The Best Indoor Succulents For Fuss-Free Greenery

Succulents are low-maintenance plants that can live indoors or even outdoors in the right conditions. Attractive, versatile, and easy to care for, succulents make great greenery additions to homes and offices. Succulents can go weeks without watering, which is helpful when vacationing or for those new to caring for houseplants. More experienced houseplant parents know they can make great gifts or creative projects with succulents; portions can be cut off for use in bouquets or succulent arrangements.

Finding the best indoor succulents depends on the type you’re looking for, the size, care requirements, and whether you want a kit that has everything you need to get started. Here are some top picks for the best indoor succulents for fuss-free greenery in your home or work space.

1. BEST OVERALL: Leaf & Clay ‘Awesome Echeveria’ Pack
2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Mountain Crest Gardens Indoor Succulent Tray
3. BEST HANGING: Simply Succulents Diamond Wall Planter
4. BEST DISPLAY: Simply Succulents Crystal Terrarium Kit
5. BEST VARIETY: Leaf & Clay ‘Everything’ Pack

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Indoor Succulents

There are many considerations when looking for the best indoor succulents. Fortunately, most succulents require similar care, leaving you to decide which species you’d like best as well as whether a kit you’re considering comes with everything you need to get started. Here’s what to consider when looking for the best indoor succulents for your home or office.

Species

There are different species of succulents, each with their own qualities to consider. These species include:

• Aloe. Aloe vera is easy to spot with its light green, thick leaves that fan around the plant and the serrated edges of the leaves. Aloe can grow up to 3 feet high in the right conditions.
• Agave. You might have seen agave syrup at your local grocery store, and it comes from the agave succulent that can grow to be quite large (10 feet high). Its leaves are wide and narrow down to tips at the end.
• Crassula. Crassula plants have darker green, thick, waxy leaves. You may also know this plant as a jade plant, and it can grow to be quite large when given the opportunity—up to 2 feet wide.
• Echeveria. This popular succulent can come in a range of different shades. It has smooth, rubbery leaves that almost take on a rose shape. Echeverias generally stay under 8 inches wide.
• Euphorbia. Containing thousands of subspecies, euphorbia succulents can look like cacti or have flowering leaves. Certain varieties can grow several feet tall in the right conditions.
• Gasteria. This spiky succulent mimics the shape of aloe, but its leaves are darker and often textured. The plant typically stays small (about 5 inches tall), but can grow large in outdoor gardens.
• Haworthia. Similar to gasteria but with smaller leaves, haworthia succulents have distinctive textured growths on their leaves and reach about 5 inches tall.
• Kalanchoe. You might see kalanchoe with its wide, waxy leaves at the base and flowers at the top in red, white, or even pink and yellow. They can grow up to 20 inches tall.
• Portulacaria. This tree-like plant often gets confused with jade, but its leaves are smaller and typically lighter in color. In its natural habitat, this plant can grow several feet tall.
• Senecio. With thin, light bluish-green spiky leaves, senecio can grow vertically or horizontally and up to 2 feet long or tall.

Form

Succulents come in different forms. There’s the traditional potted form, which typically includes a succulent plant with roots placed in soil in a pot. There are also succulent cuttings, which are essentially parts of the succulent cut off from the main plant. These cuttings, when the stem is allowed to heal so no wet parts remain, can last for weeks without water or soil and can be used in bouquets.

There are also succulent plugs, which are succulents planted in soil that have become root bound and, though not potted, are ready for transplanting to a pot. Each form has its respective benefits. Potted succulents are ready to decorate your home, cuttings can go into an arrangement for a beautiful display, and plugs are convenient to pop into your favorite pot at home.

Kit Components

The best indoor succulents come with different components to get started. Some come with a pot, others come bare-rooted without soil. Shoppers also can find succulents already in a container or packed with one, such as a terrarium that just needs setting up.

Considering what your succulent kit contains to help you get started can be an essential factor when looking for the best indoor succulents. If you’re looking for a mess-free setup, choose a complete kit with soil, a container, and a succulent. However, if you already have pots and soil ready and simply need a plant to fill, bare-rooted options might be more cost-effective.

Housing

There are different ways to house succulents depending on the type. For example, succulent cuttings can be housed in a bouquet or centerpiece arrangement temporarily without needing any soil. However, pot succulent plugs or plants as soon as possible to ensure a healthy transition.

Succulents can grow well in standard pots and in hanging planters. If you’re looking to highlight succulents in a display, terrariums provide an excellent opportunity, allowing you to arrange several succulents together for a beautiful centerpiece or a living desk decoration.

Required Care

Succulent types are similar in the care they require to thrive. Most succulents need bright but indirect light to flourish. They also like to mostly dry out between waterings, so if you touch the soil and it’s still damp, save the watering for another day. The pot will also need adequate drainage.

The soil succulents need is a little different from what you’d use for traditional houseplants. They like sandy soil, so you can choose a cactus soil mix if you’d like. When repotting, be gentle, as their root systems tend to be relatively fragile. Succulents need nutrients, but don’t overfertilize—they should be able to get most of what they need from the soil.

Our Top Picks

These top picks for the best indoor succulents include single plants and starter kits, along with succulent trays with different varieties to help start a succulent garden. From succulents with pots to those with just cuttings, these picks offer low-maintenance indoor greenery.

Best Overall

Leaf u0026 Clay ‘Awesome Echeveria’ Pack

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Leaf & Clay’s Awesome Echeveria Pack comes in a group of either six or 12 succulents, each about 2.5 inches around. Each succulent is hand-picked for a diverse and colorful collection. The plants ship without soil or pots, so buyers have to transplant them upon arrival into individual pots or a succulent arrangement.

Echeveria succulents tend to stay pretty small, and their rose-like shape is attractive as a versatile green decoration. They also come in a variety of colors, adding some orange, coral, and dark tints. This indoor succulent pack is affordable, even though it includes a variety of echeveria succulents to create a unique succulent garden or arrangement.

Best Bang for the Buck

Mountain Crest Gardens Indoor Succulent Tray

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For a variety of succulents in a starter pack, Mountain Crest Gardens offers an indoor succulent tray that contains five succulents in each of five different types for a total of 25 plants. The plants come in 2-inch pots. The tray includes the names of the succulents to identify the different varieties to help with proper care and expectations for each type.

The tray ships with the plants in soil and plastic pots, and the company recommends transplanting the succulents upon receiving the package. For those using the plants as gifts or as part of a decorative arrangement, this starter pack is a great value and the best bang for the buck.

Best Hanging

Simply Succulents Diamond Wall Planter

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Measuring 6 inches wide by 10 inches tall, the ceramic Simply Succulents Diamond Wall planter comes with a gold metal frame for hanging. Shoppers have the option to choose the succulent they like best. The planter and succulent are included, but shoppers must have their own planting soil.

Choose from senecio, which grows horizontally in this planter to create a hanging plant look, or different varieties of haworthia (haworthia zebra or haworthia limifolia). Haworthia zebra has a white stripe across the dark green succulent leaves, while haworthia limifolia plants display a more uniform, yet textured appearance.

Best Display

Simply Succulents Crystal Terrarium Kit

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The Simply Succulents Crystal Terrarium Kit offers the advantage of customizing the interior of a crystal-shaped terrarium, including whether the opening faces the top, front, or side. The terrarium measures 7 inches wide and 5.5 inches high and comes with five different succulent cuttings. It also comes with soil, moss, and decorative bark to design the terrarium.

The kit includes instructions as well as a planting and watering tool. For displaying succulents, a welcome gift, or as a fun DIY project with everything needed to get started, this succulent kit is an excellent display option.

Best Variety

Leaf u0026 Clay ‘Everything’ Pack

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For a variety of succulent types, Leaf & Clay’s Everything Pack offers a set of six or 12 hand-picked succulents of various varieties. Each succulent measures 2.5 inches and comes without soil or a pot, so transplanting is recommended upon their arrival.

Shoppers might receive succulents from among echeveria, haworthia, senecio, and more. Leaf & Clay notes that plants are shipped dry to prevent rotting but will perk back up after planting and watering. With the variety this pack offers, it’s a great choice for those getting started learning about succulents or those who want to enjoy a variety of succulents.

FAQs About Indoor Succulents

From how to take care of your succulent to how long it might live, read on for answers to the most frequently asked questions about indoor succulents.

Q. What soil is best for succulents?

Well-draining soil, such as a sandy or even gravelly mix, is best for succulents. If you can, purchase a cactus soil for your succulents.

Q. How much light do succulents need?

Succulents need about six hours of indirect sunlight a day—they can scorch in direct sun. You also can rotate succulents to ensure all sides are getting enough light.

Q. How do I care for succulents in winter?

Depending on humidity level, succulents might need more or less water in the winter, though generally they need less. Succulents still need adequate light during the winter.

Q. Can succulents stay in small pots?

It depends on the variety. Some succulents grow very little and prefer small pots. Others, while they can stay small, might outgrow their pots.

Q. Do succulents attract bugs?

Unless you overwater your succulent, bugs generally aren’t an issue (bugs can be attracted to moist soil), but some succulents attract mealybugs.

Q. How long do succulents live?

It depends on the particular succulent and how well you take care of it, but some succulents can live anywhere from a few years to a few decades.