8 Best Succulents for Urban Indian Gardens
Desert plants that look splendid, need little maintenance and fit perfectly into our time-starved city lives
Ketaki Godbole Randiwe
23 April 2019
Most of us city dwellers who have gardens are fighting a tough battle. We long for our green spaces to always look beautiful but at the end of the day, we fall short of the time and energy to take proper care of it. Don’t fret, succulents (also known as desert plants) may be just what you were looking for. These are unusually attractive plants that challenge the notion of typical garden plants, and once you develop a taste for them, you will want to have them everywhere. Trust me.
Read on to learn more…
Read on to learn more…
Welcome to the world of succulents
Succulents or desert plants are a diverse and fascinating group of plants with characteristic swollen fleshy leaves or stems and curious forms, shapes and colours. Their ability to store water helps them survive without watering for extended periods, with little or no maintenance.
Succulents are to be found in a large number of plant families and genera. Nearly 50 different plants families include succulent plant members.
Depending on where the water is stored, we can classify them into leaf succulents, stem succulents and root succulents.
Succulents or desert plants are a diverse and fascinating group of plants with characteristic swollen fleshy leaves or stems and curious forms, shapes and colours. Their ability to store water helps them survive without watering for extended periods, with little or no maintenance.
Succulents are to be found in a large number of plant families and genera. Nearly 50 different plants families include succulent plant members.
Depending on where the water is stored, we can classify them into leaf succulents, stem succulents and root succulents.
Water wisdom
The amazing thing about these plants is that lack of water for extended periods is actually conducive to their growth and development. Now imagine that you are away for a short trip, and when you come back, your garden, instead of looking dry and withered, is flourishing beautifully!
Cactus family
All the members of the cactus family are succulents but it is important to remember that not all succulents are cacti.
The amazing thing about these plants is that lack of water for extended periods is actually conducive to their growth and development. Now imagine that you are away for a short trip, and when you come back, your garden, instead of looking dry and withered, is flourishing beautifully!
Cactus family
All the members of the cactus family are succulents but it is important to remember that not all succulents are cacti.
1. Agave
Agave is a hardy evergreen succulent, which grows up to 4 feet tall, forming a large rosette of narrow stiffly erect leaves with moderately spaced spines. They are slow-growing, dramatic plants that stand out in the landscape. They even thrive on a bit of neglect!
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Agave angustifolia
Common name: Carribean or century plant
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: Tropical Costa Rica and Mexico
Great for: Planting beds and borders, rock gardens, accent plants
Agave is a hardy evergreen succulent, which grows up to 4 feet tall, forming a large rosette of narrow stiffly erect leaves with moderately spaced spines. They are slow-growing, dramatic plants that stand out in the landscape. They even thrive on a bit of neglect!
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Agave angustifolia
Common name: Carribean or century plant
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: Tropical Costa Rica and Mexico
Great for: Planting beds and borders, rock gardens, accent plants
Tip: Planting succulents in a large group, either behind a seating like this, or along a shrub border, creates harmony between the garden and the surroundings. Soften the modern look of the Agave by adding a traditional hedge plant like Duranta repens (Damyanti or golden dew-drops) and you’ve got a fusion of traditional with modern planting.
2. Furcraea
Furcraea is a hardy stemless evergreen succulent, very well suited to most of our climatic zones, from hot arid to moist tropical. Grown for their showy variegated foliage, they grow up to 5 feet tall. They form a fountain of upright, sword-shaped leaves, resembling undulating ribbons.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’
Common name: Giant cabuya, green aloe, false Agave
Category: Stem succulent
Origin: The Carribean and tropical South America
Great for: Giving an exotic look to the landscape; dramatic focal point in border planting or pots
Furcraea is a hardy stemless evergreen succulent, very well suited to most of our climatic zones, from hot arid to moist tropical. Grown for their showy variegated foliage, they grow up to 5 feet tall. They form a fountain of upright, sword-shaped leaves, resembling undulating ribbons.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’
Common name: Giant cabuya, green aloe, false Agave
Category: Stem succulent
Origin: The Carribean and tropical South America
Great for: Giving an exotic look to the landscape; dramatic focal point in border planting or pots
3. Yucca
Yuccas are extremely hardy plants, widely adapted to many soils and climates and are slow growing and drought tolerant. Over time, the plants will typically lose their lower leaves (in nature, they droop, forming a skirt around the trunk), giving the plant a pleasant tree-like appearance. A sure head-turner for any garden!
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Yucca aloifolia
Common name: Spanish dagger, Adam’s needle, palm lily, Roman candle
Category: Stem succulent
Origin: USA and Mexico
Great for: Dramatic focal point in border planting or pots
Yuccas are extremely hardy plants, widely adapted to many soils and climates and are slow growing and drought tolerant. Over time, the plants will typically lose their lower leaves (in nature, they droop, forming a skirt around the trunk), giving the plant a pleasant tree-like appearance. A sure head-turner for any garden!
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Yucca aloifolia
Common name: Spanish dagger, Adam’s needle, palm lily, Roman candle
Category: Stem succulent
Origin: USA and Mexico
Great for: Dramatic focal point in border planting or pots
4. Senecio
Senecio is a fast-growing succulent with vines that can reach a minimum length of 3 feet. Once established, they are extremely drought tolerant, with small, white, cinnamon-scented flowers. Planting drooping or trailing succulents in a tall pot allows for a proper display of the trailing foliage. Shown here is the delicate and drooping Senecio radicans ‘fish hooks’.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Senecio radicans
Common name: Fishhook plant, string of bananas
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: South Africa
Great for: Trailing from hanging planters; ground cover in a rock garden
Senecio is a fast-growing succulent with vines that can reach a minimum length of 3 feet. Once established, they are extremely drought tolerant, with small, white, cinnamon-scented flowers. Planting drooping or trailing succulents in a tall pot allows for a proper display of the trailing foliage. Shown here is the delicate and drooping Senecio radicans ‘fish hooks’.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Senecio radicans
Common name: Fishhook plant, string of bananas
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: South Africa
Great for: Trailing from hanging planters; ground cover in a rock garden
5. Haworthia
This is a succulent, which consists of a rosette of plump, stiff, upright leaves, Haworthias are a joy to grow and watch and come in many sizes and patterns. They are able to survive on minimal watering and affection, and they have glossy green leaves.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Haworthia spp.
Common name: Zebra cactus, pearl plant
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: South Africa
Great for: Window planters; giving a structured look in the garden by planting Haworthia in rows and at regular intervals
This is a succulent, which consists of a rosette of plump, stiff, upright leaves, Haworthias are a joy to grow and watch and come in many sizes and patterns. They are able to survive on minimal watering and affection, and they have glossy green leaves.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Haworthia spp.
Common name: Zebra cactus, pearl plant
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: South Africa
Great for: Window planters; giving a structured look in the garden by planting Haworthia in rows and at regular intervals
6. Echeveria
Perhaps the most widely planted succulent, Echeveria, which comes in many species, is well-loved for its rose-like form with fleshy leaves that come in a rainbow of colours. Echeveria easily handles the heat and its greys and blues cool the look of a garden. This succulent is evergreen and produces summer flowers on long inflorescences.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Echeveria spp.
Common name: Hens and chicks
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: Semi-desert areas of Central America and South America
Great for: Plant a single standout echeveria as the focal point of a container of mixed low-water-consumption plants, or mass multicoloured echeverias for the look of everlasting flowers
Perhaps the most widely planted succulent, Echeveria, which comes in many species, is well-loved for its rose-like form with fleshy leaves that come in a rainbow of colours. Echeveria easily handles the heat and its greys and blues cool the look of a garden. This succulent is evergreen and produces summer flowers on long inflorescences.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Echeveria spp.
Common name: Hens and chicks
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: Semi-desert areas of Central America and South America
Great for: Plant a single standout echeveria as the focal point of a container of mixed low-water-consumption plants, or mass multicoloured echeverias for the look of everlasting flowers
7. Sedum
Sedum morganianum is best grown in a sturdy hanging basket or a large pot, as its dense, soft foliage tends to get heavy as it matures. It looks best against a wall or trailing out of a rock garden. The leaves are a lovely soft blue-green. Sedums love bright shade or partial sun, and grow equally well indoors too.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Sedum morganianum
Common name: Donkey tail, burrowtail
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: Southern Mexico and Honduras
Great for: Hanging pots and ground cover in rock gardens
Sedum morganianum is best grown in a sturdy hanging basket or a large pot, as its dense, soft foliage tends to get heavy as it matures. It looks best against a wall or trailing out of a rock garden. The leaves are a lovely soft blue-green. Sedums love bright shade or partial sun, and grow equally well indoors too.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Sedum morganianum
Common name: Donkey tail, burrowtail
Category: Leaf succulent
Origin: Southern Mexico and Honduras
Great for: Hanging pots and ground cover in rock gardens
8. Adenium
Adeniums grow to a height of 10 feet when planted in the ground, but are shorter when grown in pots and containers. A beautiful choice to add a splash of colour to the garden, Adenium flowers bloom for several weeks in shades of pink during the spring and summer months. On a cautionary note, the sap of the Adenium is toxic and special caution is necessary in the presence of children and pets.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Adenium obesum
Common name: Desert rose, Sabi star, impala lily
Category: Stem succulent
Origin: Africa and Arab peninsula
Great for: Feature planting
Adeniums grow to a height of 10 feet when planted in the ground, but are shorter when grown in pots and containers. A beautiful choice to add a splash of colour to the garden, Adenium flowers bloom for several weeks in shades of pink during the spring and summer months. On a cautionary note, the sap of the Adenium is toxic and special caution is necessary in the presence of children and pets.
Plant at a glance
Botanical name: Adenium obesum
Common name: Desert rose, Sabi star, impala lily
Category: Stem succulent
Origin: Africa and Arab peninsula
Great for: Feature planting
Picture this
Armed with this new knowledge, it is easy to imagine your garden as a beautiful rock garden, instead of the usual lawn and flowering shrubs,. A well-laid-out rock garden, with correctly arranged rocks and plants, will be a source of immense pleasure and surprise for many years. What’s more, not only would it conserve quantities of precious water, but also save on the time and energy otherwise spent in mowing, weeding and pruning.
Infinite possibilities
Furthermore, with the diverse nature and number of succulents, the possibilites are endless. For example, you can do a different take on a ‘green wall’ by planting it with a variety of small succulents like Sedum, Senecio, Haworthia and Echeveria. The next time you go out shopping for plants, be sure to think of these lovelies for your garden!
Read more:
6 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Balcony Garden
A Beginner’s Guide to a Beautiful Butterfly Garden
Tell us:
If you enjoyed this story, like it, bookmark it and share your thoughts in Comments below. Join the conversation!
Armed with this new knowledge, it is easy to imagine your garden as a beautiful rock garden, instead of the usual lawn and flowering shrubs,. A well-laid-out rock garden, with correctly arranged rocks and plants, will be a source of immense pleasure and surprise for many years. What’s more, not only would it conserve quantities of precious water, but also save on the time and energy otherwise spent in mowing, weeding and pruning.
Infinite possibilities
Furthermore, with the diverse nature and number of succulents, the possibilites are endless. For example, you can do a different take on a ‘green wall’ by planting it with a variety of small succulents like Sedum, Senecio, Haworthia and Echeveria. The next time you go out shopping for plants, be sure to think of these lovelies for your garden!
Read more:
6 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Balcony Garden
A Beginner’s Guide to a Beautiful Butterfly Garden
Tell us:
If you enjoyed this story, like it, bookmark it and share your thoughts in Comments below. Join the conversation!
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Beautiful gardens !!! being a city dweller its hard to imagine having a garden like this.can these be grown in urban flats with small name sake balconies?
It is always a treat to see an article on succulents. We are pleased to see our image of Yucca pictured.
Please note that the image used for Haworthia actually portrays a grid of Agave victoriae-reginae.
Happy succulent growing!
Surprising, the heading says Succulents for Urban Indian Gardens, while not a single image shared is of an Indian home. All these succulents cannot grow anywhere in India, only in the hilly areas FYIP.