Want to have some low-maintenance plants to charm up your home forever? Check out these perennial succulents that live for years!
Easy caring and lives for years? Succulents truly are gems of the plant world. From the commonly seen snake plant and aloe vera to the more exotic succulents like the window’s thrill or ghost plant, you must check out all the awesome perennial succulents that can live for years!
Perennial Succulents That Live For Years
1. Agave
Botanical Name: Agave Americana L
Of course, there are many different varieties of Agave, and some can even die as soon as they bloom, like the Queen Victoria Agave. However, the one we are talking about here, which is the Agave Americana, can live up to 25 years! It too flowers once in its lifetime with vibrant yellow blooms and then dies.
Its leaves, sap, and even the stalks have been widely used in traditional Mexican medicine for their well-known anti-inflammatory properties. When growing this succulent, ensure it gets 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight and monitor closely for mite or mealybug infestations.
2. Christmas Cactus
Botanical Name: Schlumbergera bridgesii
If you’re surprised, yes, the Christmas Cactus is a succulent, and the best part is it can live up to 30 years! Despite thriving in humid, tropical environments, Christmas cacti do best in soil mixes specifically made for succulents.
Christmas cacti can bloom with red, yellow, and pink flowers depending on the variety. To initiate their flowering phase, you must place your plant in a day and night cycle alternating every 12 hours. However, protect your plant from direct sunlight, as that can scorch the leaves.
3. Pachyveria
Botanical Name: Pachyveria pachytoides
Quite a friendly, chubby succulent belonging to the Crassulaceae family, Pachyveria stands out among other succulents because it can easily withstand the harsh conditions of summer and winter, even outdoors. This means that it can survive freezing temperatures of 14℉ or -10°C!
The best part is that this resilient plant is not just attractive but also can live up to 10 years easily with proper care.
4. Chinese Dunce Cap
Botanical Name: Orostachys boehmeri
A super popular succulent species from Hokkaido, Japan, the Chinese Dunce Cap is known for its circular rosettes created by the layered blue-green leaves, each of which has a delicate white powdery coating. Though quite a small succulent, with rosettes growing only 4 to 5 centimeters, they are prized for their ability to produce side buds quite prolifically.
Grow this succulent in a flower pot of the appropriate size for the best display. It grows throughout spring, summer, and fall.
5. Radiator Plant
Botanical Name: Peperomia
Looking for the perfect indoor succulent that takes up less space and also can last for years and years? Peperomia is the one to choose! It only grows to about a foot in height while being hardy enough to not only withstand drought but also tolerate neglect. These qualities make it perfect for growing in warm, humid environments.
The Radiator plant will thrive under fluorescent grow lights, too! If you meet its humidity requirements with pebble-filled trays, this plant will easily last for 10 years in your care.
6. Desert Rose
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum
You simply cannot go wrong with Adenium from the dogbane family when looking for a perennial succulent. Native to the Sahel regions of the Sahara desert, and even some tropical and subtropical regions of the Arabian and African peninsulas, the Desert Rose showcases delicate leaves, thick foliage, and gorgeous flowers.
The most unique part about the Desert Rose is that it can live up to 100 years! Besides pruning regularly, you should ensure a cool, dry period between fall and spring for your plant.
7. Hens-and-Chicks
Botanical Name: ‘Spring Beauty’ Sempervivum
When we think of hardy succulents, the Sempervivum is one of the first to come to mind. Known for its classic rosette-shaped clusters of leaves, it showcases an interesting phenomenon. When temperatures drop, you will see the gray-green rosettes turning a gorgeous plum color!
Of course, another distinctive feature, as the name suggests, is that the mother plant (hens) produces tiny, new rosettes (chicks) along its stalk, which drop off to form new plants. Though a singular plant only lives for 3 to 4 years, it’s the chicks that grow and keep producing offsets, making the plant live for ages!
8. Red Pagoda
Botanical Name: Crassula capitella
Who doesn’t like color-changing plants? The fleshy leaves of this succulent change seamlessly from a vibrant lime-green to red as the plant matures. But that’s not all! It’s a favorite among pollinators like butterflies and bees, too, thanks to its clusters of white and pink flowers. Plus, it can also be propagated easily through cuttings.
The red pagoda can easily live up to 10 to 15 years, provided you meet its conditions of 8 hours of direct sunlight and also protect it during cold winters.
9. Variegated Stonecrop
Botanical Name: Sedum ‘Lime Twister’
This Sedum cultivar looks wonderful in spring and fall as the sprawling variegated mounds of white and green leaves start getting tinged with red with a drop in temperatures. In terms of care, all they ask for is full sun and dry soil, they might wilt and become weak if you grow them in rich soil or too much shade.
Lime Twister succulents are great for naturalizing an area as they are slow growers and also have a lifespan of around 15 years.
10. Panda Plant
Botanical Name: Kalanchoe tomentosa
For an interesting addition to your indoor succulent collection, pick the panda plant! Also called the ‘chocolate soldier’ because of the brownish-red markings on the edges of its velvety, silvery leaves, the foliage is also able to retain water quite well.
Great for beginners, you must keep fertilizing during the growing season of spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertilizer diluted to half-strength to keep it growing for over 10 years.
11. Snake Plant
Botanical Name: Dracaena trifasciata
Though the average lifespan of snake plants ranges between 5 to 10 years, some can live up to 25 years, provided you give them proper care. This common indoor plant is a hardy perennial succulent that has stiff upright leaves, each of which can get up to 90 centimeters long!
You especially need this plant in your house because of its awesome air-purifying properties, which rids the indoor air of pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde.
12. Aloe Vera
Botanical Name: Aloe barbadensis miller
You cannot get more classic than this well-known houseplant that needs so little care. This hardy succulent is not just great for decoration purposes, but also has tremendous medicinal uses! The gel-like, slimy substance that you can extract from its leaves can especially soothe your skin in case of infections or burns.
With proper care, aloe vera thrives in arid climates, and you will love the fact that it can live up to 25 years (quite like the Christmas Cactus)!
Pro tip: Often, people tend to give a little extra care to aloe vera, but as it is a succulent, you should stick to watering only when the topsoil feels dry.
13. Zebra Haworthia
Botanical Name: Haworthia attenuata
Straight from its native region of Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, this ornamental succulent is raising a storm in the succulent world! Characterized by the rosettes formed by thick, triangular leaves that showcase zebra stripes over a dark green background, Haworthia also flowers between summer and fall.
Besides being able to withstand drought for long periods of time, a happy Haworthia can live anywhere between 50 to 100 years!
14. Tree Houseleek
Botanical Name: Aeonium
An interesting name for an interesting plant! Yet another succulent belonging to the Crassulaceae family, the Tree Houseleek is native to the Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands, Madeira, and Northern Africa. Showing thick, waxy leaves in shades of green and purple, this plant also flowers with yellow and green-white flowers between March and July.
Like Agave, the Tree Houseleek too is monocarpic. However, you can find species that can live up to 10 years with proper care, especially by taking care of its sunlight requirements of 6 hours and more.
15. Echeveria
Botanical Name: Echeveria gibbiflora
One of the largest species of the Echeveria genus, this gorgeous succulent features broad reddish-green rosettes over short stems. Besides the huge rosettes of 16 inches in diameter, this succulent is also well-known for its beautiful bell-shaped red and yellow flowers that grow on tall stalks.
With proper TLC, your plant can easily live for 10 years and even for 30 years, under optimal conditions! Speaking of its care, you must obviously be mindful of overwatering, as it is susceptible to fungal diseases. Additionally, you should keep removing the dead leaves from the base of the plant to sustain proper growth.
16. Golden Glow Sedum
Botanical Name: Sedum ‘Golden Glow’
As the name suggests, this Sedum species actually gets a vibrant jelly-orange-red color when exposed to the right amount of sunlight. The thick, waxy leaves look incredible, adding more natural beauty to its surroundings especially as it looks like it has a “golden glow”!
It is a fast-growing succulent that can be propagated quickly through stem cuttings. So, you now have the perfect choice for both ground cover and also container gardening. Not to mention, it is extremely frost-resistant, able to survive temperatures as low as -22℉ or -30℃!
17. Jade
Botanical Name: Crassula ovata
When talking of perennial succulents, we simply cannot forget the jade plant. With its adorable, rounded, thick leaves and sturdy stems, the jade plant is most sought after for indoor gardening, of course, for its easy-to-care-for nature. Besides that, you can also enjoy the pretty pink and white flowers.
But most importantly, did you know that jade plants could live up to 100 years? Remember to give your plant proper sunlight. To do that, it’s best to grow them outdoors.
And that’s all about the most amazing perennial succulents that can amp up the aesthetic in your home for years to come. So, which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below!
