How to get succulents to flower

Succulents are beloved for their geometric foliage and drought tolerance. Unfortunately, few focus on their flowers, with stunning displays across the seasons that add even more interest to your garden.

Succulents are an urban garden staple. Whether grown indoors or on your patio or balcony, you can’t go wrong choosing one of these low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants. They may be picked for their ease of care or interesting leaves, but that’s not all the value they provide. Succulent flowers are some of the most interesting, long-lasting blooms.

Crassula

Native to South Africa, plants in the Crassula genus are a perfect addition to water-wise gardens. The most popular of the genus is undoubtedly Crassula ovata, known around the world as the Jade Plant. This fleshy plant sports clusters of whitish-pink blooms in winter, whether grown outdoors or indoors in a sunny spot. These scented, star-shaped flowers attract butterflies and bees in the colder months and add a much-needed floral lift to dwindling winter gardens.

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Echeveria

Echeveria flowers add a softness to the sharp, geometric foliage below. Sitting atop tall stems, the small groups of flowers tower over the plant below and add height throughout summer and autumn. The colours of the flowers and stalks often match the leaves, providing endless variety in the bell-shaped blooms. And best of all, they make ideal cut flowers. Bring them indoors, add them to a vase, and enjoy their beauty for weeks.

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Sedum

Known as Stonecrops, sedums are popular container plants and one of the few succulents typically grown for flowers. Tight clusters of small blooms shoot up in summer and autumn, depending on the variety. Like Echeverias, they also make wonderful cut flowers but look best when planted en masse and left in their pots. Sedum morganianum, commonly known as Donkey’s Tail, is often grown in indoor gardens and features cute red flowers on the ends of the cascading stems.

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Sempervivum

Although they don’t bloom reliably and can be unpredictable, Sempervivums flower under the right conditions. Unlike other succulent blooms that could blend well into almost any garden, Sempervivum flowers look alien. They emerge in summer from long extended rosettes, featuring clusters of dainty pointed flowers typically in pink or white. While this does indicate the end of the parent plant’s lifecycle, the new rosettes produced at the base of the plant should continue to grow, potentially shooting up more interesting flowers in later years.

Tijana drndarski

When growing indoors or on a covered patio or balcony, keeping succulents alive is an uphill battle – never mind getting them to flower. However, under the right conditions, you should be able to enjoy these flowers for several months. Ensure the plants get plenty of full sun throughout the day and only water when the soil in pots dries out completely. You can also apply a diluted fertilizer high in phosphorus to promote blooming, but don’t overdo it, as succulents won’t respond well to overfertilization. It can take several years to produce flowers for young plants, so don’t despair if your newly propagated succulents don’t shoot up flowers straight away. Keep your plants as healthy as possible, as they should reward you with stunning blooms to enjoy throughout the year.