Midsummer garden helper: Tough, trendy succulents

What's not to like about succulents?

They're drought-resistant, colorful, love sun and come in a zillion shapes and sizes. They may be the gardening world's most forgiving plants. If a piece breaks off, you can stick it in the soil, and a new plant will root. If you forget to water, the plants usually survive.

And now they're also trendy. Roberta Schmidt, supervisor of the tropical plant area at Otten Brothers Garden Center in Long Lake, has witnessed succulents' rise firsthand.

"They became much more popular starting about five years ago," she said. "People really wanted to use them in container gardens in the summer, and that's when the fairy gardens came in, too."

"Succulent" generally refers to plants that retain water in their thick, fleshy leaves. Minnesota gardeners have been planting succulents for a long time, though they may not have thought of the plants that way. Hardy garden mainstays like sedum "Autumn Joy" and the sempervivum known as hens and chicks are succulents, as are houseplants like aloes and jade plants.

Schmidt links succulents' popularity to their toughness and variety. "People are intimidated by watering, but these are so easy," she said. "There are so many textures and colors, and they have the added benefits of flowers."

Succulents' small size makes them ideal for people who don't have a lot of room to garden. The surge in interest has coincided with people downsizing homes and looking for small but interesting plants that will grow in a pot on a patio or deck, Schmidt said. Fairy gardens, the miniature landscapes featuring small plants, often use succulents because they look so interesting and tend not to run wild in a small space.

Add me to the list of fans trying succulents in new settings. This spring at a big-box store, I was surprised to see flats of unusual succulents for sale among the common-variety petunias and marigolds. I put seven or eight plants in a shallow, cracked concrete birdbath that I'd been unable to seal. As I nestled the small plants into place, pieces of some brittle succulents snapped off. I stuck the pieces in the soil that day in early June, and every piece has since rooted and begun to grow.

While my birdbath planting hasn't covered the soil as fast as I'd hoped, the succulents fascinate me, and most days I go out to the backyard to check on them. They're yellow, gray, pink, green and purple. Some grow in rosettes like hens and chicks, others look spiky. One has triangular leaves, while another looks like a miniature version of the ropy houseplant known as burro's tail.

While succulents tend to be carefree, my plants need a drink about every three days, because of the shallow birdbath and my hot sunny backyard. Schmidt recommends watering potted succulents well but slowly, so water can seep through and soak the soil until it comes out the pot's drain hole. Let the plants thoroughly dry out before watering again.

Some potted succulents will survive our winters, but the freeze-thaw cycle can mean death for potted plants. If succulents must stay outside, it's best to bury the pot up to its rim in the ground to minimize temperature changes, Schmidt advised. Remember that clay pots may shatter outside.

Succulents do well as houseplants, too. Schmidt recommends bringing them inside once fall temperatures hit the mid-40s. They'll be quite happy in a window with sun or partial sun, planted in a fast-draining soil like cactus potting mix.

Mary Jane Smetanka is a Minneapolis freelance writer and a Master Gardener.