Even if you’re a novice plant parent, we promise: You can grow succulents! For starters, succulents don’t need babied and they come in so many fun sizes and shapes. “Anyone can grow succulents. The plants like the same conditions you do: warmth, sunlight, and dryness,” says Debra Lee Baldwin, author of Designing with Succulents.
There are hundreds of varieties of succulents. Many grow outdoors in warm climates, but some thrive as indoor plants, too. Succulents range in size from tabletop to gigantic specimens. But many of the potentially huge ones can be kept small if planted in pots, says Baldwin.
Even better? Because succulents are plants that store water in their leaves, stems and roots, they can go weeks between waterings. The category also includes cacti, which have spines that may be soft, spiky, conical, curved or barbed. But, interestingly, while all cacti are succulents, not all succulents are cacti, says Baldwin.
The most important thing to understand about these plants is how to water succulents. “The surest way to kill a succulent is to overwater,” says Baldwin. “Once a week is plenty for most succulents.” It may be even less frequently depending on the plant and the environmental conditions.
