Our Complicated Relationship with Succulents

Succulent—it’s almost a dirty word on the Plant Bus. Sometimes, as the word is leaving my mouth, a customer will shoot me a dark look. The look that says, “Don’t you try to sell me another succulent that I’m going to inevitably take home and kill.” Even if they are holding a plant that they fancy, when they realize it is a form of succulent, an abhorrent look replaces interest. They immediately set the plant down, moving on to the next plant saying, “I kill succulents.”

That statement, repeated more often than most on the Plant Bus, prompted this article. I think succulents are deeply misunderstood plants, and it’s quite sad that they’ve developed a bad reputation. I’m here to set the record straight.