Beautiful Brutes: Patrick Anderson's Favorite Large Succulents

Large succulents thrive in frost-free areas (may tolerate brief sub-freezing). Inland: dappled summer shade (keep clean of leaf litter harboring pests).

Top Picks:

• Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop': Deep bronze/black rosettes to 6 in., 3-ft branched shrub. Good bedding; cut back biennially, replant cuttings.
• Agave attenuata: Huge spineless gray-green rosettes. Sculptural. 'Nova' (blue-gray) rare but striking.
• Agave parryi huachucensis: Spiny symmetrical rosettes like 1-ft gray artichokes with black edges. Offsets freely → colonies. Small areas; not child-safe.
• Aloe arborescens (tree aloe): Base-branching large shrub of overlapping gray-green spiny leaves. Deep orange flower spikes early winter, 6+ weeks. Hummingbirds.
• Aloe brevifolia: 6-in blue-gray rosettes, white leaf teeth. Offsets → ground cover or low clumps. Salmon-orange 16-in spikes summer.
• Aloe cameronii: Rare but worth seeking. Midwinter scarlet flowers. Summer sun → brilliant red leaves. Freely branching low mound (18 in × 3 ft).
• Aloe ferox: 2-ft solitary gray/green rosettes, thorned → single-trunk tree. Upright multibranched stems, yellow to deep orange flowers Dec–Feb. Striking, intimidating specimen.
• Aloe striata (coral aloe): Tapered pale green red-bordered smooth thornless leaves. Solitary ground-hugging rosettes, rare offsets. Brilliant orange flowers. Stunning grouped.
• Crassula falcata (propeller plant): Low sprawling, sickle-shaped leathery gray leaves in opposite pairs. Fragrant late-summer scarlet broccoli-like flowers.
• Echinocactus grusonii (golden barrel cactus): Magnificent sphere with bright yellow curved spines. Position for late-afternoon sun illumination. Large specimens expensive, snapped by pros. Plant small, be patient.
• Euphorbia ingens: Large vertical form. Bright green branching trunks → tree. Room needed—cutting dangerous (caustic sap).
• Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns): Small woody shrub, fierce but harmless spines. Year-round blooms (technically bracts) in pink/yellow/red shades.
• Euphorbia rigida: Scaly gray leaves on 2-ft branches, brilliant chartreuse bract clusters late winter. Reseeds—remove unwanted.