There, we said it.

Succulents: the beautiful, scrappy warriors of the plant kingdom.

These water-storing wonders are having a moment right now, and rightly so. Succulents are extremely low maintenance; they come in tons of different kinds of colors, shapes, and textures; they propagate (aka their bits and pieces can magically create other succulents); and they can fit into all kinds of cool, unique containers.

There are some perks to having kids too, of course, and someday we will probably have a garden of human children. But in the meantime, we choose to surround ourselves with little potted friends, which require slightly less work while still providing about 80% of the joy of human to human parenthood.

Here are five reasons why succulents are the best.

1. They are really cool-looking

SucculentsPhoto credit: Wikimedia Commons

Just look at this dazzling array of shapes and colors. Are children this interesting to look at? Okay, yes they are, but in a different way.

Succulents come in a wide range of colors, from mint green to burgundy to almost black. Some have meaty, round leaves; others have pointy appendages; others are delicate and leafy. You can plant them separately or throw them together, creating a plantastic party for your eyes.

2. They are super low-maintenance

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Children need to be fed every day—multiple times, even—and you definitely can’t leave them in direct sunlight for very long.

Succulents, on the other hand, are incredibly self-sufficient. They can store water for long periods of time, making them great plants for those of us who are busy, forgetful, and/or selfish. Many types of succulents only need to be watered once a week or when the soil is completely dry; in fact, they need a drought every few days.

Like people, different types of succulents have different sun preferences. Most succulents need several hours of bright light every day, so you don’t have to worry too much about leaving them in the sun and frying them.

3. They help you focus

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This makes succulents the exact opposite of children.

Multiple studies (such as this one and this one) have found that the mere presence of plants in a room boosted participants’ attention and productivity.

You may be only a few echeveria away from getting that promotion.

4. You can put them in cool planters

SucculentsPhoto credit: Green Wedding Shoes


SucculentsPhoto credit: The WHOot


SucculentsPhoto credit: Upcycle That

Can you grow children in a wine bottle? No, you cannot. And you shouldn’t.

While many plants are finicky about where they are planted, succulents thrive in a variety of planters—from teacups to toy dinosaurs to gumball machines.

There are a ton of cool DIY articles out there explaining how to make fun, unique planters. Or you can come up with your own ideas for succulent abodes—plant one in your pocket, plant a couple in your dog’s collar—the sky is the limit.

5. They propagate

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Propagation is the process of creating new plants from seeds, cuttings, and other plant parts.

This sounds creepy, and it is. Fortunately, only plants can propagate; we’re still a good decade away from being able to make kids from other kids.

You can propagate succulents from their leaves and other cuttings (the method of propagation depends on the type of succulent). There are a lot of great articles out there on succulent propagation (such as this one).
Have we won you over? Are you team-succulent now? We hope that, like human children, succulents bring you a lifetime of joy!

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