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A Field Guide
Succulents For Any Thumb
Succ It Up!
Succ It Up! A Field Guide Succulents For Any Thumb
Created by Annette Wong
Suc¡cu noun [BOTANY]
1. A plant having thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to storing water.
u¡lent Succulents are tough creatures that will succ it up through the negligence of their busiest or forgetful owners. When water is available, they’ll absorb as much as they can in preparation for droughts that occur in their native desert. Their striking appearance and ability to withstand dry environments makes them great ornaments for both in and outdoors. This guide is an introduction to popular succulent genera that will bring any place to life.
Table of Contents
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3. 2.
7. 6.
1. Aeonium 2. Agave 3. Aloe 4. Crassula 5. Dudleya 6. Echeveria
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4.
10.
8. 9.
7. Graptopetalum 8. Schlumbergera 9. Sedum 10. Senecio
vibran Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun Light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Rock garden Peak Season Winter
Aeonium
The fleshy rosettes of Aeonium come in a rainbow of colors—from lemon yellow (Aeonium ‘Sunburst’) to deep maroon (Aeonium ‘Zwartkp’)—and take little water to thrive.
Aeoniums are happy companions when interplanted with other succulents in a container. Among the nearly three dozen species, some of the most dramatic are A. arboreum, with panicles of vibrant yellow flowers. With their bold forms and upright growth habit, they’re a natural choice for accent plants.
workhors Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun
Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Soil garden Peak Season Dry Season
Agave
Toast to the Agave: Not only does it bring you tequila and wine but it also is a workhorse in a landscape. Their architectural shapes are particularly stunning silhouetted against walls and hedges.
From towering tequila-producing Blue Agave (Agave tequiliana) to ornamental Artichoke Agave (Agave parriya), there’s a reason to find a place for one of these spiny specimens in any garden. Plant spine-free Agave attenuatta along pathways to avoid being poked.
practical Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Rock garden Peak Season Year-round
Aloe
Unless you live in a very warm climate, your aloe plant will live in a pot indoors. The leaves range from vibrant greens to gray and can have solid, mottled, or variegated coloring.
In a warm climate where you can plant Aloe outdoors, you have a choice of more than 500 species, from tiny creepers to robust trees. The most common species is Aloe vera, a useful houseplant indeed. A. vera is a living first aid kit; inside its leaves is a gel that you can use to treat everything from dry skin to a burn.
chalk Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun Light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Rock garden Peak Season Year-round
Dudleya
One of the common names for Dudleya is “liveforever,� which speaks volumes about this western North American genus that thrives on neglect. Some species reputedly live as long as fifty to one hundred years.
The fleshy rosettes of most Dudleya varieties are covered by a chalky powder giving them the appearance of being freshly dusted with powdered sugar. To keep the powder from washing off, grow varieties such as Dudleya birttonii in areas sheltered from heavy rain such as on sunny covered patios or on bright windowsills.
colorfu Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Soil garden Peak Season Year-round
Echeveria
The crown jewels of the rosette-forming succulents, easy-care Echeveria come in a rainbow of colors and can be easily found at nurseries. Echeveria enjoys sun, but not the intense afternoon variety.
One of the most popular is E. Elegans, known as ‘Mexican Hens and Chicks’, nicknamed for the way the plant spreads by tiny offshoots. These succulents are such slow growers that a burned leaf will linger for a good while. All Echeveria perform splendidly in containers and grow well in garden beds in mild-summer areas.
modes Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun Light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Soil garden Peak Season Year-round
Sedum
Sedum are modest plants that add subtlety. These primarily low-growing succulents are excellent planted as ground covers, tucked between rocks in walls, and planted to trail over the edges of containers.
Chartreuse Sedum ‘Angelina’ is particularly useful as a bright complement to grey-green Eche veria. As summer’s long hot days give way to fall’s shorter, cooler ones, sedums are having their moment of glory, many bursting into starry flowers, or subtly changing leaf color.
plump Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun Light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Soil garden Peak Season Year-round
Graptopetalum
The plump rosettes and mounding growth habit of Graptopetalum give them visual weight in borders and large containers. On rocky slopes and areas without foot traffic, they make excellent ground covers.
If plants get too leggy, snap off longstemmed rosettes and allow to root in dry soil for more plants. G. paraguayense, the ghost plant, has grayish white, opalescent leaves. Contrary to their name, they are actually true survivalists from Arizona and Mexico.
exotic Life Span Perennial Sun Bright Indirect
Water Frequent
Where to Plant Humid area Container Soil garden Peak Season Spring
Schlumbergera
Also knowns as the Christmas Cactus, Schlumbergera enjoys the shade and humidity in the coastal mountains out its native Brazil. What makes it a cactus, actually, is the tiny areoles from which flowers grow.
As a houseplant, the Christmas cactus prefers cool nights (about 50°F) and more than 13 consecutive hours of darkness to bloom. Turn off the light or put it in a closet to get things rolling. Sometimes Schlumbergera will surprise with blooms again in early summer.
stacke Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun
Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Soil garden Peak Season Year-round
Crassula
With about 350 species in this genus, there’s a variety of intriguing, oddly shaped specimens. Colors range from deep green to creams and yellows, silvery gray and shades of dark to bright red.
Jade plants, Crassula ovata, are probably the most familiar, but there are also the stacked types, Crassula perforata, that look a little like paper chaines.
toug Life Span Perennial
Sun Full Sun Light shade Water Infrequent
Where to Plant Container Soil garden Peak Season Year-round
Senecio
The cylindrical silvery-blue leaves of this low-growing succulent provide yearround interest in mild climates. Add to garden beds for calming swaths of blue or grow in containers in full sun.
Established plants are extremely drought tolerant. They do need some water during the summer, but do not leave the soil wet for prolonged periods. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings in the winter, when they are somewhat dormant.