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If you want to get started growing succulents and you want one that is simple to care for, or is low maintenance, here is a list of 9 of our favorite easy-to-grow succulents for beginners to help you get started.
1. Aloe Plant – Aloe vera
You’ve probably heard of this plant before. Aloe vera, which is most often known for its medical properties, can be grown as an indoor plant. Its thick green leaves are slightly sharp on the edges.
It can be placed on a windowsill where it gets lots of indirect sunlight. If it has too much direct sunlight, it will dry out and its leaves will turn yellow.
It’s always good to have one of these in your home and you can find this one on Amazon.
2. Jade Plant – Crassula ovata
Jade plant, also known by some as the money tree plant, is a popular houseplant that is low maintenance and easy to care for, which makes it an ideal choice for people who are busy but still want to have a decorative touch of green in their home. It is also a favorite by some who prune their jade plants to give them a bonsai-tree-like appearance. Whatever the case, it’s a beautiful plant that will give you years of enjoyment.
This plant is native to Africa and has thick, emerald-green leaves and a small tree-like appearance. The leaves are glossy and oval-shaped. It will grow several feet high in its native environment, but generally only gets about a foot in height when grown indoors.
If you’re curious, you can read our other article Do Jade plants bloom?
For those who want to grow one Amazon has a great selection to choose from, although I would recommend this nice looking one.
3. The Snake Plant – Sansevieria trifasciata
This succulent is also humorously known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue. It can tolerate low light conditions and weeks without water. This is one plant that seems to survive on neglect, but even so, it thrives best in partial to bright light and when watered occasionally.
I have found this succulent to be the most low-maintenance plant I have ever grown. The green leaves are tall, pointed at the top, and have markings reminiscent of a snake, hence the name “snake plant”. Its slightly thick leaves grow in clusters and can grow up to 3 feet in height.
Of course, there are different varieties of snake plants with each of them having slightly different characteristics. Amazon has a good selection of several of these that you can choose from like this one.
4. Zebra Cactus – Haworthia fasciata
The Zebra cactus shares a very similar appearance to the aloe plant or even the Gasteria plant.
It has light markings covering its dark green leaves, often giving it a striped appearance, hence the name Zebra Cactus. It only grows to be about 5 inches tall and 6 inches wide, allowing it to be the perfect compact plant for smaller indoor spaces. Its small size also makes it ideal for miniature gardens and terrariums.
The Zebra Cactus grows best in a place where it receives 4-6 hours of indirect sunlight. It is one of the easiest succulents to grow indoors and some of them, like this one that I would recommend, can be easily bought off of Amazon.
5. The Panda Plant – Kalanchoe tomentosa
This soft-looking succulent is native to Madagascar. It has a velvety texture and a brown edge to its leaves.
As Panda plants mature, they can grow up to about 2 feet tall.
This plant needs 6 hours or more of sunlight, and so it is adequate to be placed by a window.
The dry winter air in heated rooms is ideal for panda plants.
Overall it is an easy plant to care for and can be quite nice for a beginner.
You can find some of these on Amazon too, like this one.
6. Lithops – Scientific name is the same as the common name
These are small succulents that come from southern Africa. They look like small stones or rocks which is why they’re also called “living stones”. As they mature, they will split and if the conditions are right, daisy-like flowers will emerge from that split.
There are different species of lithops and they come in many different colors. This is one plant that you won’t have to water much at all; in fact, they won’t need any water in the winter. They will do well in a sunny part of your home.
These succulents may also look very nice in a miniature garden.
You can find this Lithops plant on Amazon. It comes with 10 one-year-old seedlings in one pot and would add a bit of interest to your home garden.
7. String of Pearls – Senecio rowleyanus
This succulent is a beautiful, trailing plant with stems that look like strings of pale-green pearls. This plant looks great in a hanging basket, but also looks good when allowed to trail over the sides of your planter.
It does best in bright light but don’t place it in direct afternoon sunshine. It is very drought resistant, so it has little need for much water beyond the occasional watering.
We have listed the string of pearls as one of the easiest but also as one of the hardest succulents to grow. This is because, they are easy to grow if you know how to meet their needs, but they can be tricky if you don’t. One of the biggest issues is that they don’t tolerate being overwatered.
If you are interested in growing one of these, Amazon has several to choose from such as this one.
8. Ponytail palms – Beaucarnea recurvata
Despite the name, ponytail palms are not palms at all – they are succulents and they are one of the larger succulents. In fact, the stem of this plant is large and has a swollen appearance, which is why it’s also called “elephant foot palm”. The stem has a wood-like appearance and it’s topped by tufts of grassy-looking leaves.
This plant can grow quite large, generally around four feet (when indoors) but much larger in its native environment; fortunately, it grows slowly. Another fortunate thing is this succulent is very low-maintenance.
It likes bright, indirect lighting and will do well in a bright, sunny spot in your home.
This one on Amazon would be a great start to any garden.
9. Hens and Chicks – Sempervivum and Echeveria
There are two species that are called by this name since they look and grow in a similar way with both of them having a larger, central plant surrounded by its smaller, offshoots.
Their fleshy, succulent leaves grow into what looks like flower-like shapes, (rosettes). This plant is beautiful in appearance by itself even when it has no offshoots.
Over time the mother plant, the “hen”, sends out offshoots through its roots to grow other plants and these are called the “chicks”. This is how they got the name Hens and Chicks – since they look like a mother hen surrounded by her chicks.
These chicks can be cut off and replanted into another pot.
Hens and Chicks prefer indirect light but will tolerate some shade.
If you are looking to try your hand at growing some, this one on Amazon would make a good choice since you would be getting more than one plant to get you started.
Conclusion
We could have added so many more types of succulents to this list (and we might do so in the future) but many of these are the most popular ones that people like to grow in their homes. Of course, we threw in a few others that aren’t as well-known because we like them so much– but all of them are easy to grow and as long as you don’t overwater them you will most likely enjoy them for a long time. We also have an article called the Top 8 Easy-to-Grow Cacti For Indoors for those of you who are also interested in growing cactus plants and want something that is low maintenance and easy to grow.
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