12 Best Types Of Succulents To Grow Indoors

We can't think of a better mid-century modern accent for your home than succulents. With so many different varieties, it's easy to find the perfect one that matches your tastes. Whether you're looking for something small and delicate or large and imposing, we've picked 12 of the best types to choose from.

You can never go wrong with succulents as your indoor plants. Having a succulent in your room makes the house feel cozy and fresh. Plants have a natural way of purifying the air and making your home a healthy place to live in.

But before you run to grow any succulent you come across, you must know that not all of them are suitable for indoor planting. Others won’t do well in the enclosures of a house, and some will give you a difficult time to care for. But there are still many succulent varieties that are easy to care for and can grow well indoors. The likes of Aloe Vera, Christmas cactus, and crown of thorns are perfect examples of succulents that thrive indoors.

If you’re looking forward to starting an indoor cacti garden, you’re going to have to make the right selections. Here is a list of 12 types of succulents that can thrive indoors and make your house beautiful and fresh.

1.  Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a famous succulent that is typically easy to grow and can do pretty well indoors. This plant is known for its beauty as well as its functionality. Many people use Aloe Vera for its medicinal purposes. The plant has sap on its leaves that has been used for decades to cure skin conditions, including acne, burns, and scrapes. The plant is used to make many creams, skin lotions, and ointments because of its medicinal purpose.

Aloe Vera is an easy-to-grow succulent that thrives in tropical climate, but can also grow perfectly healthy indoors.

You can easily identify Aloe Vera with its thick, greening, and pointed leaves. Some varieties grow white spots on the leaves. Aloe Vera thrives in tropical climates but can also do well when given proper indoor care in any climate.

2.  Crassula

Crassula has grown for many years as a houseplant making it a wonderful addition to your succulents’ collection. The plant is an evergreen one with shiny leaves. This succulent is easy to plant and can tolerate different soil types as long as there’s good drainage. It requires a good amount of sunlight, but it can also tolerate some shade.

When grown indoors, crassula will grow up to six feet tall and develop branchy stems with some fleshy-looking leaves. For it to thrive well indoors, give your crassula a fresh pot every spring. When grown outdoors, crassula can bloom in white and pink blossoms.

3.  Christmas Cactus

Christmas cactus is a famous house plant that is used widely as a gift, hence the name. This succulent is in the cactus species, but it doesn’t produce spines like other cacti. It also differs slightly from other cacti in that it requires a little more moisture. You need to water it every time you notice that the topsoil is dry. But you don’t worry if you forget to water your Christmas cactus for a while because it easily bounces back from drying and thrives once again.

A Christmas Cactus is a spineless plant that produces gorgeous white, pink, red, or peach orange flowers during winter.

The cactus produces beautiful blooms during winter, provided you keep it near the window. Its flowers have beautiful yellow pollen. Give it good care throughout the year, and you’ll have some beautiful flowers to gift out during Christmas.

4.  Burro’s Tail

The Burro’s tail is a beautiful plant to add to your indoor collection native to Mexico. The plant produces amazing fat trailing stems, which make it ideal for growing in hanging baskets. You’ll also recognize it with its gray-blue or gray-green leaves that are usually 2 feet long.

For your Burro’s tail to thrive, make sure it receives bright sun. Keep the soil dry during winter dormancy and fertilize it in summer. Do not disturb the plant because a slight touch can make the leaves easily fall out.

5.  Crown of Thorns

The crown of thorns succulent is also known as Christ plant or Christ thorn and is native to Madagascar. The Latin Americans call it Corona de Cristo. The beautiful houseplant grows beautiful thick stems that are quickly invaded with thorns.

If you want this plant to thrive and reward you with beautiful blooms, make sure it receives direct sunlight. It blooms in pink and red flowers all year round, provided there’s enough sun.

6.  Echeveria

If you want your house to have a perfect supply of green all year round, then the perfect succulent to plant is the Echeveria genus species. The beauty of these plants lies in their rosette shape and their leafy attributes. It’s an evergreen plant with a palette of hues with colorful flowers on the delicate stems.

Echeveria is one of the most popular succulents that requires sandy and well-drained soil to produce blooms.

For it to thrive and reward you with beautiful blooms, make sure your Echeveria received full sun and part shade. Give it sandy and well-drained soil. When watering the plant, make sure it goes directly to the soil and not on the leaves. This way, you’ll protect the waxy coating and protect the plant from rotting.

7.  Ponytail Palm

Ponytail palms got the name from their woody-looking trunk and leathery leaves that make them look like palm trees. The succulent grows very slowly and beautifully, making them perfect for indoor gardening. They can grow up to four feet indoors and go up to 20 feet when you move them outdoors.

The plant is also known as elephant foot, thanks to its bulbous base trunk. The primary purpose of the trunk is to enable the plant to store water. Ponytail palm thrives in bright light, low humidity, and warmer temperatures. It does pretty well indoors if you can provide it with these growth conditions.

8.  Hens-and-Chicks

Take a glance at these plants in a container, and you’ll appreciate the work of nature. The flat flowerlike rosettes with round edges will no doubt bring perfect work of beauty to your indoor garden. The plants reward your hard work with their arching, bell-shaped blooms. They give your garden interesting shapes and colors that make your house a vibrant collection of plants.

When you grow these succulents as houseplants, make sure they slightly dry between watering to avoid rot. Put them in the spot near the window where they can receive direct sunlight. The soil should be sandy potting mixed with good drainage.

9.  Lithops

If you never thought some plants look like stones, then meet lithops. The succulent plants take the appearance of stones or pebbles and are also known as living stones. If you don’t know them, you won’t even realize they’re plants. These succulents are easy to care for and thrive well indoors.

You have to ensure your plants receive plenty of sunlight. Give them poor but well-drained soil and a shallow potting. They’ll mostly grow underground and only expose their leaves to get moisture from above the ground. Water lithops sparingly during winter to ensure they don’t rot.

10. Portulaca

Portulaca plant, also known as moss rose, is a beautiful succulent plant that can thrive well with little or no care. If you give it full sun and enough room to roam around, the plant will grow well, even in dry soils. Portulaca is a half-hardy succulent that won’t tolerate cold temperatures. You only need to water them when the leaves drop.

If you give it well-drained soil and the right watering, Portulaca will surely reward your garden with bright, showy flowers with double or single rows of petals. The blooms range from yellow to hot pink. They also have narrow leaves that look like pine needles. Its trailing stems will look lovely in hanging pots.

11. Haworthia

Haworthia is a perfect houseplant that won’t take up a lot of your indoor space. It’s a tiny succulent that only grows a few inches tall and thrives with little care. The succulent grows in a beautiful rosette that looks like aloe. You’ll recognize it easily with its white bands on evergreen leaves. It has a striped appearance like that of a zebra plant.

Haworthia is tiny houseplant, ideal for those looking for low-maintenance succulents.

You can grow several of these plants in a shallow dish which you should put on the window sill to give you a wonderful display. Make sure it receives bright but indirect sunlight if you want it to grow beautifully.

12. Snake Plant

Snake plant is another beautiful succulent that will likely add an interesting accent to your room. To preserve its beauty, you have to wipe clean the leaves with a rag now and then. Make sure you give the snake plant direct sunlight for it to thrive well. This plant can still thrive well without water or light but will still maintain its beauty.

Snake plant grows in thick, stiff, and pointed leaves that go up to three feet long. You’ll also identify them with their patterned markings that give them the name snake plant. Although it can tolerate low light and little watering, it still needs some bright light and moisture when the soil dries up.

Summary

There are plenty of succulents to choose from and beautify your indoor garden. You have to realize which one does well in your climate area and which one you can care for without problems. Go through the plant’s specifics and understand how to grow and care for it before taking it home.

If you give your succulents the care they deserve, they reward your garden with color and immerse beauty. Choose yours from this list of 12 succulents, and you’ll love the look of your garden after a few months.

Last update on 2022-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

read this next

If your Christmas cactus has stopped blooming, or you just need to find out how to keep it healthy and growing, check out the information below. Learn about pruning and repotting, along with watering and fertilizing instructions, so you can enjoy your Christmas cactus for many years to come.
Although succulents can grow perfectly healthy without too much water and in numerous climates, they still need to be fertilized once in a while. Here’s everything you need to know about when and how to fertilize your succulents.
While some succulents love being under direct sun, others may develop brown spots or even die when being exposed to too much direct sunlight. Here are some tips on how to avoid sun damage and take proper care of succulents.
Although cacti plants are hardy, they still require proper watering to thrive. Generally, the watering technique you choose to use will have a significant impact on the overall health of your plant
Succulents seem like they would be easy-care plants, but some of the most common care mistakes can cause your beloved succulent to lose all signs of life. Here are some easy-to-spot symptoms that could mean your plant is dying and what to do next.
For desert animals, the survival game is fierce. The only way to ensure their long term existence is to find a steady food source. Luckily, even plants near the surface of the land need to quench their thirst. Many plants have ingenious ways to collect and retain precious water from nearly invisible air pockets in the sand below. This small amount of moisture sustains desert life for months at a time
Tropical terrariums bring the beauty and wonder of a tropical rainforest to your home. Start off with a clear glass container, or tall vase, and place a layer of soil on the bottom. Then, create a miniature landscape using tropical plants, rocks, and pebbles that represent a tropical island.
Looking for a complicated, yet interesting cactus for your garden? The Jumping cholla Cactus should be part of your list. These low-maintenance plants are not only fast growing but also lenient to the busy and forgetful lot.
Succulents and succulent gardens have become very popular in recent years. With their wide range of colors, textures, and shapes, they make a beautiful addition to any space. But when succulents are grown indoors near dogs, there is one very important thing to consider: Are succulents poisonous to dogs?
Succulent plants are an amazing addition to any plant collection. Succulent plants live everywhere, from the tropics to the tundra. They have evolved remarkable adaptations to survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Learn how to care for succulent plants indoors and outdoors in this article.
If you have a succulent that is dying, you’ve probably gone through the steps of “watering” it and maybe even doing some sunlight treatments. Each person’s succulent looks different, but most will turn a red/purple color if they are in need of water, or begin to look grey if they aren’t getting enough light. Here are easy and effective tips to save a rotting succulent.
When it comes to landscaping, desert plants are some of the most popular choices. This is due to several reasons. They are cheap, they require minimal maintenance and can tolerate extreme temperatures. Not to mention that most of them look spectacular. Here are 10 desert plants ideas when landscaping
If you follow the steps in this article, your cactus should be in the proper environment for blooming. However, the best way to ensure that your plant is going to bloom is to buy one that already has a bloom present
Did you know that air plants can survive without soil? These plants are commonly called epiphytes, which means they grow on other plants. They also require very little care and can survive for months without water. These make them the most versatile plants and can be placed in a variety of places.

Receive the latest news

Get Our Cacti Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest facts, tips, advice, and more!

Your privacy is important to us.