If you are new to gardening, succulents are a great place to start since they are easy to grow. Besides, Florida’s hot summers and warm winters offer excellent conditions for growing most succulents. However, the rainy season presents unfavorable conditions due to the excess moisture it brings.
The best succulents for Florida living include cactus, Aloes, Sedums, and Kalanchoes. But due to Florida’s rainy, humid climate, you need to plant them in well-drained soils like coarse sand or containers. This is because excess moisture could cause your succulents to rot.
Succulents are beautiful plants whose textures and colors help turn your landscape, indoor garden, or patio into a stunning masterpiece. Keep it here to find out which are the best succulents for your Florida home and how to grow them. You will also find tips on the best way to care for your succulents so they remain alive, beautiful, and vibrant.
Cactus
While cactus is usually associated with the desert expanses of Southwest America, a variety of these succulents blossom in Florida. Besides, some like the Prickly Pear are native to this state. This cactus is tear-drop-shaped, bears flat branches and tiny yellow flowers.
Interestingly, cactus has no leaves. Instead, these drought-tolerant plants store water in their stems. Furthermore, they have sharp spines, and their stems have a thick, waxy coating that prevents evaporation.
Cacti grow quite well in a collection of containers around the home. This is more so because the plants occur in a wide array of sizes and shapes. Hence grouping different species together makes a vivid and interesting collection. Still, Prickly Pears grow best in the ground rather than when planted in containers.
Echeveria
This group of succulents boasts lovely foliage shaped like a rosette. These plants remain small and are most suited to container growing.
When watering your Echeveria, ensure that no water is left sitting in the rosette’s center because this can cause rotting or lead to disease. Get rid of any dead leaves at the bottom of your growing plants to keep them healthy and attractive.
There are different types of Echeveria, and you can choose between the water-lily-shaped Black Prince with striking dark red leaves or Ruffles with red-tipped ruffled leaves. If you prefer the conventional succulent look, go for the Mexican Blue Rose Echeveria with blue-green leaves and pink highlights. Alternatively, you could try out Topsy Turvy featuring thick grey curly leaves.
Sedums
Sedums are rosette-shaped too, but they still maintain a unique look. They are available in a variety of heights, from a few inches to 3 feet (36 inches) tall. Some Sedums feature a trailing form, making them suitable for container growing since they spill gracefully over the container edges.
Sedums come in various forms; Cape Blanco boasts striking silver leaves, Tricolor has green leaves rimmed with white, while Dragon’s Blood features a cascade of red foliage. Other Sedums include Angelina with brilliant chartreuse foliage and Donkey Tail, whose trailing stems and overlapping leaves resemble an animal’s tail.
You can choose the Lemon Coral for your rock garden, a creeping sedum that makes a stunning groundcover or accent plant.
Here is a video that gives more information on these beautiful container plants:
Aloes
Aloes are native to Madagascar, Arabia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. These evergreen succulents have spiny leaves that form neat rosettes and cone-like blooms of brightly colored tube-like flowers.
Ranging from miniature plants to tall trees, Aloes boast various hues and leaf shapes. The small varieties are ideal for creating drama, texture, and color in your succulent containers. Their thick leaves are lance-shaped with smooth, bumpy, or prickled surfaces, while their edges are rimmed with either sharp or soft teeth.
Aloe leaves often turn red with drought, excess sun, cold or unhealthy soils. The plants flower every year, mostly in winter, and are excellent for beds, borders, rock, and succulent gardens. They are also perfect accent plants and make remarkable container and landscape plants.
Kalanchoes
Kalanchoes do well indoors and are easy to grow from cuttings. These soft succulents are dazzling, thanks to their showy flowers. Depending on the species, they can either be upright or paddle-shaped. The Panda Bear plant bears fuzzy white leaves with brown spots, while the Desert Rose paddle plant features chalky blue-green leaves with red tips.
These succulents hail from Madagascar and thrive best in mild, summer-dry coastal climates. Therefore, most Kalanchoes can’t survive in freezing temperatures or scorching desert heat. Again, most of them prefer many hours of sunlight and bright shade afterward.
Sempervivum
Sempervivum succulents are also known as Hens & Chicks or Houseleeks. These charming outdoor plants are incredibly resilient and will withstand drought, extreme cold, and poor soil.
The succulents grow easily and will brighten your landscape with eye-catching colors, styles, and textures. Native to Europe, Sempervivum sport a beautiful tight rosette appearance and create dense mats that accent your garden.
Available in hundreds of species, some like the Royal Ruby rosettes are similar to water lilies while the elegant Green Wheel bear pointed leaves. There is also the beautiful Red Rubin with burgundy-tinged leaves surrounded by green leaves. A notable variety is the Sempervivum arachnoideum, whose cobweb-like mass of fine hairs grows amidst a green-leafed rosette.
Watch the video below for more on these enduring succulents:
Aeonium
Aeoniums are both beautiful and fascinating. The succulents originate from islands to the northwest of Africa. They thrive in a Mediterranean climate characterized by dry summers and cold, wet winters.
These succulent plants feature fleshy rosettes and are similar to Echeveria and Sempervivum.
Though all Aeoniums feature attractive rosettes, different species exhibit diverse dimensions and growth habits. For this reason, they can grow low on the ground or branch out into shrubs. For instance, the Saucer Plant boasts massive rosettes of tender, green leaves, some as wide as 16 inches (41 cm) across.
While Florida’s climate doesn’t favor growing Aeoniums as landscape plants, these succulents are well-suited as houseplants. Still, most Aeoniums prefer bright sunlight. You can place your potted succulents outdoors in sheltered areas during winter but be sure to return them indoors on chilly nights.
Jade
Jade plants (Crassula ovata) are native to South Africa. This green houseplant bears white or pink flowers, has a tree-like appearance, and glossy spoon-like leaves. Under bright light, it’s leaves turn red around the edges.
When placed in the right conditions, this popular succulent plant can live for many years with marginal care. Jade plant does best in full sunlight or filtered bright light, with temperatures between 65-75℉ (18-24℃).
The plant can get by with little watering, but long periods of dryness may cause dwarfing, leaf drop, and finally, death. Jade plants can also survive on minimal soil nutrients though you can apply a water-soluble fertilizer every 3-4 months. Doing so will keep the succulent healthy and promote flowering in older plants.
Agave
False Sisal and Wild Century Plant are two Agave species that are native to Florida. Agaves are a type of succulents characterized by a large rosette of thick, fleshy, sharp-pointed leaves. While they are commonly mistaken for cacti or Aloe plants, those more familiar with them know they are the source of Tequila.
Agave grows best in tropical and desert regions though they are slow growers, flowering once in a decade. Soon after it blooms, the Agave dies. However, you can propagate it from the plantlets that sprout at the bottom of the stem. What’s more, Agaves can withstand both hot and cold temperatures.
The Agave plant comes in various sizes, from a few inches to above 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall. The leaves feature different hues as well—from a deep green to a grassy green, blue-green, or even grey. They might also be striped white, cream, or yellow.
The plant forms spikes of white, yellow, or rose, tubular flowers on stems towering 6-40 feet (1.8-12 meters) above itself.
Yucca
The Yucca plant resembles the Agave though it forms trunks and its leaves are more numerous, thinner, and leathery. It also has a smaller terminal spine. The leaves range between deep green to pale blue, plus they bear cream, white, yellow, or chartreuse stripes.
A flowering Yucca produces large flower clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers. However, unlike the tall flower stems characteristic of Agaves, Yucca’s flower clusters are found within or slightly above the foliage. Tough, evergreen Yucca makes attractive specimen plants due to their coarse texture and odd shapes.
To thrive, Yucca needs full sun and sandy soils. It also does fairly well during drought, in high heat, frosty or humid conditions. Once established, they also have no need for fertilizer or insecticides.
Of the more than 20 Yucca species, three are native to Florida. These are Spanish Bayonet, Adam’s Needle, and Mound Lily Yucca.
Bromeliads
Bromeliads are native to tropical or subtropical lands. These beautiful succulents stand out due to their bold, colorful leaves and exotic flower spikes. You can grow them outdoors if you reside in a frost-free area or indoors in a space with bright, diffused light.
Depending on the amount of light your Bromeliads receive, their green leaves can either be long and thin or short, thick, and light-colored. They generally do well away from direct sunlight and thrive in high humidity conditions, though species with thicker leaves can also tolerate cold.
Florida has up to 16 native Bromeliad species, with Spanish Moss as the most recognizable. Many people think of them as parasites, but these succulents are epiphytes and only cling to trees or shrubs for support.
What Do Succulents Need for Optimal Growth?
Succulents are hardy plants that are available in many different hues. They sport thick, fleshy leaves that enable them to store water and survive in harsh environments. The best thing about these unique, low-maintenance plants is that you don’t require any expertise to grow them.
Good Drainage Material
For optimal results, succulents need well-drained material; thus, containers and rock gardens offer excellent options.
In Florida’s wet and humid climate, containers offer a great way to grow your succulents since it’s easier to control irrigation and soil. The succulents also look very fetching when creatively arranged in your outdoor living area in a variety of colors and textures.
Still, the best option to go for in humid, rainy areas like Florida has raised beds designed for dry gardens. Such beds allow the tropical rains to drain faster since the plant roots don’t grow into saturated soil or the high water table.
A raised bed features a base of hard rubble or rocks, while an ideal growing mix contains gravel or poultry grit, coarse sand, and potting soil. This type of mix drains fast but still retains moisture and nutrients. If you like DIY projects, you can also switch traditional potting soil with crushed lava, peat, coarse perlite, or pumice.
You can also top up with inorganic mulch, such as pea gravel. However, avoid using organic mulch because it could cause your succulents to rot. This happens when moisture accumulates around the plants’ trunks or stems.
Once established, the slow-growing plants hardly need much care though the beds require regular weeding.
Minimal Water
Succulents are designed to survive in dry, desert-like conditions, so they don’t need much water. Furthermore, some plants have modified leaves which not only provide shade but also allow for condensation. After that, the leaves direct water back towards the plant or the root system.
Go easy on the water, as overwatering will kill your succulents. Still, your plants need water, so what matters is the timing. The best time to water them is when the soil is almost dry.
Adequate Sunlight
Most succulents like bright and indirect sunlight, but some prefer diffused sun. After purchase, keep them in indirect light and then gradually introduce the plants to direct sunlight. This is because too much initial sun could cause sunburn; the leaves would die or turn unsightly.
Nevertheless, succulents need enough sunlight to look their best; otherwise, they get ‘leggy’ and stretch out as they try to access more sunlight. Try and give direct light in the morning as this light is often softer than the afternoon sun.
If you want to retain the vibrant succulent colors, proper light is key. Try out different lighting with your plants to determine how to maintain the best look.
Enough Shade
While they do like sunlight and none of them like full shade, most succulents do not thrive in hot temperatures. Therefore, they need sun protection when they are young or if temperatures go beyond 90℉ (32℃). All the same, the most vulnerable types are the green, pale, or variegated succulents.
If you prefer to have your succulents in the bright sunshine, choose hued plants such as red, blue, or grey succulents. Alternatively, consider getting spine-covered succulents as the spines help to reflect the bright rays.
Optimal Temperatures
Succulents are indeed hardy plants, but they can still get destroyed. It’s best not to have them in temperatures under 40℉ (4℃) without adequate protection.
In general, succulents thrive in temperatures between 50-85℉ (10-30℃). Consider keeping your plants away from direct sunlight if temperatures exceed these parameters. On the other hand, if they drop below the said parameters, it’s better to keep them indoors to prevent freezing.
Fertilizer
Succulents often do alright in low-nutrient conditions, but fertilizer is still vital to their care. For best results, feed your succulents with an organic fertilizer at the start of their growing season, i.e., spring and summer.
Once you plant your succulents properly, you are good to go since they don’t need much looking after. What’s more, they are pest resistant.
For six months, Florida experiences hot, sunny summers and warm, dry winters. These are ideal conditions for growing a majority of the succulents. However, the remaining half of the year witness heavy rains that mar these great conditions.
How to Keep Your Succulents Thriving
While succulents fare best with little attention, you still need to keep in mind some basic guidelines. Below are care tips you can follow to ensure your succulents stay alive while remaining vibrant:
- Allow for roughly 6 hours of sun every day.
- Allow the soil to dry out in between watering as damp soil can lead to root rot.
- Avoid misting your succulents since this will make them rot or cause fungal diseases.
- Apply fertilizer during spring and summer but withhold during winter and fall.
- Use potting soil designed for succulents such as well-draining potting soil, or mix potting soil with sand, pumice, or perlite.
Wrapping Up
For many gardeners and DIY enthusiasts, succulents are a garden favorite and a major interior design element. They are not only available in striking colors, styles, and textures, but their popularity has also soared due to their low-maintenance lifestyle.
With their minimum-fuss upkeep needs, you will find these unique, eye-catching plants easy to care for. What’s more, low-growing succulents like Sedums provide enchanting rock ground covers while taller varieties like Agave make excellent borders.
Succulents are your go-to garden plants, whether you are a beginner gardener or a busy professional with limited time to spend in your garden.
Besides, most avid gardeners will tell you that it’s very hard to kill these perennial plants.
So, if you adore flowering plants but somehow manage to kill most of them, your search is over. Succulents will make your garden attractive and restore your faith in your gardening skills too!