It does its best in full sun in a well-drained soil but can grow well in part sun to bright shade at the expense of flowering. It has with low water requirements and is cold hardy to about 15 to 20 degrees F. This plant is one of the most reliable of the genus for planting out in containers or in the garden where it can make a charming small area groundcover.

The genus Echeveria is a member of the large Crassula family (Crassulaceae), which has about 1,400 species in 33 genera with worldwide distribution. Echeveria, with approximately 180 species, are native to mid to higher elevations in the Americas with the main distribution in Mexico and central America but with one species found from as far north as southern Texas and several species occurring as far south as Bolivia, Peru and possibly Argentina.

Echeveria derenbergii comes from Mexico in the southwestern Sierra Mixteca of eastern Oaxaca near the border with Puebla. It was named by the German horticulturist and botanical collector Joseph Anton Purpus who collected it in 1908 and named it in 1921 to honor his friend Dr. Julius Derenberg of Hamburg. The name for the genus honors the Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy in 1828 by the French botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (DeCandolle) who was very impressed with Echeverría's drawings. Echeverría had accompanied the the Sessé and Mociño expedition (led by Martin de Sessé y Lacasta and Mariano Mociño Suárez de Figueroa) while exploring Mexico and northern Central America and had produced thousands of botanical illustrations. The book The genus Echeveria by John Pilbeam (published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society, 2008) is an excellent source of information on the species and Echeveria Cultivars by Lorraine Schulz (AKA Rudolf Schulz) and Attila Kapitany (Schulz Publishing, 2005) has beautiful photos and great information on the cultivars and hybrids. It has been argued by some that the correct pronunciation for the genus is ek-e-ve'-ri-a, though ech-e-ver'-i-a seems in more prevalent use in the US. This charming plant was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993 and we have grown and sold it since 1994. 

The information about Echeveria derenbergii displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.