On winter days I spend more time looking out the window at the garden,than actually being in it. Watching birds and other wildlife, and enjoying the changes of scenery that our blustery late fall and winter weather brings. This is the time of year that I truly appreciate the evergreen plants in my garden. Their permanent framework brings a structure and grace to what would otherwise be a bleak vision of dormant plants that are not remarkable this time of year.

While it is true that I have many plants with beautiful bark and interesting, leafless shapes during winter, there is a group of lesser known plants that  have long caught my eye. 

Succulents!

These little garden gems are worthy of our notice any time of year, but particularly right now, they are worth a second look. I have planted them in drifts on the edges of my paths and in little nooks and crannies that are viewed as one strolls leisurely through the garden. I put them in pots with other plants, and on their own, to bring them up closer to eye level. I love their many shapes, colors, and funny names they have been given. Names like ‘Hens and Chicks’, ‘Pork and Beans’ or ‘Autumn Joy’. After a recent rain I was drawn to the way the raindrops looked like little pearIs sitting among the leaves of the various varieties I own. So of course I grabbed my camera and spent some time trying to capture the moment.

Many succulents take on different hues in cold weather, adding to their interest.

The bright yellow ‘Angelina’ sports orange and red tinges as the thermometer drops,

and ‘Pork and Beans’ lives up to it’s name by turning from green to a rich reddish brown after a few frosty nights. The foliage of ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum turns gold, and the flat flower heads dry to a burnished copper that create a perch for the Finches in winter.

‘Pork and Beans’ with apricot rose

Over the years I have experimented with growing different varieties that I have picked up in my travels, and found a select group that are particularly cold hardy and tough.

Sedum ‘Angelina’

It seems these plants were endowed with characteristics that make them perfectly suited to our location. The varieties that will survive here are water-retaining plants that are native to arid parts of the world that have cold and dry climates with wide swings in temperatures between day and night. Places like Mongolia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, as well as many desert locations. My collection is not extensive, but I hope it is enough to whet your appetite and peak your interest about these diminutive wonders.

Hens-N-Chicks

There are also tender varieties that are not suited to Tehachapi; they originate in the tropics or sub-tropics. There is a benefit to knowing which ones will work in the Tehachapi garden and which ones won’t.

Gardens at the Cambria Pines Lodge

I moved to Tehachapi from southern California many years ago and one of my first plant failures was to put my medicinal Aloe plant on the front porch, thinking how lovely it was in its beautiful pot. The next morning I was horrified to find it frozen and mushy- a casualty of my ignorance. Now I keep an  Aloe plant in the kitchen year round, where it is always ready to come to the rescue of burned fingers or minor skin irritations. Lesson in point: do your research. So many of the lovely varieties featured in magazines and catalogs are not cold hardy.

Of course if you find them in one of the local nurseries in Tehachapi it will most likely survive here. The garden staff at our owner operated small nurseries are knowledgeable and try to sell only what will work in our challenging climate.

Which succulents have worked for you, or particularly caught your interest? I would love to hear about it in the comments!