9 to 11
Sun
Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
Water
Low
Soil
Gritty, fast-draining soil; rots in wet soil.
Mature size
3–6 in tall × 0.5–1 ft wide
Spacing
0.75 ft apart (centre to centre)
Growth rate
Slow
Bloom
Mar–May · pink
Roles in a bed
Edge
Styles
low water, modern
Deer resistance
Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
Pets
Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. ASPCA lists Hens and Chickens (Echeveria elegans) as non-toxic to dogs and cats (aspca.org search result, 2026-11).
Native to
Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
Pot size and price
4-inch pot, typically $5–$9 (easy to find)
Plant in
Spring or Fall
First-year watering
Water deeply once or twice a week for the first 6-8 weeks, then every 10-14 days in dry spells through the first summer; after that only in long droughts.
Pruning
Remove spent flower stalks and dried lower leaves.

Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.

Guides that include this plant

Good companions

The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Mexican snowball, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.

If you can't find it

Substitutes our engine offers for Mexican snowball: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.

How this page was made

This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.

Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.

Sources

  • Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
  • ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
  • Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
  • State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
  • Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)

Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants