1. Home & Garden

A Bouquet of Aeonium Rosettes

Succulents are No-Fuss, Drought-Tolerant Poolside Companions

Best Plants for Poolside Landscaping
A Bouquet of Aeonium Rosettes

Aeoniums create a beautiful poolside display of colorful rosettes, without the thorns and aphids.

Photo © Lisa Hallett Taylor
They form vibrant rosettes but aren't anything like a rose -- how can it be? Among these beauties are Aeonium and Sempervivum (Crassula). Succulents are some of the least-understood and underated plants, but in the western United States they've been enjoying a surge in popularity. Succulents come in all sizes and shapes, and are the rising stars of drought-tolerant landscaping because they store water in their fleshy leaves, stems, and roots. Technically, the more-familiar cacti are succulents, although they require a desert habitat and have prickly spines. Not so with succulents, which don't all have spines and may not survive desert heat.

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.