An Eye-Catching Succulent Garden

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

Garden Ideas, Landscaping Ideas, drought tolerant plant, succulent garden, agave americana, senecio, Debora Carl, Dragon tree, dracaena, festuca glauca, blue fescue, euphorbia, tropical garden, Mediterranean garden

This eye-catching garden weaves together succulents and other drought-tolerant plants for a long-lasting impact. Color and texture highlight this landscape creation, where bold plants like Agave americana (Century Plant), Dracaena draco (Dragon Tree), or the gigantic Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos flavidus) draw attention with their sculptural forms.

They are underplanted with rivers of cool blue Senecio mandraliscae (blue chalk fingers) and blue-gray Festuca glauca (Blue Fescue), whose color repeats those of the Agave. Fluid drifts of strikingly colored Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns) flow around the planting, adding a great color punch.

Garden Information

Hardiness	10 - 11
Climate Zones	21, 22, 23, 24
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial 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, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Well-Drained
Characteristics	Plant of Merit, Showy
Tolerance	Drought, Deer, Dry Soil
Attracts	Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas	Beds And Borders
Garden Styles	City and Courtyard, Mediterranean Garden

Plants In This Garden

Senecio mandraliscae (Blue Chalksticks)

Prized for the shape and pretty color of its foliage, Senecio mandraliscae (Blue Chalksticks) is a spreading succulent from South Africa with 3-4 in. long (7-10 cm), silvery blue, finger-like fleshy leaves and small white flowers in summer. Quickly forming a dense blue mat with its upward curving leaves, this low-growing succulent is highly versatile and ideal as a border plant or as a groundcover. Great for creating a low, blue edging too.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Senecio vitalis (Narrow-Leaf Chalksticks)

Senecio vitalis (Narrow-Leaf Chalksticks) is a spreading evergreen succulent of great ornamental appeal with its cylindrical gray-green foliage. Its slender, slightly upcurved leaves, 3-5 in. long (7-12 cm), are glaucous-gray, finger-like. They encircle the trailing stems and form handsome tufts at the stem tips. Erect at first, the stems become procumbent and often root at the nodes as they touch the ground. Small creamy-white flowers held in corymbs rise just above the foliage in late spring to early summer.

Hardiness	10 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)

Anigozanthos flavidus (Kangaroo Paw)

Native to Australia, Anigozanthos flavidus (Kangaroo Paw) is an evergreen rhizomatous perennial with interesting flower shapes atop fans of slender, strap-shaped leaves. Borne on long, leafless flowering stalks, the remarkable flowers, are usually yellow-green, but can be orange, red, pink or green.

Hardiness	10 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 6' (90cm - 180cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)

Agave americana (Century Plant)

Agave americana, known as the Century Plant, is a striking succulent with large, spiky blue-green leaves edged with sharp spines. Native to Mexico, it typically blooms spectacularly with a tall flower spike, attracting pollinators like bees and hummingbirds. It thrives in full sun and well-draining soil.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	3' - 6' (90cm - 180cm)
Spread	6' - 10' (180cm - 3m)

Dracaena draco (Dragon Tree)

Slow-growing, award-winning Dracaena draco (Dragon Tree) is an evergreen tree with attractive hefty limbs and stiff but flexible leaves. Sparsely branched, the thick, swollen, cylindrical trunk, branches into stout, upright arms with terminal rosettes of sword-shaped, blue-green leaves to 2 ft. in length (60 cm).

Hardiness	9 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	20' - 60' (6.1m - 18.3m)
Spread	20' - 30' (6.1m - 9.1m)

Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns)

Noted for its incredibly showy bracts, Euphorbia milii, commonly called Crown of Thorns, is a sprawling evergreen shrub with succulent branches lined with long, sharp, black thorns and sparsely leafed. This plant flowers over an extremely long season

Hardiness	9 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	3' - 6' (90cm - 180cm)
Spread	1' - 3' (30cm - 90cm)

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' (Blue Fescue)

One of the best and most colorful of all Blue Fescue varieties, Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ is a wonderful dwarf ornamental grass, mostly grown for its superb, evergreen, bright silver-blue foliage. Densely tufted, the foliage of finely-textured, blade-like needles forms a neat mound topped by upright flower plumes in summer.

Hardiness	4 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	8" - 1' (20cm - 30cm)
Spread	8" - 1' (20cm - 30cm)

How Many Plants Do I Need?

Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas

Euphorbia (Spurge) Senecio Agave Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paw) Festuca (Fescue)

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Alternative Plants to Consider

Agave franzosinii (Majestic Agave)

Festuca glauca ‘Blaufuchs’ (Blue Fescue)

The Landscape Designers

Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers

Debora Carl Landscape Design

Debora Carl Landscape Design was founded in 2000 with a mission of designing outdoor living spaces appropriate to California’s Mediterranean climate, utilizing distinctive materials and accessories, and emphasizing drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plant selections. Our team creates designs that are sensitive to the lifestyle of each client and to the unique character of each home and site.

Since our founding, our work has been featured in numerous publications and garden exhibitions, including Sunset, Garden Design, Better Homes and Gardens, San Diego Home and Garden, Luxe Interiors & Design, Riviera Interiors and more.

Address

1791 Crest Drive, Encinitas, California, United States, 92024

Phone

(760) 479-0082

Website

deboracarl.com

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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.