Succulents For Beginners – Part 1
Choosing the Best Succulent for Your Growing Area
Know Your Care Style
To ensure success with your succulents you’ll want to take inventory about your personal “care style”: how much you like to take care of your plants. You also need to know where you’ll be growing succulents as the growing environment will play a major role in selecting a succulent.
Take a few minutes to consider these things:
- Do I tend to water a lot, or forget to water?
- Am I growing my plants indoors, where it’s relatively dark, or outdoors in full sun or shade?
- Am I growing my plants outdoors in a mild climate, or in a cold climate with freezing temperatures?
Once you’ve considered your care style and your growing environment, you will be able to tailor your plant selections to those that fit you. Those factors should play a big role in the types of succulents you purchase as not all succulents have the same needs.
Some succulents require lots of sun, while others prefer bright shade. Some require more frequent watering than others.
Succulent Suggestions
Below you’ll find 5 different recommendations for succulents. Each will work well in a particular environment. The purpose of this list is to give you an idea of what to look for when you are shopping. Affiliate links are included to purchase these specific succulents if you are interested.
Portulacaria afra variegata
“Elephant’s Food”
Portulacaria afra is a branchy succulent that will form into small bushes. It does best in bright shade, but will tolerate full sun if well rooted. It is not cold hardy.
This succulent is a great choice if you tend to over water. While it should not be watered daily, the leaves are somewhat thin and can tolerate more frequent watering than most succulents.
Gasteria ‘Marble’
Gasteria ‘Marble’ is a very thick, tough leaved succulent. It prefers to be in the shade and does well indoors. It’s extremely drought tolerant. You’ll find it can be watered significantly less than other succulents.
This succulent is a great option if you forget to water or don’t want to water often. It’s also a good option if you’re not sure where to start with succulents. It’s low maintenance and very forgiving.
Haworthia fasciata
“Zebra Plant”
Haworthia fasciata is an easy to care for succulent that tolerates low light. It produces new offets frequently that can be pulled off and planted elsewhere. It is not
cold hardy.
This succulent is a great option if you are new to succulents and if you are growing indoors.
Sedum adolphii
‘Golden Glow’
Sedum adolphii ‘Golden Glow’ is able to tolerate heat and doesn’t need much shade. It loves full sun and turns a bright yellow-orange when it’s getting plenty of light. It can survive hot temperatures and sunlight all day.
This is a great succulent if you are growing outdoors in full sun.
Sempervivum calcareum
“Hens and Chicks”
Sempervivums will tolerate temperatures below zero. These succulents produce offsets easily. They require morning sun and afternoon shade.
This succulent is ideal if you are growing succulents outdoors in an area with freezing temperatures.
Where to Buy Succulents
Online
Purchasing succulents online is a great way to get the exact variety of succulent you want. It’s also a great option if succulents are hard to find locally. Buying succulents online can be more expensive as you will also have to pay for shipping, however, the selection of succulents is much greater than most local stores.
Here are a couple great places to purchase succulents online:
One way to save money when ordering succulents online is to purchase cuttings. Cuttings are succulents that aren’t rooted yet. Most root easily within a week or two. You can purchase cuttings from The Succulent Source for about $1 each.
Locally
Shopping for succulents locally is a great way to pick out a healthy specimen. Look for succulents with firm leaves and very little damage.
It’s also possible to find pots that have several succulents in them, so you get more for your money. Local prices for succulents are quite reasonable. It’s often difficult to find more rare varieties locally unless the store you’re purchasing from specializes in succulents.
You can likely find succulents at stores such as Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart. However, succulents found at smaller nursery tend to be healthier.
A little about me…
My name is Cassidy Tuttle and I’m a professional photographer turned succulent addict. I teach wonderful people, like yourself, how to grow succulents through this course, my book — Idiot’s Guides: Succulents, and on my website — Succulents and Sunshine.
My adventure with succulents started with three small plants on a window sill of my basement apartment. Within a year I had propagated them and purchased more, totaling over 100 plants!
It’s been a fun adventure since then as I’ve drowned, burned, frozen, and starved my collection of succulents. In this course I teach you how to avoid all those mistakes I made or help you recover from them.
While I’ve killed plenty of succulents in the past few years, I’ve also kept hundreds alive and thriving, and I know you can do the same!