Winter A
GARDEN BY GINA MULLINS-COHEN
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hat are succulents? Do you know or is it just a momentary thought - a question occasionally jumping in and out of your head when you pass by rows of these tiny potted plants in the garden store? How many different classifications and species of succulents are there? Are they related to Cactus? Are Cactus succulents or something else? What is an Agave? Are succulent plants hardy? Can they survive through winter? How do succulents acquire such distinct colors, such as the variety of blues, pinks and purples that you see in the garden store? I fell in love with succulents long ago. It was a long fall. These are questions I have asked myself as I stroll down the aisle at Plant Depot or Armstrong’s over the years. Since our Southern California winters are milder than most others in the country, and succulents do well in this climate, I decided to explore all the options of a suc12
culent garden - my winter garden. Now, with the assistance and high-level knowledge of the Information Architects and Editors at Britannica.com, let’s answer a few of those questions. Succulent: A succulent is any plant with thick fleshy tissues adapted to water storage. Some succulents (e.g., cacti) store water only in the stem and have no leaves or exceedingly small leaves, whereas others (e.g., agaves) store water primarily in the leaves. Most succulents have deep or broad root systems and are native to either deserts or regions that have a semiarid season. Succulent plants are found in more than 60 plant families, with members of Aizoaceae, Cactaceae, and Crassulaceae being dominantly succulent. A number of these are cultivated as ornamentals and houseplants, including Aloe, Echeveria, Kalanchoe and others. One common adaptation in many succulents is the timing of the opening of their stomata, which are small mouthlike structures on
Winter Warm 2022
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