10 Types of Succulents That Are Easy to Grow

Jade plants are a common succulent that many Canadian gardeners love — with good reason. They grow well indoors at room temperature (and outside, during the warmer months). Jade plants are easy to care for, but they’ll need plenty of indirect light, around six hours daily. A happy jade plant will let you know by developing a red colouring around the edges of its leaves. But pet owners beware: jade plants are toxic to cats and dogs.

This lovely hanging succulent is also known as Donkey’s Tail. Its long leaves make it an attractive hanging plant, and they break off easily (all the better for propagating!). This succulent likes four hours of sunshine a day, so ensure that if you’re bringing it into your home, you find an appropriately sunny location.

Just walk into any plant store — or even your local grocery store — and you’ll find this sturdy and spiky succulent readily available. Aloe vera plants have so many benefits, from their medicinal properties to the fact that they only need watering every fortnight.

Cacti are resilient plants that don’t need water and attention to live on. There are so many varieties of cacti, and nearly all have the same hardy characteristics, so it’s really about choosing one that fits with your home’s style. Prickly pears are a flowering succulent that need bright and warm conditions.

Another exceptionally easily propagated succulent is this gorgeous vining plant, the string of pearls (our resident Plant Mama agrees!). Perfect for a stylish bookshelf, these succulents are resistant to pests and low maintenance when it comes to their watering schedule.

Another beginner-friendly favourite is the hardy-stalked snake plant (AKA Mother-in-Law’s Tongue). What makes this tall-growing succulent such a favourite? It doesn’t need a particularly sunny spot to thrive, making it excellent for low-light areas as well. Snake plants also don’t require much water or attention, and will do well even in neglect!

Often, succulents are sun-warming plants, but this compact little cutie is actually great for Canadian homes as it can be resistant to frost. Furthermore, like many others on this list, it doesn’t need a significant amount of watering — once a week at most.

One of the easiest cacti to come by is the lovely-named Christmas cactus. We love this little flowering beauty — and it loves indirect light, plus the occasional watering in order to thrive and show off its bright colours.

With an appearance that’s very much akin to aloe vera, the haworthia plant is basically a smaller flowering cousin. It has many of the same needs as well: indirect sunlight and occasional waterings, making it quite resilient, even for beginner plant owners.

If you’re looking for a burst of colour from your plants, this may be the perfect choice for you (even if you’re a novice at caring for them). This succulent makes a wonderful addition to a bright windowsill, given that it needs lots of light to grow. As with any succulent, they store water, so waterings are only needed every few days once the soil dries out.