Over the years I have accumulated a haphazard collection of succulents. Some were left at this house when we moved in, some I bought at yard sales for $1 to $5, and some we bought at garden centers to fill in an area without irrigation. I tend to focus on year-round flowers so the succulents have been a neglected afterthought. If you asked me the name of any of my succulents a year ago, I would have no idea.
Once I started using my succulents as problem-solvers, I wanted to learn more. After perusing several books from my library, I purchased Debra Lee Baldwin’s book, Designing with Succulents. Her book and website were key sources for this diary. Today, I will share a few different uses of succulents and summarize some of the main types available.
Moving to a hillside property meant that I had more landscape issues to address such as erosion. Building a path and patio on the hill also added to the erosion issue.
After carrying buckets of sand uphill to fill in the patio at the end of the rainy season, I realized I did not want to do this every year. It occurred to me that I could use succulents to hold the sand and soil in place instead.
When I was out shopping, I happened to see a large flat of assorted ground cover succulents that seemed like the perfect solution. Only key plants on our property are irrigated and I water the hillside sporadically during the summer. Over time, I learned the most hardy choices and easiest to propagate for me were chartreuse-yellow Angelina Stonecrop (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina’ USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 - 11) and Sedum hispanicum var. minus (USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 - 9). I also like the Blue Spruce Stonecrop (Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce') shown between the two previously noted sedum; however, blue spruce can get a bit leggy over time.
Propagation
Succulents are economical garden solutions! I cut or break off a piece, stick it into the ground or a pot, and a new plant begins. I have also fully or partially buried leaves (sometimes accidentally) that resulted in new plants. With aloe and those succulents that produce offsets, simply pulling apart the offset provides a new plant. For more formal education on propagating succulents: debraleebaldwin.com/…
I used to replace the herbs in the strawberry planters every other year. Then the pineapple sage started popping out additional holes which I like. Unfortunately, other holes were barren. Succulents have been the perfect solution for these spots.
Climate considerations
We get about 30 inches of rain per year, mostly from November to April. Most succulents do best in regions where annual rainfall is less than 25 inches which explains why some turn mushy here.
Many of you live in colder areas and know that many succulents are frost tender. I will highlight some of the hardier versions. If your succulents have been damaged by frost, Debra Lee Baldwin has the following advice: Oh, No, My Succulents Froze! and Frost Damaged Succulents? Here’s What to Do.
Succulents are popular houseplants due to the wide range of shapes and sizes as well as requiring little maintenance. Since we seldom have freezing temperatures, many insects stay active all year. I gave up on houseplants in California as it just made my bug problem worse in three different homes.
While I was at Armstrong garden center, I took pictures of the different succulents so I could group these into 13 common varieties. Also, I wanted to associate a picture with a name to better understand my own collection. If you look online, you may see there are more than 25 types or that a category like crassulaceae has more than 1000 species. Due to some attempt at brevity, your favorite succulent may not be mentioned here. For the most part, I used Ms. Baldwin’s descriptions and linked to her website where you can see more pictures and information. Some of the succulent nursery tags are visible and you may notice multiple varieties in one picture.
1. Aeonium — Rosettes typically resemble big, fleshy-petalled daisies. Colors include green, yellow and garnet. Leaves of Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ are striped with yellow or cream. Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’, another show-stopper, is magenta-black. Frost tender.
I am not sure I can consistently tell the difference between Aeonium and Echeveria. I believe the center plant below in my garden is Aeonium:
2. Echeveria — Tight rosettes that tend to form hen-and-chicks clusters but are not true ‘hen-and-chicks’. Sempervivums (hen-and-chicks) resemble echeverias but have thinner, pointed leaves. Echeverias seem to be the most popular variety at my nursery. The echeverias that sometimes resemble cabbages usually grow atop ever-lengthening stalks. Ruffled varieties are among the showiest of succulents. Echeveria subrigida is among those that tolerate a few degrees below freezing.
3. Agave — These rosette-shaped succulents are native to the Americas and typically have sharp points at the leaf tips. With the notable exception of Agave attenuata, most agaves tolerate temperatures into the mid-20s F. And some—such as Agave parryi ‘Truncata’—go much lower.
My veterinarian informed me that the deer tried to eat her agave. Then they got mad and tossed it across the yard. The spikes on agaves make them a challenge to remove from the garden container and plant.
4. Aloe — Dramatic flower spikes are hot hues of orange or yellow. Gel-filled, tapered and serrated leaves of many aloes form starfish-like rosettes. Species range from a few inches in diameter to tall trees. Aloe arborescens, a common garden plant throughout Southern California, is an excellent fire-retardant succulent for wildfire-prone areas. Frost-tender.
5. Crassula — There are two main forms: branching and stacked. Jade (Crassula ovata) is quite common. Leaf colors include silvery gray, bright yellow, and variegated cream-and-green—sometimes with red margins. Use jades as mounding shrubs and grow stacked crassulas, which are great cascaders, in terraces and hanging baskets. Frost tender.
6. Euphorbia — This immense category includes many nonsucculent plants; all have in common a milky sap that can be irritating, even toxic. Frost tender. Popular (and ironically named) Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ is a top choice for succulent gardens used as fire breaks in wildfire-prone areas. Ms. Baldwin has several articles on firewise landscaping with succulents (debraleebaldwin.com/...).
7. Haworthia — These windowsill succulent plants, which seldom get larger than a softball, thrive indoors and do well in pots. Mine have done better in a container than in the ground. Haworthias are easily hybridized—a hobby enjoyed by enthusiasts worldwide. Among them is zebra plant, so named for its snazzy white stripes. Discover how and why haworthias make perfect Succulent Desk Buddies.
8. Ice plants — These groundcover succulents have brilliant blooms. To me, the purple carpet of these plants symbolize Pacific Grove. I did not notice this plant at the nursery but this is the Monterey link to the beauty of the plants in bloom www.seemonterey.com/.... I did not have much luck with this one at my last home but may try it again. Ice plants would make ideal lawn substitutes if they could tolerate foot traffic.
9. Kalanchoe — These succulent plants are prized for their colorful or felted leaves and their flowers. Kalanchoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most common is Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, which is sold in supermarkets; numerous hybrids produce long-lasting blooms in crayon colors. Surging in popularity is Kalanchoe luciae; its paddle-like leaves are sometimes wavy, and turn from teal to bright red when grown in full sun. Frost tender.
10. Sedum (stonecrop) — These trailing succulent plants with stacked and concentric or bean-shaped leaves produce masses of star-shaped blooms in summer. Plant sedums in rock gardens and use them as fillers for containers and as ground covers. Unlike other genera of succulent plants, most sedums (especially smaller ones) prefer cool summers and winters and tolerate temperatures well below freezing. Learn more about these and other succulents that don’t freeze in winter at Cold Hardy Succulents for Northern Climates.
As I mentioned above Angelina Stonecrop (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ and Sedum hispanicum var. minus are my favorites. I also like Blue Spruce Stonecrop (Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce') and Sedum spurium 'Red Carpet' but these look best in the dry season.
Larger sedum examples:
11. Sempervivum (hen and chicks) — Like sedums, sempervivums are cold-climate succulent plants; they don’t do as well outdoors in the heat of a Southwest summer. Sempervivums resemble echeverias but have thinner, pointed leaves and a more compact, spherical form. Most produce offsets that create appealing clusters. This is a useful plant to tuck into rocks or under a step like I did at the beginning of this article. Frost-tolerant. For those in frost prone areas this article may be useful: Showy Succulents for Snowy Climates.
12. Senecio — Groundcovers Senecio mandraliscae and Senecio serpens (Blue chalksticks) form drifts of blue. I have seen Senecio serpens used as groundcover instead of grass in the hotter areas inland in California. I am hoping it will fill in parts of my hillside. Most senecios will tolerate a few degrees below freezing.
13. Gasteria — I see quite a bit of Gasteria in containers here. Closely related genera include Aloe and Haworthia, and the species of these genera are known to hybridize relatively easily with each other.
Do you have a favorite succulent? Is there one you would like to share that is not mentioned here?
What is new in your garden? Does anyone have any pictures of beautiful winter gardens draped in a layer of snow?