Other water conserving features you may find in succulents are narrow leaves, waxy leaves, a covering of hairs or needles, reduced pores, or stomata, and ribbed leaves and stems, that can expand water holding capacity. Their functioning is fascinating, but most are also quite attractive, too. They are perfect for dry climates and periods of drought anywhere, but many are not cold hardy below USDA zone 9. Even so, they can be grown as annuals or over-wintered indoors. Several make great houseplants. Grow them all year in containers and you can just move the whole thing in when the temperature drops.
General Succulent Care
Water: During the summer, allow the soil to dry out between waterings and then water so that the soil is soaked through, but not dripping wet. Don’t let the roots sit in soggy or waterlogged soil. In winter, most succulents will only need water every month or so. They are basically dormant. If your house is particularly dry, you may need to water more often. The leaves will pucker slightly and begin to look desiccated if they need water. But just as in the summer, don’t leave the plants sitting is soggy soil. Soil: In pots, use a chunky, fast draining soil. This is one group of plants that does not thrive in the traditional loamy garden mix. There are special potting mixes sold for succulents. In the ground, most succulents like a slightly acidic soil pH (5.5 to 6.5). Add some organic matter to very sandy soils, to retain moisture long enough for the plants to take it up. In clay soils, raised beds are your best option. Here are some popular succulent plants that are generally easy to grow. As with many of the succulents listed here, Aeonium makes a good houseplant. You can give it a summer vacation outdoors and enjoy it indoors during the winter, it’s prime growing season. (USDA Hardiness Zones 9 - 11) In frost free climates, jade plants will form small shrubs. There’s are now some very pretty variegated varieties available, which need full sun to retain their colors. The staked varieties lend themselves to use in hanging containers and over walls. You’ll love this little Crassula alpestris. The triangular leaves form stacked pinwheels. They are a pinkish-red during the winter, into spring. At the end of summer, you may get spikes of small white. They can handle some shade and like their soil on the dry side. Sempervivums are cold hardy, but a little touchy about long, hot, dry summers. They are perfect for all kinds of containers, from hypertufa troughs to strawberry jars. These look a lot like Echeverias, but Sempervivum have pointed leaves that are a little thinner than Echeveria and they are more spherical.
