Succulents are wonderful low-maintenance houseplants and drought-tolerant garden plants. Many of them also produce beautiful flowers! These flowering succulent plants add cheerful bursts of color to xeriscapes and brighten up rooms and porches.
Most succulents prefer full sun or minimal shade and well-draining soil. If you live in a cooler climate, you can keep succulents as houseplants year-round or set them on the porch or patio in the summer. Many of the succulents in the list below will overwinter in the garden down to USDA zone 9.
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What types of succulents flower?
All succulent plants flower, but some rarely or never do so when grown in containers. Of those that will bloom in cultivation, many need coaxing, while others happily bloom on their own. Here are a few examples of genera that often produce flowers: Crassula, Echeveria, Haworthia, Sedum, Sempervivum, and Senecio. The list below includes some of the best flowering succulents from each of these and other genera.
When do succulents bloom?
As with all plants, the bloom time for succulents varies by cultivar and sometimes even by individual plant. Echeverias tend to flower from late spring to early summer, but some bloom in the autumn too. Aloes also blossom in summer, with a few preferring fall and winter. Succulents that usually bloom in fall and winter include kalanchoe, jade, and some hoya.
Some succulents are monocarpic, which means they flower only once before dying. However, they produce “babies” before flowering, sometimes to the extent that you might not even miss the dead plants. Aeoniums and sempervivums both fall under the category of monocarpic.
While the majority of succulents first bloom after four to six years, some will flower sooner.
14 Flowering Succulent Plants
1. Rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora)
Rock purslane makes an excellent groundcover in zones 8-10, where it is winter hardy. Its vibrant pink, poppy-like blossoms stand out against attractive gray-green foliage from summer through fall. As an added bonus, rock purslane rarely suffers from diseases or pests and is very easy to propagate and share with friends!
Like pink flowers? Check out these adorable pink succulent plants.
2. Bear paw (Cotyledon tomentosa)
Bear paw gets its name from plump, fuzzy leaves topped with tiny reddish “claws.” Under the right conditions, it can display yellow to orange, bell-shaped blossoms. This succulent is winter hardy in zone 10.
3. Baby’s necklace (Crassula rupestris)
The triangular, light green leaves of baby’s necklace have reddish edges and appear stacked on the stems. This beautiful plant becomes even more stunning when its clusters of tiny white, yellow, or pink flowers bloom. In zone 10 and warmer areas, it can be grown outdoors in a rock garden.
4. Compton Carousel echeveria (Echeveria ‘Compton Carousel’)
Echeveria, or hens and chicks, have a wonderfully long bloom time. Compton Carousel echeveria features striking blue-gray and cream variegated leaves punctuated by orange flowers atop a tall, arched stalk in the summer. It’s winter hardy in zones 9-11.
5. Peacock echeveria (Echeveria peacockii)
Peacock echeveria has a soft, blue-green rosette up to six inches wide. One or sometimes more flower stalks arise from the rosette, topped by pink-orange blossoms. This less-common echeveria overwinters in zones 9-11.
6. Perle von Nürnberg echeveria (Echeveria ‘Perle von Nürnberg’)
In addition to coral, bell-shaped flowers on a foot-high stalk, Perle von Nürnberg echeveria has gray-green leaves that turn lavender or pink, creating an ombre appearance. Its color is best in full sun, and it can grow outside in zones 9-11.
7. Zebra plant (Haworthia attenuata)
Looking somewhat like a dark green aloe with white stripes, the zebra plant belongs to a different genus that flowers more reliably, often annually. It sends up long stalks that produce numerous white flowers. Easy to grow as a houseplant, zebra plant will also thrive outdoors in zones 9-11.
8. Florist kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)
True to its name, florist kalanchoe produces masses of tiny clustered blossoms in cheerful hues of red, pink, orange, yellow, or white. It usually blooms in the spring, and while it is winter hardy in zones 10-11, it does best indoors and kept away from drafts.
9. Living stone (Lithops sp.)
The unique succulent called living stone looks just like its name, with two plump leaves pressed tightly together like lips just above the soil. The leaves themselves are gray, green, brown, or pink and produce a daisy-like flower in fall or early winter. These African plants are happiest indoors or in zones 10 and warmer.
10. Bunny succulent (Monilaria obconica)
The adorable name of bunny succulent comes from its equally adorable appearance of bunny ears in the early growth stages. It eventually develops long, fuzzy, green to red leaves somewhat resembling spaghetti. In spring, it produces white, daisy-like flowers. Bunny succulent is winter hardy in zones 10-11.
11. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgessii)
The popular Christmas cactus often blooms in time for the winter holidays with lovely trumpet-shaped blossoms. It has long, segmented, drooping stems and is usually grown as a houseplant, though it can overwinter in zones 10-11. The similar Easter and Thanksgiving cacti are also named for their bloom times.
12. Jelly bean plant (Sedum rubrotinctum)
Cheerful jelly bean plants have plump leaves that resemble beans and range in color from green to red. It produces tiny, yellow, star-shaped flowers and often self-propagates. Grow as a groundcover in zones 9-11 or keep as a happy houseplant.
13. Cobweb hens and chicks (Sempervivium arachnoideum)
The tight, cabbagelike rosettes of cobweb hens and chicks appear to have a netting of white cobwebs over their surface. After producing a tall stalk of pink, starry flowers, the plant dies — but don’t worry! It will have already produced many “chicks” that will continue the cycle. This fun plant is winter hardy down to zone 5!
14. String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)
A unique, elegant succulent, string of pearls features long, trailing stems of spherical leaves. In winter or spring, it produces fuzzy white flowers that reportedly smell like cinnamon. Although typically kept as an indoor hanging plant, string of pearls is hardy in zones 9-12.
Who knew so many succulents produce such lovely flowers, even as houseplants? I’d like to try growing some living stones and, well, let’s be honest — all of them! Which flowering succulents will you introduce to your home or garden?
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Sunday 10th of July 2022
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