Choose the Best Succulents for Your Home
There are more than 20,000 types of succulents. Although botanists don’t agree on a precise definition of this plant variety, a good rule of thumb is that a succulent is any plant that can store a lot of water in its tissue. A little care can pay off handsomely for this durable species, so they’re a great choice for your home or garden if you’ve got a busy schedule or you lack a green thumb.
Keep these tips in mind when choosing succulents.
Know Your Zone
There are 13 planting zones in the United States, and they’re based on regional winter temperatures. Check out the zones to find which plants, including succulents, have the best chance of thriving where you live. The existence of thousands of species provides a lot of diversity, even for places in the same hardiness zone. While some succulents can survive a drought or freezing winters, others are sensitive to falling temperatures.
Choose the Right Location
Once you’ve found the best succulents for your area, decide if you want to plant indoors or outdoors. If you want to create an outdoor garden with succulents, consider creating a rock garden, especially if you have terraced or sloping land. A rock garden is a garden full of stones, and it can mimic some of the places succulents grow naturally. Avoid planting in rows, like you might grow vegetables. Instead, design with an artistic touch, working to create interesting shapes with pops of color.
Don’t Overwater
All succulents store water, so take care to avoid overwatering. Don’t leave standing water against their crown, as this can cause root rot, which is a major cause of succulent death. If your garden’s soil tends to hold water, provide good drainage by adding some gravel and sand. Indoor plants do well in succulent pots with cactus, palm and citrus potting mix or general-purpose soil mixed with perlite. Terra cotta and clay planters are also helpful in drawing moisture away from
the roots of
indoor succulents.
Check for Toxicity
If you’ve got pets, you’ll want to make sure you don’t buy a succulent that’s poisonous to them. Check the label to make sure you’re buying the best indoor succulents for your home.
Watch for Pests
While most succulents remain insect-free, occasionally there may be problems with scale and aphids on outdoor plants and fungus gnats, mealybugs, woolly aphids and spider mites on indoor plants. Treat them with neem oil or horticultural oil.
Common Succulent Types
As you shop for succulents, look out for these common varieties.
Sedum
Some of the most attractive, easy-care succulents for your garden are sedums, also called stonecrops. Sedums are hardy, flowering succulents that need little maintenance, attract pollinators like butterflies, produce long-lasting cut flowers and may look good into the fall.
You’ll need to keep up with watering new sedum plants so their soil doesn’t dry out, but mature sedums can live on rainwater unless there’s a drought. They thrive in direct sunlight in many climates but will need some shade in regions with strong heat.
Sedums come in all kinds of species, so keep an eye out for fun new varieties. Some popular ones include:
- White Stonecrop: This outdoor ground cover produces delicate white flowers.
- Burro’s Tail: This trailing succulent is named for its resemblance to a donkey tail.
Echeveria
Echeveria succulents come in many varieties and are primarily identified by their rosette shapes and range of colors. They thrive in bright sunlight but can also grow in bright, indirect sun. Water them every two to three weeks, when their soil is dry. Echeveria come in a broad spectrum of colors, and you can place them strategically in your garden or pots for pops of color. Some examples include:
- Echeveria Elegans: This common echeveria is also known as hens and chicks and is hardy indoors and out.
- Echeveria Agavoides: These rosette-shaped echeveria come in a wide range of colors.
- Echeveria Ruffles: This large rosette echeveria has graceful, curly leaves and colorful edging.
Cactus
There are thousands of varieties of cacti, and as they all store water in their stems, they’re considered succulents. All cacti love the sun, and most can survive during a drought. Cacti grow both in deserts and in forests. Desert cacti need bright light even in the wintertime, while forest cacti thrive in bright, indirect light. Both types of cacti need fast-draining soil, so use a soil specifically formulated for cacti, or add some perlite to the soil.
Give desert cacti plenty of water in their growing seasons — the spring and summer — whenever their soil gets dry. Don’t water them in winter unless they begin to shrivel. Forest cacti should be watered more during the spring and summer and less during the fall and winter. Some varieties include:
- Moon Cactus: These cacti are grafted together to make them easier to grow. Most moon cacti have colorful flesh and interesting textures, so they work great in a cactus planter.
- Opuntia or Bunny Ear Cacti: These classic cacti have small, flat paddles and come with or without spines. Wild opuntia grow much larger than indoor varieties, and some are even used in the Mexican dish nopales.
- Barrel Cactus: These slow-growing cacti range from the size of a ping-pong ball when planted in a pot to several feet wide when growing in the wild.
Crassula (Jade Plant)
Jade plants are a popular housewarming gift, and some people consider them a bringer of luck. Give them lots of indirect light and avoid direct sunlight. Too much light can scorch young leaves or redden old ones.
Keep their soil moist in the spring and summer, and water once a month in the winter. Like all succulents, jade plants need good drainage. Never let a jade plant sit in water, as this can cause root rot and kill the plant. Only water them enough to keep their soil moist. Additionally, use a cactus potting mix or general-purpose soil with some perlite mixed in. Terra cotta and clay pots also draw water away from roots.
The jade plant is toxic to dogs and cats, so take care to keep it away from your pets. Some varieties include:
- Crassula Ovata: The most common jade plant, Crassula ovata has a tree-like appearance and cylindrical leaves. Some varieties have pink accents on the leaves.
- Dwarf Jade: These jades are also called elephant bushes. They look like a bonsai tree with round green leaves.
Kalanchoe
For a flowering succulent, consider the kalanchoe, a native of Madagascar and one of the first plants to be sent into space. Plant it in soil with good drainage and give it lots of light outdoors. For indoor planting, use cactus potting soil, provide lots of indirect light and water it every few weeks, when the soil is dry. Some species of kalanchoes include:
- Mother of Thousands: This interesting-looking kalanchoe has wide paddles and produces small plantlets around the edges, which can be pulled off and propagated.
- Florist Kalanchoe: These flowering kalanchoes produce bright blooms under the right conditions.
Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
Sansevieria — and snake plants in particular — are hardy succulents that thrive with minimal care. They’re native to Asia and Africa and have long, upright leaves. You’ll want to keep these plants away from animals, as their leaves contain mild poison.
Snake plants prefer indirect sunlight but can still thrive in bright light or shade. Give the plant good drainage and wait until the soil is dry before you water. Overwatering a snake plant can cause root rot. Some varieties of the snake plant include:
- Variegated Snake Plants: The flat, striped leaves on these snake plants make them a great addition to modern décor.
- Cylindrical Snake Plant: This is an easy-to-grow plant with plump leaves. It’s tolerant of all kinds of lighting conditions, so it makes a good addition to darker rooms of your home.
Aloe
Aloe vera plants are indoor plants with gently narrowing leaves that curve gracefully into pointed tips. They thrive in bright, direct light but can also do well in bright, indirect light. Water them every two to three weeks when their soil feels dry. The Mayo Clinic notes that the clear gel inside aloe’s plump leaves is often an ingredient in ointments and creams that treat minor burns, psoriasis and acne. You can cut a leaf and use the gel within on a variety of minor skin ailments. Some aloe plants include:
- Aloe Striata: This colorful plant’s leaves appear pinkish in the hot sun and blueish green in the shade.
- Aloe Vera: This classic indoor plant is the source of aloe gel, which is commonly used for burns.