Succulents for the Home Garden, Willamette Valley OR

Linda R McMahan, botanist and horticulturist, Oregon State University Extension, McMinnville, OR

Succulents for the Home Garden – What We Will Cover Some Techniques and some cautions Plants that do well in Oregon’s

Willamette Valley A few final words Questions – during or after

Major Strategy—Use Pots Why? Succulents like

good drainage Raising above the

ground raises the temperature a little

Kinds of Pots Many different

kinds will work Troughs (cement

or rock planters) Regular pots Mounded soil

Soil? If directly in the

garden, add organic matter and mound up soil to provide drainage

In pots, you can add sand or rocks to the soil and make sure drainage is open

Rockeries and Rock Walls Many will also do

quite well in rockeries (rock gardens) and rock retaining walls

This picture is from California, but it provides the idea

A newly constructed and a mature Rock Garden --

The basic structure is rocks—the soil fills in the holes

A pile of rocks or rocks placed in a garden are not usually considered to be a rock garden

A Fool-Proof SedumSedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Grows well in a

sunny border—no special requirements

Readily available Attractive

butterflies Bronze fall color

The Best SedumSedum spathulifolium Native to Oregon Prefers drainage but

open ground may be OK

Does not die back during the winter like non-native sedums

Widely available Many color forms

available

Sedum spathulifolium Butterfly host

plant Attracts butterflies

‘Moonglow’

Sedum oreganum – another good Oregon native

Best in pots or containers

Sedum oregonense, also native to Oregon Another native

sedum to look for Much fussier

about drainage

Native sedums in mounded soil surrounded by rocks and other plants

An innovative way to showcase native sedums in a private garden

Hens and Chicks, Echeveria species and cultivars Many cultivars

available Nearly foolproof it

they get enough drainage

Native Mexico and southward in the New World Echeveria elegans photo:

Wikipedia.org

House leeks, Sempervivum tectorum Old World Species,

Native to Europe and the Alps

Used much like hens and chicks

Photo: Wikipedia

Brittle pricklypear, Opuntia fragilis Native to Western

U.S. Have seen grown

in pots or raised beds in the Willamette Valley

Several related Opuntia may be available Al Schneider @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS

Database

Pendulous yucca, Yucca recurvata Evergreen USDA Zone 7 Drought tolerant,

full sun

Photo courtesy of Pat Breen OSU Landscape Plant Identification site © Oregon State University, http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/

Soapweed, Yucca glauca USDA Zone 3 Full Sun, drought

tolerant

Photo courtesy of Pat Breen OSU Landscape Plant Identification site © Oregon State University, http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/

Consider making your own troughs— recipes and instructions can be found online

Whatever your method, Thanks and have a wonderful time with succulents in your garden