I’ve been in love with succulents for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are trying to catch lizards hiding in the purple-flowering Ice Plant which grew in our garden.
It thrills me beyond belief to see that succulents have finally gotten their ‘day in the sun’ in the design world. They’re now featured in every garden magazine known to man, there are dozens of wonderful books written about them and all the garden centers are FINALLY carrying them so there’s no reason why you can’t have some in your own garden and begin your collection.
My very favorite succulent goes way back in my childhood – the common Escheveria known as ‘Hens and Chicks’ (several succulents go by that common name but I think this one embodies the phrase beautifully – watch the video below to see why). When I was just a little girl, my parents were beginning their own garden in their very first home. A man was driving around the neighborhood with homemade outdoor furniture in the back of his truck, selling them to door-to-door. My parents bought some, and while paying for their new chairs they noticed a large clump of succulents in the bottom corner of his truckbed. The man noticed their interest and gave them a few. That little clump has been in our family for 40 years now, multiplying over and over again, providing ‘chicks’ to dozens of people throughout the years. Take a look at the inspiration that’s evolved over the years resulting from that man’s generosity….
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When people see all the succulents growing in my garden, the ‘lightbulb’ goes off and they realize they, too, can put them in their own gardens. I always know when that lightbulb turns ON, as they start asking questions like “Is that one easy to find in the nurseries”? or, “Do you think that one would grow in MY garden”? They’re usually shocked when I reach down and start snapping off stems to give them, wondering if I’ve lost my mind! But the thing is – they’re just so darn easy to transplant, I can’t help but share the wealth!
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Just snap them off, let their ‘juicy’ ends heal over for a couple of days and plant them in your own container. It’s that easy! Succulents like very well-drained soil so it’s best to use a cactus-type mix, or add ‘pumice’ or ‘lava rock’ to a potting soil mix using a 4:1 ratio, to help keep the soil light and increase drainage. You can easily find bags of pumice/lava rock at most garden centers. Remember – succulent’s aren’t cactus! They like water more than most people think they do. In my climate, (USDA zone 9), I give them water once or twice a week in the Summer. Just make sure the ground dries out between waterings. If you live where it’s much colder, don’t despair – there are several varieties that can bounce back after having 6′ of snow on them all Winter.
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To see just how easy transplanting succulents is, take a look at this video …
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for your detailed and very thought through response to frost tolerant succulents! I appreciate the time you’ve taken here….
There are plenty of succulents that are perfectly hardy, such as Sempervivum species, Graptopetalum paraguayense,(which is the hanging plant in your photo of the pot, with a Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ as the larger leafed plant which is a hybrid of Graptopetalum and Echeveria, and is not all that hardy). The Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ is a favorite of mine for mild gardens as the coloration of the leaves changes so dramatically throughout the year, from pearly gray to opalescent lavenders and pink. Among the Echeverias the E. x imbricata(the hand me down plant you refer to), as well as others such as Echeveria elegans, E. agavoides are fully hardy, things like Sedum dendroideum, most of the smaller Agaves, plenty of Aloe species, etc.
Aeoniums in general are not that frost tolerant, but all will come through better if planted under the eaves of a house or beneath evergreen trees that will protect them from radiation frosts.
Many of the Sedums are also bulltet proof for USDA zone 8b gardens, with Sedum palmeri being one that looks tender but even does well back in North Carolina for Tony Avent.
The frost tender succulents are probably best used as container plants that can be moved under cover, in my opinion, because it just seems such a waste to have a beautiful Agave attenuata that you have pampered for years get wiped out by one night of frost. I probably also wouldn’t want to rely on mass quantities of tender succulents such as Aeoniums if I knew they would need fussing over every winter. If you want to go that route, you should check out the frost protection structures that they have at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek for the tender stuff, or the permanent shade/roof structure in the garden that looks a bit like a pergola for the massed Aeonium collection they have out there.
I love succulents. It is almost impossible for me to kill them so they are the greatest. Question. How do I have them survive the winter? My garden is in #9 climate zone, I get frost for two months in the winter. I have left the plants out and they turned black due to the frost, I have put them in my greenhouse and promptly forgot to water them! I now have a covered porch and wonder how I can help them live out their lives over the Winter. I.E. put their pots on a cookie sheet to water them and let them drain? What do I do about the succulents I have in the ground? Help!
I’ve found some survive better than others. We don’t get 2 months of frosts, but rather about 2 weeks of temps. that dip into the high 20′s. That’s enough to wipe out the leaves of a lot of succulents (agave tenuatas and aeoniums for example). I cover them up with a very trashy-looking combination of bamboo poles w/either sheets or burlap covering them. Looks like little ‘ghosts’ all over my garden (sure the neighbors aren’t thrilled with this, so I always bribe them with free plants/cuttings in the summer…..). Even then, if it’s super cold, the burlap doesn’t seem to help and I just say a ‘Hail Mary’ and wish for the best. A friend of mine taught me the phrase “planting opportunities” which is my mantra during those wicked cold snaps. If you’re a patient person, those plants that are really damaged DO tend to rebound (though my Attenuata took 2 full years to come back). Is there any way you could re-locate some of yours against a sheltered spot, along your house, perhaps??
You’re smart in moving some of them to your covered porch while keeping them watered throughout the Winter. Most people forget that little step (watering in the Winter) – which is CRUCIAL!
I love that your succulents have become family (and friend!) heirlooms! Many of my favorite plants are richly connected with my own history and memories.
Out of curiosity, what kinds of objections do you hear from people who don’t care for succulents?
People who don’t like succulents usually say they’re too ‘cactus-ey’ looking (which just kills me). I’ve also heard that they ‘look kinda 70′s-ish’…(again, I die a thousand deaths when I hear this. But to each his own, right?)
Thanks, Pomona! Ah yes…shrivelling succulents. I’ve read that inconsistent watering and temperatures in hot, Summer months are the cause of this and Aeoniums,in particular, do this as a way of protecting themselves. Come cool weather, they’ll ‘bloom’ again.
Right now, my usually 12″ Aeoniums are a puny 3″, looking more like snakes than plants….
a great nonthreatening, information-packed post on growing succulents! I’d like to remind folks that there are many frost-hardy succulents (though of course I lust after the tender ones), for those of us who live in freezing-winter climates.
I can also testify that succulents shrivel from lack of water and, in my case, burn from too much sun. The video’s very timely as right now I have a pot of succulents which are re-growing after freezing, and was wondering what to do with them.
Hi Jeannie – We have similar frosts here in Los Altos (the ‘other’ LA!!) and my succulents fare only OKAY. If it’s going to get below 29 or so, I usually run out and cover them with burlap sacks or old sheets draped around old tomato cages and other atrocities like that which I’m sure horrify the neighbors… It looks like little ghosts all over my garden. hmmm…maybe it’s time for another blog showing how to protect our babies in the frost.
I also haul my pots around – not inside, but under my house eaves, and other protected spots around my garden.
And when all else fails….I sit there and cry, knowing I’ll have a pile of mush to deal with come Spring. Luckily, they usually re-bound fairly quickly!
Very cute! I really like succulents, too, and when I go to L.A., it’s like, WoW…
How do you do with the overwintering factor? I’m in 9b, and we have a few frosts usually in January. Last year we hauled everything potted in and out everytime there was a frost alert. Need a better solution this year.
The tip about using a hairpin to hold a new succulent in place is brilliant. Wish I’d thought of that years ago.
Rebecca,
I love the way your succulents line your walkways. They are gorgeous! I think it’s fair to say those succulents love you!