The Best 8 Succulents for Beginners.
Easy Succulents for New Gardeners!

Introduction

When you choose a plant, you tend to check out the effort required and the reward you will get from it. For the most part, one get’s overwhelmed and exhausted due to thousand of caring procedures and guides. All this gets flushed when you choose succulents. They are known to be hardy, easy-to-care, and can survive with pretty much anything. You just need to check up on them from time to time and, you are good to go.

Today I will discuss some succulents for beginners to make your job easier. These are the easiest to care for and some of the most exotic varieties of succulents. So, let’s discuss all of them one by one.

There are a number of succulents that are perfect for beginners. Some of the most popular yet easy succulents include the Haworthia Zebra, Jade Plant, Aloe, Sedum, Sempervivum, Echeveria, Tiger Jaws and Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe).

8 Succulents for Beginners

1. Haworthia Zebra

Specie Name	Haworthia Zebra
Common Names	Zebra cactus, Pearl plant, Star window plant
Native Area	Southern Africa
Plant Type	Succulent, cactus
Blooming Season	Summer
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	11 (USDA)
Toxicity	Non-Toxic
Tolerant	Drought

Haworthia Zebra that is often mistaken for Aloe is the most popular among the Haworthia genus. These are known to form rosettes of fleshy green leaves with their white distinctive markings. These are very easy to grow and a recommended plant if you are a beginner.

Fun Fact

Haworthia Zebra is non toxic. So, if your pet takes a liking to it, you don't need to worry about it.

Haworthia Zebra is highly resistant to pests and needs low maintenance from time to time. You would need to provide it with partial/full sun for proper growth. Make sure the soil or the pot you are using is well-drained. This succulent has great survival skills and can forgive you for even some levels of overwatering and low light conditions.

2. Jade Plant

Specie Name	Crassula ovata
Common Names	Jade Plant, Money plant
Native Area	Southern Africa
Plant Type	Succulent, cactus
Blooming Season	Summer
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	10-11 (USDA)
Toxicity	Toxic to cats,dogs and mildy to humans
Tolerant	Drought

Crassula ovata, commonly known as the Jade plant, is a highly popular succulent. The Jade plant has distinctive shiny green leaves, which often have a touch of red at its tips. The plant has fleshy and rounded leaves, which usually grow in opposite pairs along the branches. The Jade plant is known to produce beautiful white or pink star-shaped flowers.

Fun Fact

The Jade plant is almost impossible to kill, making it the perfect beginner plant

Like every succulent, the Jade plant also enjoys bright light or a full sunlight environment. But, intense afternoon sun might scorch the leaves of the Jade plant, so you should place it in an area of partial shade to avoid this. They need to be watered sparingly over well-drained soil.

Caution

Jade plant is known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses and mildly toxic to humans

3. The Aloe Plant

Specie Name	Liliaceae
Common Names	Aloe - Aloe Vera
Native Area	Southern Africa
Plant Type	Succulent, cactus
Blooming Season	Summer
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	10-12 (USDA)
Toxicity	Toxic to cats,dogs and horses
Tolerant	Drought

Aloe has a lot of species to offer to beginners but, the most common one you might know is Aloe Vera (Medicine plant). These are evergreen species that grow all-year-round in hardiness zones of 10-12. Aloe vera gel is widely known for its healing powers and is used in many commercial lotions.

Aloe is a succulent that does its best if placed in full sun with a bit of shade. Remember to place them in well-drained soil and water whenever the soil dries out. These are drought-tolerant species and will flourish even under harsh or neglected conditions. If you are ready to plant this beautiful succulent, you can check this link out on Amazon.

4. Sedum

Specie Name	Sedum
Common members	S.Autumn Joy, coppertone sedum, S. nussbaumeranum, S.Dragon’s Blood
Native Area	Africa and South America
Plant Type	Succulent
Blooming Season	Summer, Fall
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (USDA)
Toxicity	Most are non-toxic
Tolerant	Drought

Sedum or stonecrop provides a lot of beautiful yet colorful succulent varieties that you can easily plant as a beginner. They are fascinating plants perfect for both indoors and outdoors. These are highly expanding evergreen perennials that can grow to up to 2 feet.

Fun Fact

Sedum has varieties with fascinating names like Sedum Dragon's Blood or Sedum Autumn Joy.

The Sedum family is known to work best under full sun in well-drained soil. As a succulent, they are highly tolerant to drought and you should only water them when the soil is completely dry.

5. Sempervivum

Specie Name	Sempervivum
Common members	House leeks, Hens and Chicks,Sempervivum arachnoideum
Native Area	Southern Europe and Mediterranean islands.
Plant Type	Succulents,Perennial, evergreen rosettes
Blooming Season	Summer, Fall
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	3-6-8 (USDA)
Toxicity	Non-toxic
Tolerant	Drought, Frost

Sempervivum is a range of evergreen rosettes that are known to thrive even in the coldest or the hottest temperatures. Sempervivum literally means “Live forever” making them the perfect plant for beginners. Similarly, a member of Sempervivum known as Hens and chicks are known to have an invasive sort of spreading speed and, the chicks/offsprings that evolve from the mother plant surround the main plant. Thus, making this species of succulents truly immortal.

Fun Fact

Sempervivum 'Raspberry ice' a variant of Sempervivum can have a life expectancy of about 20 years, it provided with the right care

Sempervivum is monocarpous species in which the hen/mother plant dies after flowering. But by then, it has spread its offsprings which then carry on the mother’s legacy.

These need full sun and well-drained soil to grow properly. They can even thrive on little or no water and are very sturdy plants that can withstand anything.

Warning

The only thing that might kill your Sempervivum is overwatering. So avoid it at all costs

6. Echeveria

Specie Name	Echeveria
Common members	Perle Von Nurnberg, Echeveria ‘Black Prince’, Echeveria ‘Dusty Rose’,Echeveria ‘Taurus’
Native Area	Semi-desert areas of Central America, Mexico and northwestern South America.
Plant Type	Succulents, evergreen rosettes, cactus
Blooming Season	Summer, Fall
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	9-11 (USDA)
Toxicity	Non-toxic
Tolerant	Drought, deer, rocky soil

Nowadays, Echeveria variants are one of the most popular succulents among gardeners. These are truly gorgeous succulents that form beautiful rosettes in all sorts of varying colors and sizes. Some of its variants also resemble the shape of waterlilies or ruffled lettuce.

Echeveria tends to do very well in a mixture of partial to full sun and is placed in sandy or well-drained soil. Like every other succulent, they should be watered only if the soil has completely dried. Fertilizers are not necessary, but if you still need one, I would recommend you go for a low nitrogen variety.

Echeveria is often confused with Sempervivum as both of them form a beautiful rosette-shaped pattern. But how can one differentiate between a Sempervivum and Echeveria? You can easily check this at the time of their bloom as Sempervivum are monocarpous meaning the mother dies after flowering while in Echeveria’s case, it is polycarpous and the mother plant will not die after blooming.

If you are ready to plant this beautiful succulent you can check it out on Amazon

7. Tiger Jaws

Specie Name	Faucaria tigrina
Common Name	Tiger Jaws, shark jaws
Native Area	South Africa
Plant Type	Perennial succulent
Blooming Season	Fall Early Winter
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	9-11 (USDA)
Toxicity	Non-toxic
Tolerant	Drought

Tiger jaw is a unique, eye-catching plant that you can boast about around your friends. By looking at the plant and its sharp pointy teeth like leaves, you get to know how it got its name Tiger Jaws. It is known to produce yellowish flowers during its blooming season, which can grow up to 2 inches in diameter.

Warning

Overwatering Tiger Jaws will lead to root rot. Key signs of root rot are brown spots on leaves and near base of plant

Tiger Jaws are hardy succulents that don’t have many enemies. So, as a beginner, this can be your starter plant. For proper growth, Tiger Jaws needs to be placed under bright sun for about 6 hrs of sunlight per day. You should plant it in well-drained soil and water only when the soil is completely dried out during its growing period. In winter, you should only moisten the soil from time to time.

8. Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe)

Specie Name	Kalanchoe daigremontiana
Common Name	Mother of thousands,alligator plant
Native Area	Africa
Plant Type	Succulent
Blooming Season	Winter
Sun Condition	Full Sun/Partial shade
Hardiness Zone	9-11 (USDA)
Toxicity	Toxic
Tolerant	Drought

Mother of Thousands is a unique variety of Kalanchoe known for its sturdy and patient nature. Mother of Thousands can easily withstand neglect, damage, and harsh conditions making it the perfect succulent for beginners. Mother of Thousands certainly lives up to its name and, if you place it outside, it will produce 1000’s of offsprings on its leaves, which then fall into the soil to create new plants.

Pro Tip

Mother of thousands can get quite a bothersome due to its invasive behavior, so plant it in a container or indoors to avoid this

Mother of Thousands is known to grow well under direct sunlight. You should place it in a well-drained pot and water it only when the soil is dry.

Useful Tips for beginners

You need to grow succulent in well-drained soil under partial or full sun. Water them sparingly once every 1-2 weeks in spring to autumn and once every 5-6 weeks in autumn to winter. Remember to check your succulent type and choose the ideal one for your environment. Succulent types may have different water and light requirements, so it’s best to check the succulent type carefully.

1. Choose the right succulents

Being a beginner, it can get quite troublesome even when dealing with low-demanding plants such as succulents. For this reason, you should check the succulent label and choose the right succulent for your home.

Note

Read the plant label carefully as it will help you determine the succulent's needs such as light required, water needed, size and spread of the succulent

Some succulents are known to thrive only under the full direct sun and, it makes them the perfect choice for outdoors. Succulents like the String of hearts, String of pearls prefer a bit of shade and will thrive indoors.

2. Choose the Right Pot and Perfect Soil

In the 2nd step, you need to make sure the pot you are providing to your succulent ensures proper drainage and has a drainage hole. If you are wondering how to fix such an environment for your succulent? Then for this case, I would recommend you to use this amazing Amazon product with a drainage saucer to create a well-drained soil, ideal for most succulents.

Similarly, for outdoor soil conditions, you should first check the soil’s drainage condition, by digging a hole of about 30cm and filling it with water. You should come back after half an hour and, if the water’s dried up, that means the soil is well-drained. But, if the water is still standing then you should add a mixture of 7cm of sand or other gritty material to increase the texture and drainage of the soil.

3. Light conditions

Succulents tend to do very well under the direct sun. On average, a succulent requires about 3-4 hours of direct sun daily, and if the succulents don’t get enough light, they tend to get weak, start uprooting and get stretched. Therefore, based on the succulent type, try to provide them with as much direct sun as they need.

For indoor conditions, if you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above then you need to shift your succulent to a window or a place where it can get appropriate sunlight. If that’s not possible, you can try using a bright LED or CFL light, like this 45 w LED grow light available at Amazon.

4. Keep Grooming your Succulents

Succulents can get damaged by insects and pests. So, you should keep a close eye on your succulent and be sure to remove any dead leaves, standing water, or rotten leaves that might attract pests.

Caution

Overwatering succulent is the lead cause of root rot and pest attraction

If your succulent has become infested with pests and you need a solution, then I would recommend that you rinse the succulent with insecticidal soap such as Safer Brand Insecticidal. After rinsing it with soap and letting it dry for about a day. During this period, you need to protect the succulent from direct sunlight to avoid sunburn.

Note

It may take several attempts to completely git rid of these pests

Useful Products

Ending thoughts

In today’s article, we went through some of the top 8 easy-to-grow succulents for beginners. I started the list with Haworthia Zebra and discussed some of the most famous and gorgeous succulent families such as Sempervivum and Echeveria. I ended the list on Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe) and, I moved onto giving you some golden tips to boost your start as a succulent planter.

If you’re a beginner and feel overwhelmed, I think you should read more about the topic. The more you learn about succulents, the more confident you will become. I recommend this comprehensive guide that will tell you how to grow succulents.

Posted in: Beginner Succulents Low-Maintenance Plants Indoor Succulents