A Striking Water-Wise Border with Aloe, Cactus and Aeonium

Plant Combinations, Spring Borders, Summer Borders, Fall Borders, Winter Borders

Garden ideas, Mediterranean garden, Water wise Garden, Drought-tolerant Garden, Agave parryi, Echinocactus, Barrel Cactus, Fouquiria splendens,Ocotillo

This water-wise rock garden features numerous species of cacti, succulent, and xerophytes plants from all continents. Colorful and low-care, it is studded with a rich variety of striking plants, including aeoniums, aloes, dasylirions, and yuccas. Their vibrant color, dramatic architectural shapes, and lush evergreen foliage fill every available space.

All these plants look good year-round, are deer resistant, drought tolerant, and fuss-free.

This vignette is from the Exotic Garden of Eze, located on the site of a medieval fortress, perched 429 meters above the Mediterranean Sea. The panorama from the garden offers one of the most spectacular views of the French Riviera extending all the way to the Esterel Mountains and the Golf of Saint-Tropez. Eze’s Exotic Garden has received 2 awards; the “Prix Spécial Régional du Fleurissement” and the label “Jardin Remarquable”. It is worth a visit!

Garden Information

Hardiness	9 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Season of Interest	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Low
Soil Type	Sand
Soil pH	Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Well-Drained
Characteristics	Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance	Drought, Deer, Rabbit, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil
Attracts	Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas	Beds And Borders
Garden Styles	Gravel and Rock Garden, Mediterranean Garden

Plants In This Garden

Aeonium arboreum 'Atropurpureum'

Aeonium arboreum ‘Atropurpureum’ is an evergreen succulent with magnificent rosettes of glossy, fleshy, dark-purple leaves. If grown in full sun, the foliage of this Aeonium turns almost black, adding incredible drama and interest to the garden or containers.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)
Spread	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)

Aeonium arboreum

Aeonium arboreum is an evergreen succulent with showy rosettes of shiny, fleshy, spoon-shaped, apple green leaves at the end of sausage-like branches. Attractive when not blooming, this Aeonium is particularly striking when it produces bright golden racemes of small, star-shaped flowers in late winter to early spring.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)
Spread	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)

Aloe arborescens (Torch Aloe)

Prized for its colorful flowers and attractive foliage, Aloe arborescens (Torch Aloe) is an evergreen succulent shrub with branching stems holding many decorative rosettes. Each rosette consists of widely spreading, gray-green, sword-shaped leaves with conspicuous pale teeth along their edges.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	6' - 10' (180cm - 3m)
Spread	6' - 10' (180cm - 3m)

Delosperma cooperi (Ice Plant)

Ideal for hot dry gardens, Delosperma cooperi (Ice Plant) is a vigorous, mat-forming, evergreen succulent with vibrant, deep purplish-pink, daisy-like flowers, up to 2 in. across (5 cm). Blooming continuously from early summer to fall, the blossoms are produced in such quantities that they literally cover the foliage of fleshy, light green leaves.

Hardiness	6 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	3" - 6" (8cm - 15cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Yucca aloifolia (Spanish Bayonet)

Adding vertical structure to the garden, Yucca aloifolia (Spanish Bayonet) is a very ornamental, broadleaf evergreen shrub, simple or densely branched, boasting terminal rosettes of sword-shaped, dagger-like, deep green leaves. Thick and stiff, the evergreen leaves, 2 ft. long (60 cm), feature small, sharp serrations on the margin and a very sharp tip.

Hardiness	7 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	5' - 10' (150cm - 3m)
Spread	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)

Trichocereus pachanoi (San Pedro Cactus)

Trichocereus pachanoi, also known as San Pedro Cactus, is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to the Andes Mountains. It is renowned for its striking green stems, fragrant white flowers, and traditional use in spiritual ceremonies due to its mescaline content. It’s also popular as an ornamental plant.

Hardiness	8 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	10' - 20' (3m - 6.1m)
Spread	5' - 6' (150cm - 180cm)

Trichocereus pasacana (Pasacana Tree Cactus)

Slow-growing, Trichocereus pasacana (Pasacana Tree Cactus) is a large columnar cactus with a strong branched habit. However, the stem remains solitary for a long while before it produces lateral branches. Up to 30 in. wide (75 cm), each stout, deep green stem features 20-30 deep ribs and large, brown areoles packed with a cluster of amber to dark-brown spines.

Hardiness	8 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	6' - 30' (180cm - 9.1m)
Spread	1' - 3' (30cm - 90cm)

Opuntia elatior (Red-Flower Prickly Pear)

Opuntia elatior (Red-Flower Prickly Pear) is a big succulent shrub, eventually becoming tree-like, with a well-defined primary trunk and a profusion of flat, oblong, olive green pads, up to 16 in. long (40 cm). Bright white, needle-like spines (aging to gray-brown) are clustered in groups of 2-8. Sitting on the outer edges of the pads, a profusion of large, long-lasting, orange or reddish flowers appear in spring or summer.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	3' - 8' (90cm - 240cm)
Spread	3' - 8' (90cm - 240cm)

Dasylirion acrotrichum (Green Desert Spoon)

Dasylirion acrotrichum (Green Desert Spoon) is a very ornamental evergreen succulent boasting a perfectly rounded rosette packed with up to 100-300 long, slender, ribbonlike, lime green leaves with feathery, tufted ends. The leaves can reach 3 ft. in length (90 cm) and are adorned with small recurved spines along their edges.

Hardiness	8 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	5' - 6' (150cm - 180cm)
Spread	5' - 6' (150cm - 180cm)

How Many Plants Do I Need?

Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas

Yucca Opuntia (Prickly Pear Cactus) Delosperma (Ice Plant) Dasylirion Aloe Aeonium

Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas

France

Get Garden Design Ideas

Search Gardens

Alternative Plants to Consider

Agave americana (Century Plant)

Yucca rostrata (Beaked Yucca)

Aloe marlothii (Mountain Aloe)

Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’

Aeonium ‘Sunburst’

Cleistocactus strausii (Silver Torch)

By Lamax, Shutterstock

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.