Ask anyone in my family and they will confirm that I love the color pink. Pink scarves, pink phone, pink hoodies are just a few of the things I own in the rosy hue. So naturally when I discovered succulents in the same shade, I bought them up.
Not every garden, of course, can incorporate succulents due to sun/shade factors and USDA zone issues, nor can every landscape design embrace and accommodate a pop of pink. But usually there is room for at least one pinkalicious plant in your life. For instance, you could consider a small succulent-filled container that you bring indoors during the colder months. Or maybe you cold grow a cutie indoors and situate it by a very sunny window. And if the color pink is already in your garden and your climate can accept succulents, you could plant them in your garden beds.
Please keep reading to learn about my favorites for a pop of pink:
Echeveria ‘Afterglow’
This wonderfully colored hybrid with pale powdery pink leaves was hybridized by Don Worth, a photographer and succulent breeder in my home town. The big rosettes with their bright pink edging can almost glow in a garden, especially when backlit. Orange-red flowers emerge in the summer, but for me, it’s more about the fantastic leaf color. This deer resistant and drought tolerant succulent grows to about 1 to 2 feet high by 1 to 2 feet wide, looks best in full sun, and can take temperatures down to the mid 20s. Pair this plant with silvery gray tones or, for maximum impact, contrast it with chartreuse hues.
Echeveria ‘Perle von Nurnberg’
This rosette shaped succulent boasts a picture-perfect pink color that intensifies in full sun and cooler temperatures. Growing 3 to 5 inches high and 6 to 10 inches wide, it tolerates high heat and low water, and is a strong bloomer sending out arching stems topped with charming coral flowers. Hardy in USDA zones 9b-11, it can also thrive indoors if kept near a sunny window. Always pick a pot with drain holes and plant in a gritty, well draining soil mix.
Sedum ‘Dream Dazzler’
Relatively new on the plant scene, this easy and durable Sedum celebrates a tricolor effect of pink, white and smoky purple, with hot pink margins. An excellent and colorful groundcover among other succulents or a filler for containers. You and the butterflies will love the magenta pink blooms that cover the plant in the summer. Deer luckily leave it alone and low amounts of water don’t slow it down. Full to part sun is best in well draining, gravelly soil. In the fall, you can trim it back after the flowering stops and even divide it up in the spring to make more of this stellar Sedum. Hardy in USDA Zones 4-9.
Oscularia deltoides
AKA ‘Pink Ice plant’, this curious succulent from South Africa is underrated but very charming. Growing low to approximately 1 foot high and 2 to 3 feet wide, it has wiry vivid pink stems that hold blue-green fleshy leaves; come springtime, small lavender-pink flowers burst open when exposed to sunlight, covering the foliage. Plant in full sun or light shade in well-draining soil. Plants that are spoiled and given more sun and water will be denser and have plumper leaves. Hardy to around 18 degrees, deer-resistant, and butterfly attracting.
Anacampseros telephiastrum f. variegatum ‘Sunrise’
Don’t let the long name deter you from growing this standout plant. The variegation boasts a cocktail of hot pink and apple green hues on thick, fleshy leaves. Perfect as a 6-inch-high filler and spiller for pots. Outside, it withstands heat and drought; inside, it does well living on a sunny window sill. In the summer you can expect large pink flowers during sunny hours. Full sun to light shade is best for vibrant color. Protect from frost.
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