A Bouquet of Aeonium Rosettes

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.