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Echeverias might be the most popular succulent sold in nurseries and garden centers. And there’s a reason for that: They grow quickly compared to many other cacti and succulents, they flower more readily and they offer an astonishing range of foliage color.

One of the prettiest is Echeveria peacockii. With a species name like that, this plant has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, it more than succeeds. You first notice the otherworldly silvery-blue color of the leaves. These oblong, slightly tapered, fleshy leaves form low rosettes up to 8 inches wide and 5 inches in height. During summer, upright and attractively nodding cymes of tubular flowers shoot up from the middle of each rosette. These flowers are even more eye-catching — a vivid reddish-orange color. The 1-inch blooms are closed then gradually open just enough to attract pollinators. The flowers are especially popular with hummingbirds.

Echeverias are versatile. They are drought tolerant enough to include in a dry garden bed and, because of their wide-ranging colors and forms, you can plant several together without seeming to repeat. They also make great container plants, be it singly or in a mixed bowl. Unlike certain small, slow-growing cacti or succulents, they reach an impressive enough size to use as a focal point in a decorative pot. In the ground, they will over time colonize a sunny bed. Echeveria peacockii’s versatility means you can give free flight to your creativity, bearing in mind to combine it with similarly sun-loving, drought tolerant selections.

Earl Nickel is an Oakland nurseryman and freelance writer. Email: food@sfchronicle.com

Did you know? Native to the mountains of Puebla, Mexico, Echeveria peacockii can withstand full sun into the ’90s and cold down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The colder months will often accentuate the red tips on each leaf, as well as deepen the blue tones on the plant.

Entertaining Echeverias There are too many species or varieties to enumerate here, but I can heartily recommend two species that show off the range of this genus. Echeveria agavoides, humorously known as lipstick echeveria for its striking red borders, is a large species, reaching a full 18 inches in width. It sports yellow-tipped red flowers and is prolific at producing babies (called “pups”). Echeveria diffractens, on the other hand, offers yummy chocolate-plum leaves that form foot-wide rosettes that lay a bit flatter and eventually produce spikes of vivid orange flowers.

Cultivation Most Echeverias want sun and quick-draining soil, and E. peackockii is no exception. It can take a little shade, but too much will cause it to stretch and lose its compact form. It is hardy down to 30 degrees F. For those in colder climates, it is best to grow the plant in a pot and either shelter it or bring it indoors during a freeze. Also during the winter months, protect it from too much precipitation. During the summer months, give it a deep watering and then let it dry.

You can propagate plants via offsets (best method) or by starting from individual leaves.

Availability Echeverias are now common at nurseries and garden centers. Echeveria peacockii, diffractens and agavoides are also available from Annie’s Annuals & Perennials (anniesannuals.com).