Succulents are a favourite with nursery men and plant lovers and make great ornamental plants because of their striking and unusual appearance. The colour variation of succulents is endless – from blue-green, red, yellow, white, variegated, and some even giving pretty colourful flowers. The leaves too have a vast variety of shapes and sizes – rounded, needle like, berrylike, ruffled, or spiky.
Succulent plants normally have thickened and fleshy leaves which retain water. Low water requirement and storage of water in their leaves (or sometimes stems) is a natural result of their origins which are normally areas of very hot and dry climates. While most succulents like direct sunlight, some can adapt to lower light (like some Agaves and Haworthias). They all prefer a fast-draining potting medium that’s not watered too often.
These succulents can look striking individually in small pots or as groups in tray gardens or dry terrariums. Succulents are very easy to maintain due to their very low water requirement.
When buying succulents, one should take into consideration the amount of sunlight available at ones place. The brightly coloured succulents (specially the red ones) will require full sunlight to retain its colour. With low light, though the plant will not perish, the colour will fade into greener shades. Low light also tends to make the plants less dense. Stronger brighter sunlight gives denser thicker growth compared to low light. Hence if you plan to keep the succulents indoors, go for succulents which can survive in low light.
Succulents should be planted in well-draining potting mix to avoid stagnation of water or soggy soils. Watering should be done only once or twice a week, to provide some amount of water to the plants but to keep the potting mix dry for longer periods.
