Succulents have definitely become a hot commodity in the last decade and with good reason. The mind-boggling array goes well beyond the cute but clichéd aloe or hen and chicks, and they make great houseplants for bustling city dwellers. With so many succulent plant types available, along with their ease of care, it’s hard not to fall in love with them.

Types of Succulents Beyond Aloe Vera or Hen and Chicks

My own love of succulents came from my travels. Succulents can be found far and wide, generally in areas that are inhospitable to other types of plants. They come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and colors, and no two are alike.

I have both potted succulents that go indoors during the chilly winter months and several that are left to their own devices in the garden. Of the more delicate potted varieties, my favorites are Kalanchoe tomentosa, or Panda plant, and a very old Hoya carnosa that actually stays atop an armoire year round. The hoya was a cutting from my long-deceased grandmother’s plant; it’s about 40 years old and I love it for its age and the beautiful, if messy, pink plastic looking blooms. Outdoors, I have long had a love affair with stonecrop sedums. In the landscape, I have Night Embers, Gold Carpet, Cherry Truffle, Autumn Joy, and Bronze Carpet.

One of the very best things about succulent plant growing, besides the large variety and low maintenance, is their willingness to propagate. All of my succulents, from the sedums to the Echeveria to the Aeoniums, freely have babies. And to get a new plant, it’s as simple as plunking the little guy in some well-draining soil and voila! You have a new plant.

Because there are about 60 different plant families that contain succulents, with hundreds upon hundreds of varieties, I don’t see my love of succulents ending soon. I might need a bigger house and yard to accommodate all the different types of succulents.