Types of Weeping Succulents

Sedums

• Many succulents in the sedum family have a weeping habit. Most are grown in landscapes as ground cover. Burro's tail is a blue-green variety that has ropes of small, fleshy petals with small pink flowers at the ends. Russian stonecrop has small leaves with bright yellow fragrant flowers, and a variegated variety of this is also available. The baby tears plant has very tiny leaves and white flower clusters. Mexican stonecrop has long, bright green narrow leaves and bright yellow flowers.

Hoyas

• Hoyas are native to India and southern Asia. The most common is Hoya carnosa, or wax plant. It has thick, waxy leaves and produces a white to pink fragrant flower cluster. In its native habitat it's a climber, but in hanging planter it weeps over the edges. There is a variegated variety with creamy white edges and touches of pink. One very interesting variety is rope hoya, which has twisted leaves that stay close to the stem. It tumbles over the side of a hanging planter in long ropes and has fragrant flower clusters. Some more obscure, but equally as beautiful, species are H. sulawesii, with light green roundish leaves, and H. linearis, with long narrow leaves.

Schlumbergia, Zygocactus, and Rhipsalis

• Schlumbergia, Zygocactus, and Rhipsalis are closely related genera collectively known as holiday cactus, Christmas cactus, Easter cactus, or Thanksgiving cactus. Zygocactus is an older name for the genus Schlumbergia. In their native environment they are epiphytes, meaning they live on other plants. They are characterized by weeping, segmented foliage and starry colorful flowers that range from white to deep red. The joints of the segments can be very fragile and the stems break easily, but the broken parts can be easily propagated.

Other Epiphytes

• Epiphytes live on other plants but don't take nutrients from them; they use other plants to get more access to light and moisture. Like the Schlumbergia and related genera, the orchid cactus (Epiphyllum) has large, flat, shiny segmented leaves and starry vibrantly colored flowers. Many of the Echinopsis genus, also epiphytes, have long ropes of fleshy cactuslike stems with bright flowers ranging from white to deep orangey red.