We just love the red succulents in our collections – they provide a real pop of color and make for an excellent talking point whenever you have visitors.
And the good news is that while most succulents tend to change color according to the seasons, and how much light, water, and nutrients they get, there are some really beautiful red succulents that can remain red all year round.
As a general rule, most succulents only go red or bright during winter. or when the plant gets stressed. They lose the red color later as we move through the following warmer months.
However, in this article, we’re going to share with you the best red succulents that will retain at least some of their red color, even during the hot summer.
Let’s get straight to it.
(The following red succulents are listed in alphabetical order for your convenience.)
Aeonium Schwarzkopf
Sometimes it can be a bit green in places, come the warmer months, as discussed in the introduction, but even then it still retains a lot of deep red color.
They can grow up to a meter in height, and up to a meter wide, producing lots of branches as they grow that end in their distinctive rosettes, so that it appears like a rosette tree.
They perform well in both the sun or the shade, so they’re great outside or indoors. They should be watered sparingly, be protected from frost, and they need well drained soil.
Most aeonium are native to the Canary Islands, and they do best in hot and dry conditions.
Echeveria Maruba Benitsuakasa
The Echeveria Maruba Benitsuakasa is a Japanese hybrid of Echeveria Nodulosa.
It’s a somewhat unique and ornamental succulent, best known for its maroon and burgundy colored rosettes, complete with dark purple undertones, and to a lesser extent, also its blue-gray leaves.
They can grow to about 12 to 15 cm in diameter and up to about 10 cm height. They love hot, dry conditions, and they cannot tolerate the cold, or drafts for that matter.
For this reason, they can do really well indoors, provided that the conditions are not too humid.
They need at least 6 hours of light every day, and we recommend checking the dryness of the soil before watering.
Echeveria Romeo Rubin
Echeveria Rubin is basically a mutation of Echeveria Romeo, and there are many who argue that it’s THE best red succulent.
It has bright red leaves in the form of a rosette that look and feel waxy. On a short stalk, it grows close to the ground, usually as a solitary rosette, since it rarely produces pups.
They’re relatively small, growing to no more than 12 cm. During the winter, they will appear a deep blood-red when viewed in full sun.
The Rubin will keep the majority of its color all year round, but the center may become partly green from the center as the summer months approach.
When caring for a Rubin, you must keep them from extreme temperatures.
Grafted Cactus Red
A grafted cactus is formed when two different species of cacti are combined together to form a single plant.
And the Grafted Cactus Red is actually an albino cactus that gets grafted on a green stalk, which is a different species of cactus. It is also known as the Moon Cactus, Ruby Ball or Red Cap.
They can be expected to remain red all year round, and are quite unlikely to change color at all.
They are excellent plants for indoors, especially since they don’t like being exposed to direct sunlight. However, they will need some light in order to survive.
They don’t need a lot of maintenance, but they do take time to grow, so you’ll have to be patient.
You won’t need to re-pot them very often, and they can remain in the same pot for a number of years.
Kalanchoe Humillis
Also known as the Tiger Stripe Kalanchoe, or Tiger Kalanchoe, we class this as a red succulent because it has large, easily visible red, maroon markings that are ever present on its large leaves, although there are some people who would argue that technically it’s not a red succulent, because it’s never fully red.
They are a large shrub species that likes to spread out and grow to about 15 cm. They’re very rare and are wonderful as ornamental houseplants, or just as succulent garden plants.
They grow best in full sun or bright indirect light, and they need very well-drained soil. You should water them thoroughly, but be sure to let the soil dry between watering.
You should water the plant moderately throughout the summer and then reduce the watering in the winter months.
Peperomia Graveolens
Also known as Ruby Glow, Peperomia Graveolens, this very distinctive succulent is a shrub-like plant with very plump leaves that are predominantly vine red, while the center is a stunning contrast in forest green.
It looks pretty much the same all year round, and loses very little red, even in the summertime.
It typically grows to approximately 25 cm in height and 40 cm in width.
The Peperomia graveolens is quite rare among Peperomia, in that its flowers emit an intense smell that some people may find unpleasant.
They tend to do better in filtered light rather than direct sunlight, and they can burn if the heat gets too intense.
And it can’t handle frost either. The perfect spot would be beside an east or north facing window (or south-facing if you are in the southern hemisphere).
Sempervivum Red Rubin
This beautiful succulent has an undeniably red color that stays predominantly red all year round.
It features low rosettes that reach about 8 cm across, and they produce offsets in both the spring and the winter.
And speaking of winter – this particular succulent is frost hardy and doesn’t have a problem with the snow.
However, it doesn’t like direct sunlight when it’s really hot out, and it will need protection from that.
That said, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s also drought tolerant, and doesn’t need a lot of watering.
It can grow both outdoors and indoors. It grows best in dry to medium humidity, and in well-drained soils, and it can thrive in sandy or gravelly soils.
Wrap Up
We hope you’ve enjoyed browsing through our shortlist of the best red succulents that remain red all year round.
We’re sure you’ll agree they’re all very pretty, and we trust that with the details provided here, you can easily choose one or more for your collection and give them not only pride of place but also the care they deserve.
We’ve included a couple of videos below for you to browse our favorite red succulents in more details and discover a few more (although not all the succulents included will stay red all year round). And finally, there’s a quick video showing succulents that bloom with red flowers. Enjoy!
