Succulent Gardens

Craft Your Succulent Sanctuary

Like Coloradoans, desert plants were built for extremities. They can take the cold and acrid states the land dishes out, and maintain this lush, alien landscape appearance all the while. Added bonus: those who suffer from brown thumb can come out looking like veteran botanists. Now the only thing left to do is to design your own sanctuary, so here are some handpicked plants to begin … Just watch for the needles.

American Agave
With a 25-year lifespan, the ever-present agave reaches up to heights of six feet and remains hardy at 20-degrees Fahrenheit.

Orchid Cactus
It’s a hybrid beauty that flourishes best in shaded areas. Makes sense given that the flowers open at night.

Yucca
People in the Midwest call the Yucca glauca “the ghosts in the graveyard” for the pale flower stalk that seemingly floats in the air.

Euphorbia Canariensis
Found on coastal belts, the five- or four-angled hardy trunks turn upward like an upside down willow tree and produce reddish-green flowers.

Mexican Prickly Pear
This is one of the more common cacti seen around—and for good reason. The fruit is delicious, just ask Kelly Grummons who produces prickly pear jelly.

Haworthia Fasciata
Also known as the zebra cactus (for obvious reasons), the leaves are tightly grouped together and sprout flowers at summer’s end.

Blue Ice Plant
Leaves on this plant resemble plump green fingers, and it’s a complementary addition, whether inside or outside, to any succulent garden.