Large succulents that can be used as “shrubs” in the landscape
Gardening in drought-stricken areas is tough; so why not move away from traditional foundation shrubs and transition to low-maintenance succulent specimens? Entice your customers by providing alternatives to traditional landscape shrubs; provide plants that help them conserve water and teach them how to use them in their landscapes. Consider what your customers’ needs are when recommending drought tolerant substitutions.
Small spaces: When your customers need a small shrub or sub-shrub to mix into a landscape bed, consider the succulent Euphorbia rigida. Its silver upright foliage is attractive and plants reach only 2-3 feet tall and wide. It has beautiful chartreuse flowers that emerge in winter and last through spring.
Foundation planting: When customers are looking for foundation shrub alternatives why not recommend red yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora. This clumping evergreen succulent reaches 3-4’ tall and 2-4’ wide which makes a great alternative to mid-sized foundation plants. 5-foot tall spikes of red to coral flowers appear in summer and attract pollinators.
Privacy Planting: Soft leaf yucca,Yucca recurvifolia, makes a bold statement in any garden and can be a good substitute for creating privacy. These long-lived plants mature at 6-10’ tall and 6’-8’ wide. This yucca planted en masse creates a nice evergreen privacy screen. Creamy off-white flowers appear annually on tall flower spikes.
By offering drought tolerant plant specimens you’ll help support your customers goals of saving water and making their landscape work better for them.
