Gardening column: Succulents and cacti

In this column we’re looking at succulents and cacti – a group of indoor plants that are so easy that they’re (almost!) impossible to get wrong.

Succulents and cacti tend to be grouped together because they can store water in their tissues that enables them to survive hot, dry conditions. This adaptation means that they are ideally suited to being houseplants, particularly in homes where the owners are forgetful waterers!

Succulent is a general description for plants that have tissues adapted to store water but doesn’t refer to a specific plant. On the other hand, cactus is a botanical name for plants belonging to the plant family Cactaceae and, for specific physiological reasons, may not always be regarded as succulents.

Succulent suggestions

Amongst the toughest, most robust indoor succulents is the sanseveria, a wide range of plants whose common names include mother-in-law’s tongue (because of its sharpness!), snake plant (because of its markings) and birds nest plant (because of its shape).

With bold, thick, simple leaves, they’re almost sculptural in appearance, tolerant of low light levels and, because they require minimal attention, they’re an obvious choice for those with little or no experience of houseplants.

Sanseveria are particularly good at improving the indoor air quality; they’re known to remove air pollutants including formaldehyde, xylene and toluene and, because they convert carbon dioxide to oxygen at night, they’re popular bedroom plants.

Sanseveria

Another group of plants that are particularly easy to care for are the aloes, which the ancient Egyptians called ‘immortality plants’ because they are almost indestructible.

The natural healing benefits of aloe vera has made it popular for centuries and is variously credited with the ability to soothe irritated or burned skin, improve skin, hair, oral hygiene and digestion and to treat acne and arthritis.

Like sanseveria, aloe requires very little care, tolerates low light levels and infrequent watering, removes air-borne pollutants and oxygenates the air at night, which aids sleep.

One of our favourite succulents is the echiveria, which grows in compact rosettes of succulent, sometimes coloured leaves from which flowering stalks may grow.

These plants like a reasonable amount of light, some dilute feed when actively growing and prefer under-watering to over-watering. A happy echiveria will produce little plantlets which can be removed and grown into new plants.

Carefree cactus

It would be impossible to talk about easy-to-care for plants without mentioning cacti, which have well-developed survival adaptations.

Most cacti have developed spines which in fact are highly modified leaves. Not only do these spines help prevent the plant being grazed, but they also reduce the airflow around the plant, which helps it conserve water.

Photosynthesis takes place on the stem (compared with leaves on most plants) and its shallow, far-reaching root system enables the cactus to react quickly and absorb any water reaching the ground.

Cactus collection

Whilst the enormous tree-like cacti of the American desert may be the first cactus that springs to mind, we’ve highlighted some interesting houseplant types below that are incredibly easy to look after and certainly won’t take over your home!

There are many different shapes of cacti, including round, flat, columnar, smooth, bumpy, ribbed and fluted, and it’s important to note that some of these actually change shape depending on how much water is stored in the stem at the time!

Not all cacti have fully developed spines. For example, the popular schlumbergera, of which the best-known cultivar is the Christmas-flowering cactus, has less modified leaves which look like ‘teeth’ along the edge of their stems. Their stems grow in ‘segments’ and resemble flattened pads, with their flowers being produced at the end of the segments.

Although the Christmas-flowering cultivar is most popular in the UK, there are different cultivars which flower at different times of the year.

In their natural habitat, schlumbergera grow on trees or in rocks and generally enjoy shady habitats with high humidity, making them an ideal choice for bathrooms.

If you’re looking for an unusual and interesting but easy-to-care-for indoor hanging plant, you might consider the aporocactus – a group of tree-growing cactus that grow well in a hanging pot.

Gymnocalycium mihanovichii

For a cactus with impact, the gymnocalycium mihanovichii is a sure winner. The top part of the stem on this cactus lacks green pigment (which is necessary for photosynthesis) and can be bright red, yellow or other amazing colours.

So, if you’re looking for a plant that thrives on neglect, hopefully we’ve given you some ideas!

Just remember that the golden rule for cacti and succulents is to under-water rather than over-water – too much moisture will cause disease and rot.

For more information, take a look on our website at www.merryhatton.co.uk