Botany for the Willfully Ignorant: Why I Don’t Grow Succulents
Let me start with a few acknowledgments. First, I know almost nothing about succulent plants. However, this does not prevent me from exercising my rights as an American to have opinions about them.
These opinions may not be based on fact. However, I feel that they are true. Therefore, while they may not be accurate, they have (to use the phrase coined by Stephen Colbert) truthiness. And that’s good enough for me.
That said, I don’t grow succulents for the same reason I wouldn’t have a lizard or snake as a pet. Succulents strike me as cold-blooded plants.
I like plants that are more like golden retrievers or maybe a well-behaved cat, Plants that would cuddle up to you as you watch TV on the couch. Plants that are warm and lovable.
It’s hard to put my finger on exactly why I have this reaction, but here are a few possibilities.
Succulents tend to have sharp pointy bits. Of course, roses have thorns and so on. That makes roses more like the cats of the garden, still cuddly but with sharp claws that will strike when there’s been enough petting.
Admittedly, many succulents have nothing pointy going on whatsoever – for example, Sedum spectabilis. However, I prefer to avoid even the non-pointy succulents just to be on the safe side – because you don’t know when they might turn on you. You say guilt by association? I say reasonable prudence.
Succulents have weird leaves. At best, leaves of succulents have a waxy outer coating that makes them seem standoffish, plus they tend to be relatively inflexible. At worst (as with cacti), the leaves are actually spines, or is it the other way round?
Succulents look like sentient beings from another planet. Some of them, anyway. They just do.
If I lived in a hotter, drier climate I would no doubt have a different attitude towards succulents. Their presence would seem more comfortable and familiar, I would probably be grateful for the niche they fill in more arid ecosystems.
Also, there are only a limited number of succulents that will grow here in Chicago. So perhaps the succulents have the last laugh. I may not want to grow them, but most of them wouldn’t want to grow in my garden anyway. Probably best that we each go our separate ways.
gardeninacity 
I support and commend your decision. It is a free country, and the Garden Police are not going to make you grow them.
Well said! Don’t tread on me – or my garden!
For a guy who claims not to “get” the appeal of succulents, you’ve used truthiness and Judy’s photos to do a pretty nice job of defining their charm. I don’t have a lot, but I like the ones I’ve got – and I have the war wounds to prove it. This was a fun post.
They can have a sort of uncanny appeal.
YES!! I’m not a huge fan of them, either, although a few have charmed their way into my garden. All those stabby points just seem rude. I don’t like plants that come with armor. I prefer plants that wag their tail a bit and are happy to see me.
Didn’t their mothers’ tell them it was impolite to point?
Ha!!! This is awesome!! Plants to cuddle are the best! I never heard it put this way but it makes sense and you had me laughing!!! I’m with you on this one by the way. Have a great weekend!!! Nicole
Glad you think it makes sense, that is reassuring. You have a great weekend, too.
That’s how I used to feel about them, but I enjoy succulents more and more the older I get. A healthy collection of Hens and Chicks attracts me. Sedums will always have a place in my garden. And Opuntia Cactuses (native in both Wisconsin and Illinois) are so fun to find in the wild (or in the appropriate garden setting). But, I understand your thoughts because I used to have those impressions. Weird how age can change a person’s perspective.
I can live with some Sedums that have good flowers, but Hens and Chicks do nothing for me. I would never plant cactus in the garden, native or not – Judy likes to walk around barefoot.
I am choosy about which succulents I suffer. Jungle Cacti, yes. Smooth sedums that grow in chains, yes. Plants with spikes and stickers and barbs, no.
Never heard of jungle cacti, sounds interesting.
I couldn’t agree more. Except for our native succulent, Sedum ternatum. It makes a stunning groundcover in shade.
That’s a Sedum I’m not familiar with – I’ll have to check it out.
Haha, great post. I wholeheartedly agree. I like plants you can hug. I am beginning to fall hard for Sedums lately though, and now I wonder, are they a kind of gateway drug to the hard stuff?
Sedums are probably the most cuddly of the succulents. But it could be a slippery slope, so be careful.
LOL! I think you are right Jason. If you had the right garden for them you would probably fall in love with them. Like if I had a shade garden I would learn to love Impatiens… maybe!
What – you don’t like Impatiens? How can that be?
I LOVE cacti and succulents however I have to keep them in the house as it is too wet here even in Summer, a few of them are strong enough to take a vacation in my garden and they love it ! If I would live somewhere hotter and dryer I’d have a cacti and succulent garden, that is my biggest dream !
I’m afraid I am very bad at house plants, succulent or otherwise. They tend to want more attention than I am willing or able to give them.
But Jason, sometimes you have to love the ones you’re with!
I’m not sure you can talk up Elvis singing Dixie on your own blog and then come over here and reference Crosby Stills & Nash. Just too confusing culturally.
Oh, I don’t like plants with pointy things, either. I have one climbing rose that draws blood almost every time I pass by with the mower, and I selected a thornless raspberry for the berry patch. BUT I *love* my sedums, from the tall ‘Autumn Joy’ that provides interest and beauty almost all year round, to the low growing ‘Angelina’ and ‘Dragon’s Blood’ that creep about in their contrasting colors. The yucca I am less thrilled with, but I’ve discovered a yucca is forever – trying to remove them just makes them multiply.
Another good reason not to plant Yucca. I confess I do have a threesome of Sedum ‘Matronna’ which is similar to ‘Autumn Joy’.
As I sit here and watch the first official snow fall of the season, I certainly had a chuckle reading this. And, I’m with you – I’d prefer my plants not to bite. 🙂
Our first snowfall seems to be coming down this evening. And I still need to rake the leaves!
I’m learning to love the plants that grow well for me, in quite specific conditions. I thought I hated cactus and most succulents excluding Sedums, which I love, but when I saw them growing in the Phoenix botanic garden I thought they were stunning. Right plant right place, Jason, that’s what its all about!
Well, fortunately I don’t live in Phoenix.You would enjoy the Ruth Bancroft Garden in California, it has sedums and xeric plants from all over the world.
I’m not saying I would like to live there either, it was New Year’s Day and it was too hot for me! But I do like seeing plants in their natural environments, I might even like rhododendrums in forest valleys it just can’t stand them in gardens!
I live in one of those hot and dry places but succulents leave me cold. I think they are overused in Austin and they are surprisingly NOT xeric. A lot of succulents actually take up more water than many garden favourites. Since they are adapted for desert environments they are all about drawing in and storing water. They can look nice in moderation or as a focal point I suppose but mostly I would rather not include them.
Wait – they’re not xeric? You baffle me. Are you saying they will absorb a lot of moisture from the soil, or that they require a lot of moisture to survive?
I know right. It seems to defy common sense but these plants have adaptations for living successfully in desert environments that get heavy seasonal rains. They can take in enormous amounts of moisture and if you give them the chance they will. Home gardeners as a rule don’t allow them to desiccate or drop their leaves — which is what they normally would do between rains. These well meaning gardeners tend to keep giving them water through the year and sometimes end up using more water than people with traditional gardens. Here’s a link you might find interesting:
Click to access Xeriscaping.pdf
I love a good rant, especially when it swims against the mainstream.
This is not a rant, it’s just the truth.
Lol….I wasn’t really that much of a fan actually….until I saw these pics of yours and now feel totally converted. Great post!xxx
Thanks … I think.
Thats funny but I love Sedums and I keep trying to grow houseleeks (Sempervivums) in terracotta pots and failing because England is mainly rainy and damp and I ignore them too much. One of my all time yuk plants is Aeonium though, even if it does look like an elongated Houseleek.
I never heard Sempervivums called houseleeks. I wonder where that common name comes from.
Just looked that up as I did not know either and they certainly do not look like the vegetable. Apparently Hardy sempervivums are called houseleeks because there is an ancient tradition of growing them on the roof to ward off lightning and bad luck. Their Latin name Sempervivum tectorum translates as ‘alive on the roof’. Their common name (houseleek) is derived from the Anglo Saxon word Leac meaning plant – so sempervivums were the original house plant. Admitting I treat them so badly has made me resolve to do better in the future.
I like many of the Sedum and Sempervivum, but that’s it. Partly out of nostalgia (my grandmother had a huge patch of Hens and Chicks) and partly because they are so easy and grow in spaces nothing else will.
Oh, I also like the Crown of Thorns as a houseplant, in spite of its namesake thorns, because it has the most charming tiny red flowers all winter long.
There are some nice Sedums, I admit.
You made me laugh at the beginning of this. There are soft, fuzzy cuddly succulents. You just haven’t met them yet.
OK, I’ll try to keep an open mind. But it doesn’t come naturally.
I used to have quite a collection of cacti and succulents that I grew as houseplants. You couldn’t ask for easier plants to grow and the shapes, textures and colors are really fascinating.
Fascinating, but not lovable.
Cute post. I do think they have an architectural shape though. Quite a few are colorful too.
Fine, I won’t argue with that.
Hilarious. I agree the golden retriever type plants are more appealing.
How can you not love a golden retriever?
I can relate on your statement that succulents can be cold-blooded.
I’ve had a few pinches and pricks from tiny pointy thorns and bled a little while replanting cacti weeks ago. But I still love them even though they don’t love me back. huhuhuhu =)
Sounds like a difficult relationship.
we’re trying to work it out, sir… in between the pitches hehehe =)
I know some amazing succulent gardens and although I wouldn’t like to have one I admire the forms and texture…and the courage of the gardeners to deal with them as so many are not very inviting.
Yes, there are some amazing succulent gardens, but I wouldn’t want to live in one.
Ha! Truthiness and plant cuddling! I wouldn’t want to cuddle a Pyracantha. Does this mean the botanists have to re-categorise it as a succulent? 😉
Sounds like we need to consult a taxonomist.
YES! to cuddly plants 🙂 I admire succulents but I have the distinct impression we wouldn’t get along all that well really.
I admire some succulents as well – it’s not that I am anti-succulent but I just don’t want to get too close.
You “don’t” grow them, I “can’t” grow them. While there are many that can take our mild winters, all the ones I’ve killed have died during overly wet summers. I have had better success keeping them in containers where I don’t have to work as hard getting the drainage right (yes, I am a lazy gardener).
We tend to have wet summers as well, especially in August – though things are so unpredictable these days.
You know you’re in danger of having your trendy gardener card revoked, right? I’m not fond of plants that reach out and intentionally do you harm like some of those glochid- laden opuntias but do like the soft leaved succulents (some even have fur) and of late have become a fan of agaves because of their strong forms. I grow them mostly in pots so that I can kick them around if they try to hurt me.
I don’t think anyone has ever mistaken me for a trendy gardener.
It’s a good thing you came out with this post after you were in my garden. If my plants had gotten word of your attitude, well, they just might have attacked you.
Which would have doubled the casualty count for the Fling! However I may feel about succulents in my own garden, there is no doubting that your own garden is truly outstanding.
“These opinions may not be based on fact. However, I feel that they are true.”
Ugh, I have talked to too many people lately who believe just that. And tragically, not in jest!
I don’t grow succulents either, because they don’t fit in my garden. They look *amazing* in Kris’ California garden (Late to the Garden Party) though. And your picture of the Aeonium is gorgeous, if alien.
Fact-free opinions are a sign of the times.
You make a good argument. I’m halfway tempted to toss all my succulents back out into the cold!
I’ll focus on thistles and species roses instead, they’re far more huggable.
Do I detect a note of sarcasm?
Wow! Everybody has an opinion on succulents! But I’ll still leave mine: I love succulents mixed in the CA garden with drought tolerant native plants like Sage~ I adore their contrasting shapes and think that Hens & Chickens are quite cuddly 🙂
I’m sure I would have a different attitude if I lived in California.
Fun post. I grow our native cactus for fun, but also because I lived in AZ for 2 years and now my family lives there…I grew to love the desert landscape and plants.
Succulents suck, at least they do when they draw blood – oh, I am going off on a vampire tangent…
I met up with one in a nursery outside of Beaufort SC that the staff warned me was sharp, and it managed to slice me anyway…
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say wonderful blog!