I think the bottomline is that many cactus and succulents don't grow quickly enough to be profitable landscape sized specimens (whatever that may be) for commercial growers.

X

I've never seen any cactus or succulents growing here in Western NY (besides in pots outside in the summer). There are winter hardy cactus out there, right?
Britta

Growforit - I don't know what part of California you are in, but in Southern California, there appears to be a movement toward succulent / cacti landscaping in some circles. Succulent nurseries are seeing an increase in those wanting to get rid of their water gulping lawns. Also a move toward planting more native plants, which need much less water than "imported" ones.

Xerophyte - interesing point. I would think, though, 1 gallon pots would be sufficient size to start landscaping a yard with. Depending on what was purchased, in a year or two, a significant difference would be seen. But alas, large "landscap size" plants could be cost prohibitive. Like the $6,500 aloe bainesii I saw Sunday.........

To answer the original point, I do feel they are underrated. However, I live in an area where frost is not an issue and I could put a 2 x 4 in the ground and it would grow roots. I can grow plants year round. Other have hard winters and blistering summers where maybe it is not feasible for cacti/succulents. Or, in rural areas, availability can be a problem. Just my .02 worth.

I think habit and personal preference play a role. A lot of people from harsh climates retire and move to warm dry places. Often they wish to have familiar plants that they have grown to love when they do. I wouldnt attempt a lilac in L.A. or bluegrass in Phoenix but many do. Strangely, many people dont see cacti and succulents as "pretty". To them pretty is leafy and lush. I dont think anyone on this board will argue against succulents being underrated.LOL

I think it's all about taste, preference & economics. Also for those trying to be more water-conserving too.

In the San Diego area I have seen lots & lots of landscaped C&S, the ever-present Jades (Crassula ovata) around the base of folks' homes & lining their driveways & various kinds of Aloes in folks' yards as well. Also saw some large Aeoniums (mostly the purple-black ones), planted out in beds surrounding homes.

On a recent trip to Ft. Lauderdale (unfortunately not a happy or pleasurable ocassion), I managed to find some pleasure in walking the surrounding neighborhoods & observing many C&S, tho' folks may not realize that's what they've got. In particular, I noticed in Ft. Lauderdale a great use of Euphorbia miliis (including my own Father's house), from the ordinary red-blooming ones to the myriad of larger-bracted, multi-colored Thai hybrids. I had great thoughts abt water-conserving qualities of these, except for the fact that they often bordered large & water-wasting lawns ... sigh

In my own stomping grounds here in NYC, they certainly don't come up, btwn our hot & humid summers & cold snowy winters, I don't think they'd be possible here.

I had never much cared for cacti/succulents - too many thorns and too boring. But I acquired a pear cactus, then a sedum morganianum (which I absolutely love) and I am now hooked. I just picked up a haworthia and a smaller succulent that I can;t yet identify, and am planning to pick up 3 more succulents this THursday. I have south window which is perfect for them - I was recently given a cotelydon, a plant I never saw in any store and it is sprouting leaves from everywhere. THey are wonderful and easy to care for. I have 65 houseplants, all foliage, so I am not concerned with having flowers, color, etc. I usually post on the houseplants forum, but now that my collection is growing, I look forward to learning more from this forum.

Umhumm thats how the addiction starts. Dont expect any encouragement to practise moderation on this board. We believe in feeding the hunger. Who said succulents dont provide color or flowers?

Lots of interesting comments here folks, since there were so many good theories, thought I'd copy and paste some of the responses from the Garden Web and Blossom Swap boards. [Apologies for not crediting sources but you know who you are ;-)]

I think Mr Seedy's comment about "...growing up listening to all the praise heaped on traditional gardens and traditional plants..." is [probably] a serious reason why so few [relatively speaking] go the route of succulents and cactus. Many garden shows on tv hardly ever showcase the world of succulents.

Where someone lives seems to play a part in the popularity of succulents. Can't blame or argue with that. But here in [parts of] California, what's our excuse? Yes, Borrego, you're right, succs do seem to be gaining some strength, especially in some neighborhoods  but still, when I drive down many streets, succulents are not the norm [even less seen than cactus imo] Maybe that will change one day.

I also think this comment plays a big part in people's choice of landscaping: "Strangely, many people dont see cacti and succulents as "pretty". To them pretty is leafy and lush."

Good thoughts and words  now let's go start the revolution....

Garden Web responses:

- "...succulents don't grow quickly enough to be profitable landscape sized specimens"

- "Strangely, many people dont see cacti and succulents as pretty". To them pretty is leafy and lush."

- "In my own stomping grounds here in NYC, they certainly don't come up, btwn our hot & humid summers & cold snowy winters, I don't think they'd be possible here.

Blossom Swap responses:

- "The flowers are usually boring, most of them do nothing for me."

- "I do think in many cases folks lack imagination, and have many preset notions of what plants are pretty and interesting etc."

- "...and sometimes it's also a case of growing up listening to all the praise heaped on traditional gardens and traditional plants and our tastes to a degree are "learned" ones, that some of us refuse to expand.

- "But I would think they are not as common just because of the lack of leafy coverage that most people seem to like about shrubs and other landscaping plants."

Hmmmm, interesting! When I've visited southern CA, I've always thought there was a profusion of succulents in landscaping, but I guess that's relative to what I see in my own home turf, rather than relative to what could be planted there.
I live in an area that can, for ~5 months of the year at least, grow the lush stuff without supplemental water. We have loamy soil and regular rains. Still, in the very small town near us, I know of at least 2 homes with substantial Opuntia plantings. Yuccas are even more common landscape plants here. Maybe we just tend to prefer things that strike us as exotic, and that differs depending on where we live.

Now, as much as I love succulents, if I could grow profusions of them outdoors, in ground, I'd still be pretty careful about my choices. For one thing, I've still got an elem. school aged kid. A buddy of mine lived in AZ for a few years, and her little one got tangled up in some Opuntias. It was just horrible. No way I'd want to risk something like that. Another consideration is that I like to go barefoot in my own yard. So-- concern about their family friendliness, or even pet-friendliness, might make some people stay away from succs. Of course a little reasarch could turn up plenty of safe options, but if you don't already know a bit about succs, you might not realize that.

Interesting thread.

I live in Southern California, I would love to be able to grow succulents In my yard (and have tried), but the intense sun just fries most of them. Last fall I had some jade plants growing (from broken off leaves)in an area that I knew would get full sun in the summer, I left them there thinking they would adjust as the seasons changed, but they scorched too.

Hi Wicca,

I think it's abt how & where you position it in yr. yard, relative to the direct sun.

If you do a search here for the Great Wall of Jade Where Kitties Lurk (GWJWKL), you'll see a large Crassula ovata (Jade) belonging to a GW member who lives in San Diego. I believe he said the plant varied in height btwn 6-7 ft. tall, depending on when he'd last pruned it. If I recall correctly, he used to say it only got direct sun a few months of the year. That is to say it did NOT get full sun, but rather just the very bright light (it was also in front of a white wall, which I suspect just reflected more bright indirect light back on it).

It's really worth yr. doing the search for it, it's a stunning plant for which he was quite well-known here.

Additionally, I saw a lot of these Jades as landscaping plants all over San Diego (but nowhere near the size of the one mentioned above). San Diegans often line their driveway w/ them, or surround their homes w/ them, grown as shrubs 1 ft. or 2 in circumference.

This one was open day b4 yesterday(thursday),the rest bloomed earlier this year.I have succulents,cactus,annuals,and perinnials and anything else i can grow.I'm in S.Calif.
Kathi

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This one i bought about 2 mos ago at walmart,it was a meant to be,as soon as i walked in the store i spotted it.So i put it in my cart,good thing too,as it was the only one in the store.

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Kathi

Of course, if you count the extensive spreads of ice plant along the freeways, then succulents are being used more than people might think. But yes, all the comments made on this thread are valid, and it is true that the majority of gardens do not have many of them. I myself have given way to trying to grow nostalgic plants I had in my childhood in MA, whether suited to the climate here, or not.

It took me a few years, but the main attraction of our garden is now planted all in succulents, and I have a side bed of succulents and have lined the path to the front door (long and rather thin strips that get no sun on one side and 1/2 of sun only in summer, on the other side) with mainly gasteria beds mulched with attractive rounded gravel. The gasterias have not yet come into their own, being--as people have pointed out--slow growers. I don't mind waiting, and our water bill is lower now. That was the original reason why we thought of switching to succulents.

This is the first, small bed I changed over to succulents. The bushes in the background have been removed to make one of the gasteria beds. We only wish we had done it sooner.
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