In Florida, we are very lucky in that we can grow so many different plants in our landscapes. These landscapes may be inground beds, container gardens, wall gardens, and more!

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One interesting group of plants you may want to consider adding to your garden is succulents. These plants are adapted to grow in dry conditions, reducing your need to water. The fleshy leaves and stems store water and come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and textures. 

When growing succulents in your landscape, it is best to keep most of them in pots. This allows you to more easily monitor watering to ensure they are not over watered. Overall, Florida has a much wetter climate than the naturally arid desserts that many of these plants come from.

Terracotta or clay pots are particularly good to use because they pull moisture away from the plant. Do not use terracotta pots for plants that require a lot of water, as they tend to dry out.

 Be sure to use well-drained soil in your pots. If purchasing bagged soil check to see if it is for in-ground, or containers. These soils have different drainage abilities. In-ground soils do not drain well in pots.

They are designed to mix with the existing soil for the increased drainage. Container soil has better drainage in pots. It is important to have the proper drainage to reduce the chance of root rot and other issues from having soggy soil.

Allowing your succulents to dry out between watering. Watering once a week indoors is usually enough. Outside may vary depending on the weather. 

When selecting your succulents, you have a few plant groups to choose from. Echeveria stay relatively small. They come in different color combinations and have leaves arranged in rosettes. 

Sedums also have leaves in a rosette pattern but have their own interesting look.  These plants have varieties as tall as 3 feet, with several working nicely as groundcover in the right garden. 

Sempervivum are a cold hardy succulent native to Europe. These plants come in a range of colors and interesting textures. 

Kalanchoe include several options for your garden. One is called the “Panda Bear Plant” ( Kalanchoe tomentosa ) because it is has white fuzzy leaves with brown spots on the leaf edges. 

Several different succulents, including the groundcover Golden Sedum, are available at the UF/IFAS Lake County Master Gardener Plant sale on April 30 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Come out to meet our Master Gardener Volunteers and get some of these unique plants. 

An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Andra Johnson, Dean. Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices.

Jamie Daugherty is the Residential Horticulture Agent of the UF/IFAS Lake County Extension office. Contact our office with questions at lakemg@ifas.ufl.edu.