one man’s obsession with Mediterranean Climate Gardening
  • Home
  • About
  • My Garden
  • Random
  • Contact
  • PALMS
  • CYCADS
  • SUCCULENTS
  • FLOWERING PLANTS
  • LANDSCAPING
  • Reviews
  • TOURS
  • HODGEPODGE

The underutilized Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya)

With the ever increasing popularity of water-wise gardens in Southern California, there is a similar increase in new plants available. The palette for gardeners increases almost daily. One plant that has been around for a while appears to me to be unjustly absent from that palette of many of these new water-wise gardeners. It is a plant that is very hardy, does well with little water, looks great year-round and is a real show-stopper when grown well. The plant is Dudleya brittonii and it needs to be planted more often. Hopefully this post will convince more gardeners to find it and plant it.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) Closeup

The genus Dudleya contains about 40 species. Mostly found in California, some can be found as far north as Oregon and down into Arizona and Baja California. Dudleya brittonii is native to the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California and can be found growing on cliffs and hills between Tijuana and Ensenada. One thing that is always consistent when found in habitat is that Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) can only be found growing in well-draining soils. Knowing this is key to its success in cultivation.

The majority of the plants in the genus Dudleya are not ones that will end up in a cultivated garden. Frankly, some can be quite ugly and many only look good in wetter months. A plant often confused with Dudleya brittonii is California native Dudleya pulverulenta. In habitat, like Dudleya brittonii, Dudleya pulverulenta defies gravity by hanging onto cliffs. It is an excellent example, however, of a Dudleya that looks great in winter but shrivels up and brown tips in the summer.

Dudleya pulverulenta on Cliff

This Dudleya pulverulenta actually looks pretty good for this time of year. However, even in a garden with water and fertilizer, they go dormant like the one below. Only a diehard California native plant gardener could find this something they want to have in their yard year-round.

Dudleya pulverulenta

Even though Dudleya pulverulenta and Dudleya brittonii can look very similar in the winter, I find the similarities stop there in cultivation. The most important difference to me is that the natural cycle of summer dormancy and winter growth found in Dudleya pulverulenta doesn’t exist in Dudleya brittonii. Dudleya brittonii will look great year-round when given water and excellent draining soil.

There are two forms of Dudleya brittonii: the rarer green form which lacks the white powder on the leaves (and I don’t grow), and the more cultivated chalky-white colored form. It is this form that, when well grown, will create such a beautiful rosette of white leaves that they will actually glow under a full moon. Something interesting about this white coating seen below is that it gives Dudleya brittonii the highest measured ultraviolet reflectivity of any plant in the world.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) CloseupDudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya)

When planting Dudleya brittonii in the garden, some care must be taken. Foremost, you need to plant it in well draining soil. Mine are growing in pure decomposed granite. In this soil I am able to water them 3 times a week in summer and once every 5 days in winter. This is the same watering all my plants are on in my garden. They can receive more water than most people think, and they actually appreciate it.  Second, you want to avoid overhead watering. These plants can handle overhead watering if grown in mostly sun. The real reason to avoid overhead watering is because you don’t want the white powder to wash off. After a good rain you will find a bunch of the powder around the base of the plant. Overhead watering can do the same. Third, ideally you want to plant them away from places where it can get damaged by people brushing against the leaves or away from people that will want to touch the plant. Dudleya brittonii leaves snap easily and the white powder does come off without much effort, leaving finger prints on the leaves. The good news is that the white powder does come back over time and the plant will once again regain its full glory if allowed to. Fourth, they want a little reprieve from full sun. An ideal location will give them 1/2 to 2/3 day sun.

My placement in the garden is always against some rocks, away from overhead watering and along a planter bed border. For me this provides the best way for Dudleya brittonii to luxuriate and reward me with its beauty. Of course I do risk damage that my young children can cause running or biking by them so close to the walkways. So I am not even following my own advice from above.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) in LandscapeDudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) in Landscape

The books say that the rosette can grow to 12 to 18 inches wide. I can confirm it can grow larger. This one with my favorite beer (wish they would sponsor me) for scale was measured at just over 24 inches wide.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) Scale

Most books or online sources will also tell you Dudleya brittonii remains solitary. That too is not true. Given time and proper cultivation practices, they will branch – eventually forming gorgeous mounds. The one below has 3 rosettes and a base that is as thick as my leg. I clean out most of the dead leaves and I also remove additional new growing points that emerge, as I like the clean look of 3.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya)

Dudleya brittonii is a spring to early summer flowering plant. During that time of year it will send out 1- to 2-foot tall, red-stalked flowers from its sides. In plants like the one I showed above with the beer for scale, those flowers can be numerous. I counted 20 flowers on that plant this year. The flowers last a few months before falling to the ground next to the plant. If you do not like the flowers, just cut them off at the base when they emerge. The photos below show the same plants above in flower. You will notice the rains has washed off a lot of the powder.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) Flowering Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) Flowering

You might have noticed the two flowers appear different. I am not sure why that is. You can see the comparison below.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) Flowers Comparison

Dudleya brittonii will do well in a container if you must. However, nothing beats them planted in a well-drained rock garden. Next time you are out shopping for a new water-wise plant for your garden at your local speciality nursery, try and track down one or more Dudleya brittonii. Plant them as suggested and you surely won’t be disappointed.

Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya) in LandscapeDudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya)

Related posts:

  1. Small aloes in winter bloom
  2. Ariocarpus agavoides (Tamaulipas Living Rock Cactus) in flower
  3. Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony’ – The price has dropped
  4. Geohintonia mexicana in flower

Tagged: Flowering Perennials, Mexico, Water Wise

July 28, 2016

Comments

  1. Victoria says

    April 2, 2017 at 9:31 AM

    Thanks for sharing your garden! Wish they had these on my side of the country.

    Reply
  2. Gary Nelson says

    June 13, 2017 at 10:43 AM

    Beautiful dudleyas I will have to try to grow some. I have the ones that are growing in my Canyon they look pretty rough. But they have beautiful flowers

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      June 13, 2017 at 11:00 AM

      Yeah, the native California ones start to go dormant about this time of year and don’t look to good.

      Reply
  3. Hanna Samuel says

    July 4, 2017 at 12:36 PM

    Thank you for this helpful article and the gorgeous plants! Have one in a pot and was looking for growing instructions. Again, thanks!

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      July 4, 2017 at 12:42 PM

      Thanks for reading!

      Reply
    • Susanne says

      July 21, 2019 at 4:07 PM

      There must medicinal use for this plant. Are you aware of any?

      Reply
  4. C says

    July 25, 2018 at 11:40 AM

    White “power” haha 😉 might wanna correct a few lines in there 🙂 but thank you for all of this excellent info!

    Reply
  5. Donna West says

    August 8, 2018 at 6:12 PM

    I just got 2 Dudleya brittonii. I love them they are beautiful. Thanks for the great information. Would it be possible to grow indoors? It’s over 100 degrees here now. Thanks so much for your help

    Donna

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      August 8, 2018 at 6:52 PM

      Long term? I would say no. Just a short term thing, it should be fine. They need direct sun.

      Reply
  6. Kathy says

    August 31, 2018 at 9:01 PM

    I bought mine a year ago and it was big, but it is getting smaller. The center is good while the older dead leaves have accumulated below. It is in well drained soil with little water in san diego, south facing sun and some shade. Any suggestions of how to get it to grow bigger? Do I need to fertilize?

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      August 31, 2018 at 9:13 PM

      Kathy, I have seen something similar and when I checked closer the plant was rotting slowly. I pulled it out of the ground, cleaned up all dead leaves and cut it back to where there was no rot. I dried it out for a day and replanted it. I would check to see how stable yours is in the ground.

      Reply
      • Kathy Ng says

        September 1, 2018 at 7:35 PM

        Thanks for replying, Len. I tried to wiggle it and it seems pretty secure in the ground. Should I just cut back all the dead leaves or actually dig it up to check for rot?

        Reply
        • Len Geiger says

          September 1, 2018 at 7:39 PM

          So hard to give advice without seeing it. However, if it isn’t growing like it was than something is wrong. And with succulents it’s usually an early warning of a rot issue or something else.

          Reply
  7. Kathy says

    September 3, 2018 at 10:42 AM

    I dug it up and found shallow roots, an ant infestation but no rot. Anyway I moved it to a new location in the garden. The bare stem is 4in in diameter and now about 8in long after I removed all the dead leaves. Do you think leaves will grow back on the stem? I replanted it at the same depth it was before moving it, but not sure if I should plant deeper. Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      September 3, 2018 at 5:57 PM

      Because the stem was long and since you already dug it, you could have cut off like 5 inches, lwt the wound dry a few days, then planted it to force a bunch of new root growth. This is what I do. It you should be fine and it is getting prime Dudleya growing season.

      Reply
  8. Kim Cyr says

    October 27, 2019 at 4:47 PM

    After seeing the plants in your garden this week, I purchased one at the Huntington sale. I lost 2 of these years ago, but want to try again. In searching for advice, what should I find but your blog. Cool! I was planning to leave it in a pot, but it sounds like that would be the wrong approach. Once I get some decomposed granite, it will be planted. My drip irrigation is maybe not so reliable; the plant may have to fend for itself.

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      October 27, 2019 at 7:07 PM

      For SoCal or Hawaii? DG key for SoCal. Yhey can handle a lot of water in it.

      Reply
      • Kim Cyr says

        October 28, 2019 at 9:27 PM

        Oh, SoCal for sure. My place in Hawaii gets 150 inches of rain a year — the plant would never have the white powdery look. Here in San Diego, the scant rainfall will allow it to look its best with some drip irrigation.

        Reply
  9. Chris Ryburn says

    May 3, 2020 at 3:22 PM

    Len, have you ever propagated Dudleya Brittonii from leaf cuttings? I have a flat of them growing from seed, but they are so slow.

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      May 3, 2020 at 10:21 PM

      No, I never have. I don’t know anyone that has.

      Reply
  10. Becky Cleavenger says

    August 23, 2021 at 4:34 PM

    Just came across this after reading about dudleya theft in California. My dudleyas have a very long stem. From reading comments above, I gather I can cut it at appropriate length, let it scar for a day or so, and replant. True? Safe? I don’t want to lose them.

    Many thanks.

    https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/south-korean-man-to-plead-guilty-in-la-to-plant-poaching/2677544/

    Reply
    • Len Geiger says

      August 23, 2021 at 7:32 PM

      Yep, it’s that easy to root.

      Reply
  11. Kelly Baxter says

    November 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM

    Thank you for such an informative article. I fell in love with the Dudleya brittonii while visiting CA. I could not stop thinking about the Dudleya when I returned to MD. I ordered one from a nursery in the spring and have it in a pot. It would stay outside when it was not raining and did very well. I have it inside now in a big window. It is getting a bit leggy but flowered are starting to shoot up. Would you recommend I cut the flowers since it is in a pot and indoors? I would appreciate any other suggestions/advice for this magnificent plant

    Reply

Comments: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

  1. Small aloes in winter bloom
  2. Ariocarpus agavoides (Tamaulipas Living Rock Cactus) in flower
  3. Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony’ – The price has dropped
  4. Geohintonia mexicana in flower

Archives

TAGS

Agaves Aloes Botanical Garden Bromeliads Cactus Cycads Dypsis Echeveria Epiphytes Euphorbia Fertilizing Flowering Perennials Flowering Shrubs Flowering Trees Fragrance Fruit Trees Fungus Garden Art Gardening Tips Germination Greenhouse Hibiscus Hiking Landscape Madagascar Mexico New Caledonia Orchids Palm Trees Plant Removal Potting Soil Propagation Rancho Soledad Nursery Rants Rock Garden South Africa Southeast Asia Thailand Transplanting Travel Tropical Plants Variegation Water Wise Weather Wildlife

Get The Latest

Keep up with the latest gardening news from Married To Plants.


CATEGORIES

  • Palms
  • Cycads
  • Succulents
  • Flowering Plants
  • Landscaping
  • Reviews
  • Tours
  • Hodgepodge

CONNECT

  • Contact



  • © 2025 Married To Plants. All Rights Reserved.