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outdoor succulents #922595

Asked December 02, 2025, 11:37 AM EST

Would you recommend outdoor succulents for Garett County? I have many native plants and a meadow area. I would like to add an easy to care for garden closer to my home as I am aging and looking for lower maintenance plants.

Garrett County Maryland

Expert Response

There aren't many succulents native to Maryland, though there are several non-native (and non-invasive) species. What conditions exist where you wish to plant them? (Full sun or only partial sun in summer? Excellent soil drainage?)

If the site is very sunny, Prickly-pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa) is recorded from Allegany County, though should be cold-hardy enough for Garrett. They flower best in sun, but will tolerate partial shade, as long as the soil doesn't stay too moist.

Allegheny Stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephioides) grows wild in western Maryland, and is a compact perennial that prefers sunny sites with rocky soils. It is somewhat similar to the non-native or hybrid ornamental Sedum varieties like the widely-grown 'Autumn Joy'.

For a semi-shaded site, Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) is a good choice and it occurs in many Maryland counties, including our western region. It's ground-hugging, but tends not to form a solid carpet of foliage like some other groundcover perennials.

Adam's-Needle Yucca (Yucca filamentosa) is very drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant enough to be grown in western MD; it's native throughout our region and grows wild across much of our state. It's not a fleshy succulent the way Sedum and Opuntia are, but it still takes very little maintenance and thrives in sunny sites (tolerant of part shade) with good drainage. Cultivars exist with cream/yellow-banded leaves if you wanted more color.

Non-native options include several species/cultivars of Ice Plant (Delosperma), other Sedums (just avoid Sedum sarmentosum, which can be weedy, although it's generally not sold locally anyway), or other species that are not technically succulents but which have low maintenance needs, especially when grown in conditions that ideally suit them. (That's the case for many native plants.) Examples of native species for sites with gritty, rocky soil and excellent drainage include Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata), Early Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis), American Alumroot (Heuchera americana), Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), Wild Pink (Silene caroliniana) and Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis).

Miri
Thank you for the thorough and quick response.  I have both full sunned shade areas, so I appreciate receiving a list of plants for both conditions.  I am considering container gardens for the succulents, so they should have good soil and good drainage.

Have a nice day, Patty

On Dec 2, 2025, at 4:59 PM, Ask Extension wrote:

The Question Asker Replied December 03, 2025, 4:40 PM EST

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