One of the growing lifestyle trends today is the cultivation of succulents and cacti plants. Some 15 or so years ago, my younger sister came home during a college semester break bringing a few tiny pots of cacti. They were so adorable. But sadly, they didn’t last very long because our area gets a lot of rain and shade from the towering trees.
Fast forward to now, and I see a lot of friends trying their hands on growing succulents. It’s literally become a hobby. As a matter of fact, there has been a fellowship of cactus and succulent enthusiast in the country: the Cactus and Succulent Society of the Philippines (CSSP). In support for the craft is the Bonsai and Suiseiki Alliance of the Philippines Inc. (BSAPI).
Succulents is the umbrella term for plants that have thick, fleshy leaves or bodies, and so technically, cacti plants are also succulents. So, for those of you who are new to growing succulents and cacti plants, I hope this list can inspire you on what particular plants to grow.
As we all know, cacti plants thrive best in sunny, arid locations. But some of them have adapted or are adaptable to our tropical weather. While cacti plants are succulents, some succulent plants actually love shade and water. So here are ten ornamental succulents and cacti plants that you might want to try growing at home.
10. Aloe Vera
Sun: High
Water: Low
Soil: Sandy, Rocky
Merit: Succulent Leaves, Flowers, Medicinal Properties
Aloe vera is one of the most common plants in the Philippines. It was widely used in the past for nourishing the hair and healing wounds and sunburns. But apart from its medicinal properties, aloe vera is also a great ornamental succulent to grow at home. A fast growing plant, the aloe vera can grow up to 2 feet tall and can spread like crazy, so it’s best to keep replanting its pups or shoots to keep the ground or pot from overcrowding.
9. Crown of Thorns
Sun: Low
Water: Low
Soil: Sandy
Merit: Flowers
This plant is thorny, but widely cultivated due to its flowers. This native plant from Madagascar once gained fandom from home gardeners in the early 2000s, being dubbed as luck foreteller plant, where the number of flowers equals the number of luck its owner is about to receive. If the plant doesn’t bloom, it means bad luck. The crown of thorns can grow taller than an adult person, but may be tamed by planting it in pots (bonsai). Although a great ornamental plant choice, its sap contains irritant and poison, so handle it with care. The thorns should be enough to warn you.
8. Snake Plant
Sun: Low to Medium
Water: Low
Soil: Sandy
Merit: Leaves, Flowers
The snake plant named here is the one cultivated for its snake-like leaves as opposed to another snake plant (Nassauvia serpens), which has long, snake-like stems that grow in the rocky Falklands Islands. The snake plant is easy to grow, propagate and very low maintenance. You can keep it indoors with infrequent watering. Although grown for its perennial foliage, the plant bears flowers on a stem that may stand taller than its already towering leaves.
7. Indiantree Spurge
Sun: High
Water: Very Low
Soil: Rocky, Sandy
Merit: Unique
Although called as such, the Indiantree spurge is an African native and is quite popular in Sri Lanka. It doesn’t have leaves per se, but it stems are enough to produce food for the entire bush. The lack of leaves earned it the Bisaya name, “pobreng kahoy” or poor tree. The sticks-on-fire variety features outward stems and branches with a reddish tint. Its latex, once experimented for creating gasoline substitute, is irritating to the skin and eyes when exposed to large amounts.
6. Hens-and-Chicks
Sun: High
Water: Low
Soil: Rocky
Merit: Foliage
Hens-and-chicks plants consist of small succulents that bear flowers, with leaves that form rosettes (hen) and grow offsets around them (chicks). They are quite easy to propagate because you only need to transplant the offsets that have roots of their own for them to become mature plants (hen). They thrive potted or directly on a fertile, rocky soil with lots of sun and occasional shade, but rot easily with too much moisture.
5. Jade Plant
Sun: Low to Moderate
Water: Moderate
Soil: Sandy
Merit: Foliage, Flowers
The jade plant is sometimes called as money tree or lucky plant, believed to bring good fortune to its owner. This succulent plant bears small, thick leaves in rich, jade color, hence the name. Occasionally, it bears small flowers in either pink or white color, adding to its already beautiful look. The jade plant is commonly planted in decorative pots as bonsai to adorn indoor and covered spaces of the home.
4. Pincushion Cactus
Sun: High
Water: Low
Soil: Rocky, Sandy
Merit: Shape, Flowers
Pincushion cactus or globe cactus covers three genus of the cactus family: Mammillaria, Escobaria, and Pediocactus. These plants share the same features as having a rounded apex with little spines looking like spiny pineapples without the crown. They bear delicate flowers with varying colors either on the top of the apex or at its base, which makes them even more attractive. Some species of the pincushion cactus are endangered, so go for nursery-bred plants over those collected from the wild.
3. Ball Cactus
Sun: Moderate
Water: Moderate
Soil: Rocky, Sandy
Merit: Unique Shape,
The ball cactus refers to a range of cactus with ball-like apexes including the common ball cactus, moon cactus, golden ball cactus, balloon cactus, silver ball cactus and mountain ball cactus. Ball cactus varieties can grow as small as a couple of inches to about 2 feet tall, with funnel-shaped flowers in attractive colors at its apex. The moon cactus doesn’t have chlorophyll and will only live if it’s grafted on top of another cactus with chlorophyll, usually a hylocereus. Its reddish top, a sign of mutation and lack of chlorophyll, very well matches the deep green stem base, making it a beautiful ornamental plant to grow.
2. Bunny Ears Cactus / Prickly Pear
Sun: High
Water: Low
Soil: Sandy, Rocky
Merit: Edible Pads and Flowers
Opuntia is the genus of the cactus plants that feature flat, oval shaped shoots with spines (spineless variety are also available) and often bears large, edible fruit (prickly pear or tuna). Although harvesting pads and fruits is quite tricky (must be done by hand), propagating it is very easy. Bunny ears cactus plants grow very quickly after a pad is transplanted to more than 6 feet tall with pads growing in different directions.
1. Agave
Sun: High
Water: Very Low
Soil: Sandy, Rocky
Merit: Leaves, Tequila and Agave Syrup Production
Agave is a succulent that looks like giant aloe vera with flowers that spike out up to four times taller than the leaves. Other than being ornamental plants, agave is also cultivated for use in the production of tequila and agave syrup. Suckers that grow at the base are removed and transplanted to become new plants.
The cultivation and production of succulents is promising, especially from a business standpoint, now that more and more people are increasingly becoming hobbyists and fanatics of growing these plants.
Whatever you’re reason is for growing cactus and succulent plants, whether it’s for sheer fun, decorative purposes, medicinal, business or food, it’s best that you get started right away. Although some species are relatively challenging to cultivate, most succulents are very low maintenance and propagates very quickly. If you start soon, you will have plenty of suckers, shoots and pads to transplant in a few months.
Happy gardening!
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