Succulents

Drought Smart Plants for Xeric Patios, Dry Gardens and Green Roofs

There are many succulents, from many different genera.

Some of the most well known succulents are in our gardens right now, quietly going about their business of providing ground covering beauty and providing nectar for beneficial insects.

You may know these xeric plants as Sedum, Sempervivum or Jovibarba.

Rare hardy succulents such as Orostachys and Rosularia use their Crassulacean metabolic processes to survive extreme cold.

There are many hardy succulents used on green roofs for many years, especially in Europe and Iceland.

Hardy cacti - the ultimate succulents - have evolved spines instead of leaves to protect them from over grazing by animals.

There are many cactus plants that grow quite happily in a sunny window as houseplants.

Some succulents have perfected their camouflage with mimicry to avoid being eaten by thirsty creatures.

Many alpine plants native to high mountain tops are succulents.

At the other end of the scale, epiphytes such as Schlumbergera, the Christmas Cactus and Epiphyllum have evolved to live on leaf detritus in the tree tops of jungles, withstanding periodic droughts between rainfalls. Tender succulents - those not hardy in areas that receive frost - are native to warmer climates such as Mexico, the Canary Isles and California. Many Echeveria, Sedum and Aeonium are among the most beautiful and widely grown.

Echeveria hybrids derived from Echeveria species gleaned from many lands over the past century are deservedly popular.

The Dick Wright hybrids and cultivars from other breeders in California have been grown all over the globe, including Australia. You can find where to buy plants online in your country.

The new popularity of succulents today has resulted in some amazing new plants being introduced, or re-introduced, and a wide range of interesting uses for them.

Succulent wedding flowers, succulent wedding bouquets and succulent wedding favors are some of the most beautiful creations for that special day.

Easy to construct and long lasting, these succulent crafts have the added bonus of planting them as an eternal memento.

See the Succulent Wedding Gallery for more ideas and inspiration.

Combining these amazingly tough and drought tolerant plants in containers for succulents, collections of terracotta clay pots, a strawberry pot, tin cans for succulents and many other imaginative creations can be an addicting experience.

Hypertufa is one of the fastest growing hobbies, particularly attracting succulent growers and alpine plant aficionados.

The many uses of the amazing variety of succulents will amaze and delight you. A Sempervivum wall, a succulent topiary or Sedum tapestry will give your garden a low maintenance and beautiful focal point.

Canadian gardeners: buy your online plants now at the Garden Shop

Have a look through some of the other pages on this site all about Succulents; click on the thumbnails to visit the page:

go to Drought Smart Plants home page

Cacti and Succulents

Succulent Plants

Drought Smart Strategies