Succulents are extremely easy to grow and care for, come in just about every colour, and their popularity is long overdue. Before you pick up your next stonecrop or agave plant, here's what you should know:
Succulents first cropped up in areas with long dry seasons (such as Africa), since they store water in their leaves.
Succulent comes from the Latin word 'sucus', which means juice or sap. It's also a nod to the nourishing leaves that help these plants survive in extremely warm conditions (aka you only have to water yours once a week since they thrive in sunlight and dry air).
Including families like Cactaceae (cacti) and Xanthorrhoeaceae (which is also home to aloe vera).
Shades of green are a given - but you can also find succulents that are blue, purple, pink, orange, and red!
Just another reason why these plants are so easy to maintain. (If you do experience issues and your succulent is outside, you may be dealing with scale or aphids. If it's inside, the problem could be fungus gnats, mealybugs, woolly aphids, or spider mites.)
It's called 'propagating'. To do this, snip off a succulent leaf, let it dry in the sun, and plant it in dirt and water.
Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. What makes a cactus a cactus: Its thorns, which is basically its version of leaves.
And it's surprisingly sophisticated, don't you think?
They bloom just in time for Christmas, which is the reason for their very festive name.
Since these plants are so low-maintenance, you can show off your green thumb on your wrist, ears, or fingers for weeks at a time.
From: House Beautiful US
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Succulents first cropped up in areas with long dry seasons (such as Africa), since they store water in their leaves. </p>" data-cy="slide-image-1" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/2048x1360/1475947610-1461099365-succulent-sun.jpg" title="Succulents originate from dry, desert locations" width="2126" height="1412" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Succulent comes from the Latin word 'sucus', which means juice or sap. It's also a nod to the nourishing leaves that help these plants survive in extremely warm conditions (aka you only have to water yours <a href="http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/garden/plants/how-to/a538/how-to-grow-succulents/" target="_blank">once a week</a> since they thrive in sunlight and dry air). </p>" data-cy="slide-image-2" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/1475947614-1461099207-succulent-leaf.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top" title="They get their name from their thick, sap-filled leaves" width="2448" height="2448" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Including families like Cactaceae (cacti) and Xanthorrhoeaceae (which is also home to aloe vera). </p>" data-cy="slide-image-3" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/2560x1912/1475947619-1461103329-succulent-plant-family.jpg" title="Approximately 60 different plant families contain succulents" width="2592" height="1936" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Shades of green are a given - but you can also find succulents that are blue, purple, pink, orange, and red! </p>" data-cy="slide-image-4" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/2048x1371/1475947625-1461101411-succulent-colors.jpg" title="You can find them in just about every colour of the rainbow" width="2118" height="1418" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Just another reason why these plants are so easy to maintain. (If you <em>do</em> experience issues and your succulent is outside, you may be dealing with scale or aphids. If it's inside, the problem could be fungus gnats, mealybugs, woolly aphids, or spider mites.) </p>" data-cy="slide-image-5" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/3200x4266/1475947629-1461100037-succulent-pest-resistent.jpg" title="Generally, succulents are pest resistent" width="3456" height="4608" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
It's called 'propagating'. To do this, snip off a succulent leaf, let it dry in the sun, and plant it in dirt and water. </p>" data-cy="slide-image-6" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/1475947639-1461098715-succulent-grow-with-leaf.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top" title="You can use succulent cuttings to grow new plants" width="2197" height="2197" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/garden/plants/news/a295/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-cacti/">Cacti are succulents</a>, but not all succulents are cacti. What makes a cactus a cactus: Its thorns, which is basically its version of leaves.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-7" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/2048x1364/1475947644-1461102582-succulent-cactus-debate.jpg" title="Succulents are often confused for cacti" width="2125" height="1416" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
And it's surprisingly sophisticated, don't you think?</p>" data-cy="slide-image-8" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/4000x4013/1475947648-1461099673-succulent-donkey-tail.jpg" title="There's a succulent named after a donkey's tail" width="4088" height="4102" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
They bloom just in time for Christmas, which is the reason for their very festive name.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-9" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/3200x4139/1475947661-1461100549-succulent-christmas.jpg" title="A Christmas cactus is basically a succulent poinsettia" width="3855" height="4987" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Since these plants are so low-maintenance, you can show off your green thumb on your <a href="https://halodin.pages.dev/shopping/home-accessories/a5518/succulent-jewelry/" target="_blank">wrist, ears, or fingers</a> for weeks at a time.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-10" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/16/40/768x1151/1475947671-1461097175-succulent-jewelry.jpg" title="Succulent jewellery is a thing — and it grows as you wear it" width="768" height="1151" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
