Glossary of Succulent Terms

Deadheading is the removal of spent flowers from plants. Deadheading gives plants a tidier appearance, denies insects a favorite place to hide, and prevents the plant from putting energy into forming seeds.

Some succulents are monocarpic, meaning they bloom just once in their lifetime. Some people refer to these blooms as “death blooms”, however, the mother plant that dies is usually replaced by many pups.

Many succulents go dormant in either summer or winter. Dormancy is a time of minimal metabolic activity, similar to hibernation in bears. Some dormant succulents look dormant like this Aeonium arboreum. Most succulents don’t change their appearance when dormant.

Drought tolerant plants, like succulents and cacti are naturally adapted to surviving long periods of dryness. Drought tolerant gardens are designed using these plants, so as not to rely on heavy irrigation.