Echeveria Topsy Turvy
Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy' (Carl Schoenfeld hybrid)
📖 About this plant
Echeveria ‘Topsy Turvy’ is a uniquely sculptural succulent that lives up to its name with leaves that curl and flip upward, creating an otherworldly, inside-out appearance. The powdery blue-grey leaves form a funnel-shaped rosette that looks almost like a surreal flower or alien organism. The dramatic upward curling of each leaf creates interesting shadows and depth within the rosette, and the powdery coating adds a soft, matte finish. When in bloom, the tall flower stalks with orange-yellow bell flowers rise dramatically above the surreal rosette. This award-winning cultivar is a favorite for succulent walls, vertical gardens, and artistic arrangements.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full Sun to Bright Indirect Light
When soil is completely dry (every 2-3 weeks)
30-50%
15-27°C (60-80°F)
Well-draining cactus/succulent mix with perlite and pumice
Diluted succulent fertilizer once in spring and once in summer
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Mexico (hybrid cultivar)
- 📏 Max height
- 15-20 cm (6-8 in) tall with flower spike
- 📐 Spread
- 15-25 cm (6-10 in) wide rosette
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring to summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Orange-yellow bell-shaped flowers on tall arching stems
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Powdery blue-grey leaves that curl upward and inward, creating a tubular, funnel-shaped rosette
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial (3-8 years)
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to humans and pets — safe for households
- 🌱 Propagation
- Leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, or beheading; allow callus 2-3 days before planting
🛡️ Health & Safety
Non-toxic to humans and pets — safe for households
Common issues
- Leaves flattening out in low light (losing the upward curl), root rot from overwatering, mealybugs between leaf crevices, etiolation stretching, loss of powdery coating if leaves are touched or rubbed
💡 Care tips
- Full sun is essential for maintaining the tight, upward-curving leaf shape — in shade, leaves flatten and the plant loses its characteristic form. The powdery coating is permanent and won't regenerate if rubbed off — handle minimally. Excellent for vertical succulent gardens and living walls. The unusual shape creates interesting shadows when backlit. Fast-growing for an echeveria — it fills in quickly in arrangements.
