Succulents come in a range of colors. In this article, I highlight some of the ones that provide pink and purple and other shades for the landscape.

Pink

Several kinds of succulents offer various tones of pink. These include Sempervivum ‘Classic,’ which has pinkish or reddish-pink tinges.

Siebold stonecrop (Sedum sieboldii) has blue-green foliage with dark pink to reddish-pink along the edges. The margins are toothed. The species plant is hardy to zone 3 or 4. This is less than a foot in height.


Purples

Of the houseleeks, any number of these can be counted on to provide intriguing purple color. Sempervivum ‘Purdy 70-40’ is one of these. Its gray-green, downy foliage has reddish-purple tips. This is recommended for zones 3 through 8.

‘Sempervivum ‘Lavender and Old Lace’ can feature different shades of purple along the tips of the leaves. This can be light purple, lavender, or purplish-red. The name refers both to the color as well as the lace-like edges of the foliage. Its rosettes tend to be large and open. This is recommended for zones 3 through 9.

Sempervivum ‘Othello’ has brightly colored purple or purplish-red along the leaf margins. It features dark pink blooms. This is hardy in zones 4 through 9.

Sempervivum ‘Commander Hay’ has reddish-purple leaves with green tips most of the year. This cultivar has large rosettes. It is hardy in zones 4 through 9.

Concerning the Sedums, the following are highly colored. Sedum ‘Ruby Glow’ has greenish-purple leaves. This is less than a foot tall. The blooms, which appear from summer through the fall, has rose-colored blooms. It is hardy to zones 5 through 9.

Sedum ‘Bertram Anderson’ has rather low-growing stems. The round, fleshy foliage can be purple to grayish-blue. It produces medium pink to purple blooms during late summer. This is recommended for zones 4 through 9.

Sedum hidakanum is a low growing plant that forms a thick mat. This is
apparently of garden origin, and is believed to be a hybrid. Itsfoliage can present a range of colors from purple or blue to grayish-pink. This produces pink blossoms.

Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’ has an upright to spreading growth habit. The fleshy leaves are deep purple. Their edges are toothed. The flowers, in large clusters, can be deep pink or purple. This cultivar is nearly 1½ feet in height.

Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’ is an upright form. This has greenish-purple leaves that are toothed.

Sedum spathifolium ‘Purpureum’ has reddish-purple foliage, which is quite larger than that of the species plant. Its blooms are yellow, and open in May and June. The species is native to the western U.S.


Gray-Green and Blue-green

We have come to expect beautiful color from the spurges, and that is what we get. Myrtle spurge (Euphorbia mysinites) has evergreen foliage that is gray-green. These are clustered closely together on trailing stems. The colorful yellow floral bracts also provide lots of color. This plant, which can behave as either a perennial or biennial, is native to Asia and Europe.

Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias) has wispy, gray-green leaves. Hardy to zone 4 or 5, this is about a foot tall. It can spread very easily.

Sempervivum ciliosum has gray-green foliage. This European native can take some shade.

Sempervivum ‘Grey Lady’ has gray-green foliage that can change to lavender-mauve or maroon as the growing season goes on.

Sedum ewersii, which is native to Asia, has gray-green foliage. Only three inches tall, it produces reddish-pink blooms during the summer. This is recommended for zones 5 through 9.


Other Colors

Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Orange Man’) has foliage that turns orange during the fall. It also offers colorful yellow-green to orange floral bracts. The plant is less than a foot tall. The species is hardy to zone 4, and is native to Europe.

Sedum telephium ‘Morchen’ has foliage in an unusual tone—a dark brown. About 1½ feet in height, this tends to have an upright form. It produces medium pink blossoms.