Home»Cactus - Succulents»General Cacti - Succulent Care
The topic of a succulent footing book binding is an interesting one .
If you ’ve been thinking of using succulents as a water - write , low - maintenance , easy - care ground cover , you ’re in good company .
yellow star-shaped flowering Sedum ground cover
These various plants are first-class for many uses in your household , yard , and garden , so why not adjudicate them as a urine - save lawn and landscape painting alternative ?
There are many types of succulent available for use in the landscape painting .
However , some succulents are better for ground screening than others .
In this article , we will introduce you to various choices and succulents , making first-class ground covers . Read on to ascertain more .
Stonecrop or Sedum
These evergreen perennial succulents make an excellent priming covert because they are low - growing and be given to straggle and spread enthusiastically .
There are many differenttypes of Sedum plantsto choose from , and they can all do quite well in a wide variety of lightheaded place setting .
mostly mouth , sedum prefers full sun , but you do have some wiggle room with some types .
There is also some pas seul in their temperature tolerance .
Some case of Stonecrop are very frost hardy and can live in the northmost options in the United States .
Other types are better accommodate to more temperate zones .
Some of the best selection in sedum ground covers admit :
Sedum Spurium Or Red Carpet
Sedum spuriumor Red Carpet is also known as Caucasian Stonecrop or Dragon ’s Blood Stonecrop .
This indigene of Eastern Europe is one of the frigid - stalwart variety , and its leave turn a beautiful shade of burgundy or cerise - purple with the changing seasons .
It can bear both uttermost heat and cold , and it is cold hardy down to USDA hardiness zone 3 .
This furrowed plant will return even after extreme winter with temperature as modest as -40 ° degrees Fahrenheit .
Throughout the growing time of year , this pretty priming coat cover is blanket with pinkish , star - regulate flowers , which are quite attractive to pollinator .
Caucasic Stonecrop attains a height of no more than 6 ” inches and may attain a spread as blanket as 2 ’ feet .
Sedum Reflexum Blue Stonecrop or Jenny Stonecrop
Sedum reflexum Blue Stonecropis also called Jenny Stonecrop or Reflexum Blue Spruce .
The leafage is blue - green and transitions to attractive shades of yellow and pink in the cooler calendar month .
Full sunlight will also cause this transition . These low - grow succulent arrive at a tallness of no more than 5 ” inches .
They are unspoiled companions for Red Carpet because they , too , are quite frost - fearless .
Sedum Japonicum Or Tokyo Sun
Sedum Japonicum or Tokyo Sun is a lime green variety of sedum only develop to be about 3 ” inches high-pitched .
This attractive , eye - catching sedum is best suited for more temperate climate as it is not particularly cold - hardy and can not tolerate very extreme winters .
Sempervivum
Hen & Chicks is a common name forSempervivumof all sort .
These plants propagate themselves easily and enthusiastically by sending out miniatures of themselves all around , hence the rough-cut name , Hen & Chicks .
These hardy , light - guardianship plant do their good in full sunlight but can tolerate shade .
There are many different types of sempervivum in various colors , size , and shape .
All of them are very good as ground covers . Some Sempervivums surpass as basis screening are :
Sempervivum Arachnoideum Cobweb Hen & Chicks
Sempervivum arachnoideumCobweb Hen & Chicks are easygoing to recognize because they are cover by hunky-dory white hairs that look like cobwebs covering the entire plant .
The rosettes of this attractive plant life change colors as wintertime approaches and become a very pretty shade of burgundy .
This sempervivum can permit very gamey and very low temperatures and thrives in full sun .
Sempervivum Moss Rose
Sempervivum Moss Rose has very pale green leaves edged by a little number of Battle of Magenta .
This sempervivum also has very small , fine soft hair along the leaf sharpness .
Moss Rose spring up about 6 ” inch tall , and each plant may circularise as far as a foot .
This is a frost stalwart succulent which like to be plant in very bright sparkle or full Sunday .
Sempervivum Calcareum Or Fire Dragon
Sempervivum Calcareumor Fire Dragon has very good - count blue - greenish stem canker with cryptic Burgundy wine tips .
This succulent is a small marvellous and typically grow about 4 ” – 6 ” column inch high .
Fire Dragon likes to be planted in full sun and is Robert Frost resistant .
Agaves
Agave plantsare a genus of desert plants coming in a wide variety of size of it and colors . All produce in a typical rosette conformation and have very pointed leaves .
Some desert species can grow to be 10 ’ foot high and are a bit of a terror to be around .
Many dwarf species are small , easily managed , and make right primer covers .
The care of agaves varies depend upon the climate and condition in which the plant originated .
Good ground cover century plant admit :
Agave Parryi Or Parry’s Agave
Agave parryior Parry ’s agave make a very interesting ground top , especially for a xeriscaped railway yard .
This native of Mexico and the American Southwest is an first-class choice as a groundcover in a desert yard .
It does very well plant in full sun and is extremely tolerant of intense oestrus .
Even so , it is also quite cold tolerant and can survive temperatures as low as -20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -29 ° Celsius ) .
Parry ’s agave grow about a foot eminent and may spread as wide as 3 ’ pes .
Blue Glow Agave
Agave Blue Glowis a belittled type of agave forming a lonely little potato .
This attractive garden plant likes to be place in full sunshine and is tolerant of rime .
The blueish - greenish leaves are quite wide and have attractive red margin .
These industrial plant can arise 2 ’ feet high and may circulate as far as 3 ’ foot .
They can make interesting groundcovers in a declamatory area without ft dealings or with paths hack through .
Alternately , a gamy luminescence American aloe makes a dainty specimen industrial plant amidst belittled groundcover succulent .
Agave Victoriae-Reginae or Queen Victoria Agave
Agave Victoriae - Reginaeis a more compact plant life with interesting green , geometrical rosettes marked in white .
The slow - grow agave only attains a summit of about 1 ’ foot and may spread as far as 2 ’ feet .
They do well in full sun and can not tolerate coarse winters .
balmy hoar is fair to middling .
Agave Titanota or Rancho Tambor Agave
Agave Titanota orRancho Tambor Agavehas a nongregarious growth wont , so it is ideal as a specimen plant .
It does not develop pups aggressively .
This attractive agave has wide bluish - unripe / silvery depart with serrated boundary .
This plant is tall and slim , spring up to a height of about 2 ’ feet but a breadth of only about 6 ” column inch .
Plant this attractive agave in full sunlight , but shelter it from frost .
Aloes
We are all familiar with theAloe Vera flora , which makes a nice menage plant in most North American climates .
There are also many outdoor bitter aloes which are dwarves of an abundant metal money of tree - similar plants grow to be as improbable as 30 ’ animal foot .
The smaller Aloe specie do well both as container plants and in the landscape , planted in full sunshine .
Smaller species tend to be less freeze tolerant than tumid mintage .
safe ground cover Aloes include :
Aloe Cameronii or Red Aloe
Aloe Cameronii or Red Aloehails from Zimbabwe and Malawi .
This plant grows to be about 1 ’ – 2 ’ infantry eminent and can spread as far as 4 ’ feet .
The leaves are wan green when keep in a shaded location with ample pee .
If kept in a gay emplacement and given less water , the leaves turn an attractive shade of coppery red-faced .
In full sunlight , this Aloe will detain violent year - round .
The plant is quite a cold - hardy and can tolerate temperature as downhearted as 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° degrees Celsius ) .
Aloe Nobilis or Gold Tooth Aloe
Aloe Nobilis or Gold Tooth Aloeis a South African aboriginal .
It grows in an attractive , thick rosette shape and produces beautiful blossom during the grow season .
The serrated leaves are Citrus aurantifolia green with blank bound .
Although this white edging looks a routine dangerous , it is quite piano and harmless .
Given a full sun mise en scene or a very hot ambient temperature , the leaves change color and become an attractive subtlety of orangish - red ink .
Gold tooth Aloe tolerate both very high and very low temperatures and is cold , hardy down to 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° one C ) .
Aloe Humilis or Spider Aloe
Aloe Humilis or Spider Aloeis a signally hardy member of this house .
Hailing from South Africa , this plant has very pale , bluish - immature leaves edged with blank serration .
The plant mature in abject , compact clusters spread as far as a foot .
Spider Aloe is an extremely happy-go-lucky succulent that does well when left to its own devices .
Crassula
These succulent are available in many sizes , shapes , and colour .
They grow well in extremely harsh rise surround and flourish when left on their own as a groundcover .
Here are some of the best choices inCrassula plantsas groundcovers :
Crassula Muscosa Or Lizard’s Tail
Crassula muscosaor Watch Chain plant is a South African aboriginal sometimes called Lizard ’s Tail .
This plant has a fork and creeping growth habit and may reach a tiptop of one metrical unit .
It produce very small yellow blossom during the growing season .
The small leaves are pale green and rise very close together in a chainlike or scale pattern .
They are tolerant of both heat and cold , and choose a full sun setting , yet can defy winter temperature as low as 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° degree Celsius ) .
Crassula Capitella or Red Pagoda
Crassula Capitella or Red Pagoda is sometimes call Campfire Crassula or Crassula Erosula .
The growth riding habit of this Crassula is very like to Lizards Tail , but the industrial plant only acquire about 5 ” column inch gamy .
The leaf of this plant are quite long and are an attractive nuance of lime green when the plant life is preserve in a shaded or partial shade mise en scene .
More sunlight or exposure to cold temperatures causes the leaf to changeover to a reddish - purple color .
Red Pagoda is cold hardy down to 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° coke ) .
Crassula Multicava or Fairy Crassula
Crassula Multicavaor Fairy Crassula is an excellent , Evergreen ground cover produce a very thick carpeting of glossy foliation in various shadiness of special K .
Flowers are star - regulate , pink , and quite modest .
Fairy Crassula does well in all inflammation conditions rove from wraith to all - day sunlight .
This drought - resistive , hardy little plant life tolerates both eminent and low temperatures and is inhuman unfearing to 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° C ) .
Euphorbias
There are more than 2000 Euphorbia species within the genus , also known as “ spurge . ”
These broken plants adapt well to a wide-eyed miscellanea of options .
They are fascinate plants that are unusually attractive ; however , they are also a snatch uncongenial as all of them are just replete with toxic tomfool and many bristle with dangerous thorns .
Even so , if you have a distant setting and do not have kids or pets , Euphorbia may be the dry land cover succulent flora for you .
Some Euphorbias suitable as terra firma covers are :
Euphorbia Myrsinites Or Donkey Tail Spurge
genus Euphorbia myrsinitesorDonkey Tail Spurgeis a succulent , perennial evergreen with a sprawling and trailing growth habit .
The attractive leafage are bluish - green and arise in a volute along the theme .
This industrial plant adds a lot of texture and interest to any garden and does well as a ground cover or as a container plant .
During the grow season , Donkey Tail Spurge produces pretty xanthous - green flowers transition to an attractive shade of red with maturity .
This drouth and cold-blooded immune industrial plant like to be position in a full sun setting and is cold hardy down to USDA hardiness zone 4 .
Euphorbia Milii Or Crown Of Thorns
Euphorbia Milii or Crown of Thornshails from Madagascar but has adapted quite well to many different growing surroundings .
This industrial plant makes a good house plant , container plant , bedding plant , or rather threatening ground cover version .
It can grow 2 ’ – 3 ’ feet gamy , and as the name imply , it is cover with thorn about half an in long .
The flora is adaptable to all kindling conditions , even the full sunshine , but it is not cold unfearing .
It can thrive outdoors in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11 year - circular .
Otherwise , it must be restrain as a houseplant , cover , or move indoors during dusty weather .
Euphorbia Rigida Or Upright Myrtle Spurge
Euphorbia Rigidaor Upright Myrtle Spurge is also hump as Silver Spurge .
This dispirited - grey , perennial evergreen plant hails from the Mediterranean .
Like Donkey Tail Spurge , its leaves grow in an interesting spiral fashion around the tenacious prow .
bequeath transition from blueish - gray to brownish redness during the fall months .
jolly , pallid green - icteric flowers emerge above the leaves in fountain and summer .
These plants can grow 1 ’ – 2 ’ feet high and make a courteous low - growing shrub or groundcover .
They farm considerably in full Lord’s Day and are winter hardy down to USDA hardiness zona 7 .
Euphorbia Rainier Or Resin Spurge
Euphorbia rainier orResin spurgeis a native of Africa that looks like a columnar cactus .
The fatheaded stem are light gullible and square - shaped , with brown spines along the root ’ sides .
These repeated plants are extremely drought tolerant and do well in a desert setting in full sun .
They can stand extremes in both high-pitched and low temperature and are wintertime unfearing to 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° C ) .
Plants achieve a height of no more than 3 ’ feet and may spread to 5 ’ feet .
Euphorbia Antisyphilitica Or Candelilla
Euphorbia antisyphilitica or Candelillais a slow - growing Euphorbia spreading by sending shoots and stems out along the sharpness of the flora .
It has an just ontogeny habit and add a cracking deal of interest to your railway yard and garden with its waxy stems adorned by very small , wan pink prime on the upper one-half of the theme .
Interestingly , the plant ’s leaf are so small as to be unnoticeable and are dropped almost as presently as they appear .
This drought - tolerant plant is native to Mexico and Southwest Texas .
It grows 1 ’ – 2 ’ feet gamy and may spread out as wide as 3 ’ foot .
The plant wish full sun or bright light and is cold tolerant to 10 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -12 ° atomic number 6 ) .
Miscellaneous Flowering Succulent Groundcovers
Carpobrotus , Drosanthemum , Malephora , are called Ice Plant and can in the main be described as pretty , trailing succulents with greyish - greenish , overweight leave .
These plants produce abundant daisy - like blooms in spectre of red , jaundiced , and orange throughout the springtime and the summer .
This industrial plant is an excellent choice as a ground cover for sunny side , and it is often used alongside highways in the fond parts of the United States .
This drouth - resistant flora care full Dominicus , tolerates extreme heat , and is also quite cold tolerant .
Although it may freeze back during utmost winters , it typically returns cheerily in the spring , even in USDA hardiness geographical zone 3 .
Drosanthemum Speciosum or Royal Dewflower
Drosanthemum speciosum or Royal Dewflower is a South African native producing a dense groundcover 6 ” – 12 ” inches eminent .
The leaves are minute and grayish - green , and the flowers are abundant and eye - catching in shades of red , purple , and pinkish .
Thisice plant ground coverspreads and propagates sky-high as it takes root anywhere the leaves or stems issue forth in touch with the soil .
Royal Dewflower likes full Sunday to partial tint options and is patient of of a wide chain of mountains of temperatures from utmost warmth to extreme cold .
It can stand temperature as low as 20 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -7 ° C ) .
TheRosea ice plant(Drosanthemum floribundum ) is another low - growing Drosanthemum desirable as a primer coat screening succulent .
Senecio Serpens or Bluechalk Sticks
Senecio serpensor Bluechalk stick is a South African native with a spreading , scurvy - growing growth use .
Its long and chalk joint - shaped leaves are an attractive shade of silverish dismal - commons .
This drought - tolerant plant does well in uttermost warmth and brilliant sunshine but can not tolerate cold .
It is winter hardy in USDA hardiness zone down to 9 .
Calandrinia Spectabilis Or Rock Purslane
Calandrinia spectabilisor Rock Purslane has a mounding growth habit and may grow to be a foot tall and 3 ’ feet wide .
Its grayish - green leave grow in slow clumps , and the industrial plant produce pretty magenta flowers throughout its grow season , lasting from early spring to deep into autumn .
shortly - go blossoms appear in rapid succession , with old ones replacing raw ones every day .
Deadheading is unneeded .
This aboriginal of Chile is tolerant of heat and like full Sunday but is not at all freeze tolerant and does best in hardiness zone no lower than USDA zone 9 .
Use Ground Cover Succulent Plants To Create A Water Saving Lawn Alternative
All of the succulents included in this guide make a good ground cover on their own or in combination as they are all quite tough and able-bodied to withstand a wide variety of growing experimental condition .
pick out to brood your total yard or garden with one type or mix and match for an interesting , easy - tutelage lawn option .
Choose from any of the interesting choice listed here . Secure in the knowledge as long as you provide high - tone , well - debilitate filth , the right ambient temperature , lot of Sunday , and supplementary pee as need .
You ’ll be able-bodied to savor a beautiful , interesting ground cover charge that is far less labor and resource - intensive than pasture .
Succulents also make an fantabulous ground cover in desert setting .
