5 Common Succulents To Start Your Tiny Home Garden With

Succulents are a great way option when starting your indoor garden, however, as with any other plant, you have to get to know them first if you want it to thrive. One common misconception about succulents is that they need direct sunlight all the time, but they they thrive best in shade that’s only hit by sunlight in specific hours of the day. Another fallacy is that they enjoy a lot of water, when in fact, too much can cause them to die.

That being said, you don’t need to be intimidated by starting your little garden with these hardy greens. We’ve listed five common varieties you can easily find in many gardening stores in the Philippines, as well as a few tips on how to get them to grow and eventually propagate:

Echeveria

Echiveria succulents are some of the most common fleshy greens you can find in the market. These plants are characterized by a rosette appearance, with tips that can range from white to red. The most common variant is “Hens-and-Chicks.”

You’ll want to put your echeveria in a place with partial shade, but where it can also get direct sunlight several hours a day. A happy echeveria will develop reddish tips—this means it enjoys the amount of light it gets. Some also grow stems and even reach out to follow the sun.

Make sure that your echeveria is watered only when its soil is completely dry. Do not overwater as it may cause root rot (you'll notice discoloration when it starts). You can stop watering your echeveria during the rainy season, doing so only after days of clear skies.

Jade Plant

The jade plant has small, round, fleshy leaves, and are known as “lucky” plants as it is said to bring good fortune to its owner. According to The Spruce this Crassula variety is known to be low maintenance, for as long as it gets a lot of good sunlight. Jade plants love the outdoors, but if you’re planning to add it to your indoor garden, make sure that it’s placed by a window where the sun hits for most of the day.

As with most succulents you don’t want to overwater your jade plant. Make sure it’s in a pot with ample drainage, and that the soil is completely dry before watering. If you successful in keeping it healthy and happy, you’ll find that it produces pretty white or pinkish blossoms.

Hawthoria

Hawthora succulents are awesome for anyone trying to get into gardening. The “fairy washboard” is a common beginner’s succulent, as it’s pretty easy to grow and manage as long as you don’t overwater it, and you place it on a window sill that gets ample sunlight. The fairy washboard is perfect for small spaces, at its rosette only grows up to three to five inches, so don’t be afraid to get a set of them! 

Million Hearts

This succulent is great if you have a nice balcony in your condo, or a hanging pot that gets enough sunlight. Million Hearts has tiny heart-shaped leaves and endemically grows in the Philippines where humidity is often high. It’s sort of a crawler, commonly hanging from walls and trees, which is why you’ll want it where it can freely do so.

Million Hearts is known for being easy to care for—you don’t even have to water them as they get moisture from the air. During dry weather, all you need to do is mist it, and make sure that it’s planted in well-draining material for epiphytic plants such as “coconut husk or shredded bark,” according to World of Succulents.

Agave

Agave also known as “century plant.”  is probably one of the hardiest succulents out there. It has long leaves that end in spikes, and is pretty much a common household outdoor garden plant—it grows in almost any kind of soil as long as it has good drainage, and doesn’t need much tending.

It’s good to note, however, that agave dies after flowering, so you’ll want to steer clear of fertilizers that would encourage them to do so. Otherwise, you basically have a low-maintenance plant that you can grow near walls of your home as both décor and deterrent.