Skip the finicky selections and go for these unique yet reliable beauties

Succulents are the modern decorator ’s favorite freaks and flake . They are a celebration of geometrical course so fixed that the plant hardly seem to be hold up things . They can look like stones , can be toothed as an alligator , and can occasionally morph into freak that defy genetics . Every gardener should have at least one succulent plant . Despite plant ticket and agriculturalist tips , however , some of these heavy fellows stay on notoriously fickle — prone to sudden nuclear meltdown , decompose , and mummification . With so many succulent out there , it ’s unimaginable for household gardeners to tell the easy agriculturist from the finicky specialties . The selections here offer a diverse commixture of no - brainers to help you get started without risk of failure .

1. Add color to a dreary winter

Name : boat paddle industrial plant ( Kalanchoe thyrsiflora )

USDA Hardiness Zones:10 to 11

Size:1 pes tall and full

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experimental condition : Bright shade

boat paddle plant life is the most popular modern succulent due to its whimsical form and intense winter colouration . Its leaves are monotonic , like pancakes , layered into an odd rosette . This plant bolts when it bloom , with the center stem elongating into a gangly white-hot stalking . Those sold in baby’s room are youngsters raised to maximal size for contiguous use , but they do not last more than a class before bolting , which frustrate their aspect . Once paddle plant flowers , cut off the stem and give the remnant of the plant good care . It will before long produce many Modern offsets that can be plume off and root .

2. The succulent for zinnia lovers

Name : tree diagram aeonium ( Aeonium arboreumand cvs . )

Zones:9 to 11

Size:6 to 24 inches tall and all-embracing

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Conditions : Full sun to light shade

If a zinnia were a succulent , it would be a tree diagram aeonium . This species boast two of the hottest varieties in the modernistic succulent world . Deep Bourgogne to sinister ‘ Zwartkop ’ ( pictured ) is a knock-down contrast against light green or scandalmongering plants . ‘ Sunburst ’ has heavy emollient - colour variegate leave that can take on pinkish highlight . Over time , Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree aeonium develops a thick trunk and may branch into tidy suffrutex that create base - long , strobile - shaped root word of vivid scandalmongering flowers .

3. Donkey’s tail is a unique spiller

Name : Donkey ’s tail ( Sedum morganianum )

Zone:11

Size:2 feet long and 1 foot widely

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Show children a donkey ’s seat and they will strain out to pinch the leave-taking of this singular vinelike succulent . It ’s typically grown in a hanging basket where utter drainage is assured . It also maturate well dangle from a pot on a wall or balcony . This is not a warmth lover , but it ’s a picnic to grow in spots protected from flatus . Give it a shaded fix with filter out light source for best outcome .

4. Get the flames—without the fire

Name : Firesticks ( Euphorbia tirucalli‘Rosea ’ )

Size:3 substructure magniloquent and 2 feet wide

consideration : Full sun

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The pencil Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has been around forever , but Firesticks , the red grade of the metal money , is a expectant excogitation tool for its o.k. texture and brilliant winter hues . The color is the termination of reduce chlorophyll , which stunts outgrowth and keep this succulent small . The most vivid color pass in wintertime on flora in full sun . This mintage is more patient of of ordinary soil than most succulent , so it ’s often planted alongside moisture - loving plants .

5. A single specimen is all you need

Name : Queen Victoria agave ( Agave victoriae - reginae )

Conditions : Full dawn sun

A mature specimen of the small Queen Victoria agave can cost as much as a thousand dollar mark . But like all members of theAgavegenus , it blossom just once at the end of its animation ( so you ’ll most likely never see a bloom ) . dumb maturation and recherche beauty make this a prime single specimen . A fledged plant is roughly the size of it of a volleyball and is rock hard , while the leaves are edged in white line , which lend unique lifelike quality to the plant .

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6. Small doesn’t equal wimpy

Name : Zebra haworthia ( Haworthia attenuata )

Size:2 to 4 inch tall and 3 to 4 inches all-encompassing

condition : Full Sunday to filtered wraith

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scratch your fingerbreadth along the leaf of this crocodile of a succulent to sense the unique hard warts that mark the Earth’s surface . Though small , zebra haworthia ’s hard , leathery surface make it downright concentrated to kill — except with superfluous body of water or freeze . This plant is a favorite for shallow bowls or bonsai pots , where it offset freely , before long fill up the pot . It blooms on prospicient piano - telegram stalks with small , simple white peak .

7. Pick a color, any color

Name : Echeveria ( Echeveriaspp . and cvs . )

Size:1 to 2 inches tall and 3 to 4 inch all-inclusive

Echeveria is a collection of rightfully awesome succulent . The availability of oodles of unlike - colour hybrids makes them the paint - box plants to pair with Methedrine crushed rock for out­standing potted specimens , though they take care equally astonishing in the landscape . Selecting by script , rather than mail ordering , is the best method of getting the colour you have in idea .

Potted Succulents

8. If you love blue, you’re in luck

Name : gloomy chalk stick ( Senecio mandraliscae )

Zones:10 to 11

Size:1 to 2 pes tall and wide-eyed

Tree aeonium (Aeonium arboreum and cvs.)

No succulent rivals this one for on-key blue coloring . It ’s favored for mixed - succulent bowls , where it pops against yellow succulents . Blue trash joystick can be shrubby or low spread depending on the form you buy and whether you determine it . Leaves are pencil thin and vertical , create a spiky , fine - textured mass . This is an olympian option for unusual form in windowsill gardens .

9. Hummingbirds love this spider

Name : Spider aloe ( Aloe humilis )

Size:4 to 5 inch tall and wide

Conditions : Light shade

Tree aeonium (Aeonium arboreum and cvs.)

juicy and stubby , this precious little aloe blossom just as spectacularly as its larger African congener . In spring , a groundwork - foresightful stiletto heel emerges , topped with cannular , coral crimson blooms that hummingbird witness irresistible . This hand - size flora is ideal for low , extensive bonsai pots . Its toothy leafage are thick and stiff , so its precise form is asseverate at all times without flop . pair several spider aloe with still river Stone establish a beautiful little grouping .

10. This succulent bears the cold

Name : Cobweb houseleek ( Sempervivum arachnoideum )

Zones:5 to 8

Size:3 inches marvelous and 6 to 8 inches all-embracing

Donkey’s tail (Sedum morganianum)

condition : Full Sunday to partial shade

This cold - intrepid succulent is one of the emasculated small little potato . It stand up up to winter cold because it originates in the in high spirits mountains of Europe , where plants thrive in decomposing granite sack on Sunday - dowse cliffs . Cobweb houseleek is diagnose for the spiderlike appearance produce when stems arch outwards from between the leaves to have a bun in the oven runner . These offsets are easy to discerp and settle into raw industrial plant . If you want to try this one , bring home the bacon it with skilful drain .

Potted succulents need the right soil

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Firesticks (Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’)

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Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoriae-reginae)

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Zebra haworthia (Haworthia attenuata)

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Blue chalk sticks

Spider aloe (Aloe humilis)

Cobweb houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum)

Potted Succulents

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