Succulents are the perfect plant for forgetful gardeners. Succulent care is easy, and succulent gardens and terrariums can brighten any indoor space. Learn about the best types of succulents to grow in the home.
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Succulent plants are trendy for a reason. With juicy leaves, stems, or roots, succulents form a vast and diverse group of plants, offering easy-care choices for your home. Plus, they look stunning planted alone or as companions.
The color variation of succulents seems almost endless: blue-green, chartreuse, pink, red, yellow, white, burgundy, almost black, variegated, and more. The leaves may be rounded, needlelike, berrylike, ruffled, or spiky. Many have an enticing "touch-me" quality -- even cacti.
These top 9 succulent plants for the home are easy to find and care for
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
Burro's tail is shown to its best advantage planted in a hanging basket. Overlapping, gray-green or gray-blue leaves grow up to 3 feet long. A native of Mexico, it prefers medium to high light for best performance.
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi)
To grow, allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry out between waterings. Keep it drier in the winter. When the plant is in bud, pay close attention, because even slight dehydration or overwatering may cause buds to drop. Provide medium to high light, and fertilize three times in summer using a 10-30-10 fertilizer to promote blooms.
Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii)
A popular import from Madagascar, crown of thorns can bloom year-round if given enough light. Long, spoon-shape leaves appear at the ends of spiky branches, along with clusters of tiny flowers. You might not notice the flowers because they're so small, but you will see the red, salmon, or yellow bracts that surround them.
Hens-and-Chicks (Sempervivum tectorum or Echeveria elegans)
Two succulent plants share the common name of hens-and-chicks. They're closely related but look different. Both produce "chicks" -- small, identical plants that are slightly offset from the mother (the hen).
Echeveria elegans forms flat, flowerlike rosettes with rounded edges. Sempervivum tectorum also forms in rosettes, but each leaf tends to be flatter and more pointed. The flowering patterns are different. Echeveria grows arching, smooth, bell-shape blooms every year. Individual Sempervivum grows pink star-shape flowers on plants that die after flowering. Usually by this time the plant has produced so many offsets that the loss is not great. After all, the Latin translation of sempervivum means "ever living."
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
The jade plant is an old-fashioned favorite for a reason: It's so easy to grow! This long-lived South African native grows thick stems and thick, glossy green leaves tinged with red.
Allow the soil to dry completely between waterings. Although some gardeners water jade only when the leaves begin to pucker or lose their shine, these are signs the plant is already stressed, so it may begin to drop leaves. Jades are most commonly killed by overwatering. A plant may adopt a weeping form if chronically overwatered.
Medicine Plant (Aloe vera)
The healing sap of this familiar medicinal plant has been used for centuries to treat wounds and sunburn. However, the sharp "teeth" along the leaf margins can cut an unsuspecting passerby, so place it where it can't be brushed accidentally.
Medicine Plant (Aloe vera)
The healing sap of this familiar medicinal plant has been used for centuries to treat wounds and sunburn. However, the sharp "teeth" along the leaf margins can cut an unsuspecting passerby, so place it where it can't be brushed accidentally.
Pincushion Cactus (Mammillaria)
Pincushions form a group of about 200 species of ball-shape cacti that are among the most common cacti grown in the home. Most hail from Mexico, where they grow in full sun. Pincushion cacti can remain small and may take the form of single balls or clumps, often flowering indoors.
Be careful: The spines look delicate but have hooked ends that are difficult to pull out of skin.
Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
Ponytail palms are not palm trees at all, but their feathery mops of green leaves atop a leathery-looking trunk resemble them. The ponytail palm doesn't look like a succulent, even though it is related to the agave plant. Its water-storage unit is the swollen, bulbous base of the trunk that gives the plant its other common name: elephant foot.
Long, sometimes curly, straplike leaves have very little surface to lose moisture, a boon in its native areas in the southwestern United States and Mexico.
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