Flowers, Flores, Fleurs, and... SUCCULENTS?!

Everybody knows that bouquets of roses are given for recitals. And that a bunch of daisies are for first dates. And that wildflowers are what you put in your hair for cute pictures outside. And that your mom will take anything for Mother’s Day.

But wait… where do succulents fit into this???

I bring this up because succulents have flowers too, but nobody really thinks about them as fitting into the same category as the other blooming buds. Succulents are not limited to plain green cacti and zebra plants with pointy striped leaves. They actually have a wide variety of sizes and colors and shapes and flowers that all fall under their “succulent” title. They can be textured and coarse, and delicately subtle, and strong enough to withstand the wildest of elements, and tall enough to break through ceilings, and flamboyant enough to make it seem as if they think that’s the only way they can attract insects. This is kind of making me sound like I am obsessed with this little species, having way too much information on these plants, but please do not think of me as stuck-up in my succulent knowledge, for there is truly no way I would have known any of this if it wasn’t for this assignment that the other bloggers and I have been working on for the past seven weeks. I know we have all been very vocal about coming into this with essentially no succulent knowledge whatsoever, but I think we have done a pretty great job about growing in knowledge with you guys on this PLANTastic topic, if I do say so myself.

Similar to many of my other posts, I want you all to find this both fun and informative. It should be enjoyable to read the blog posts that you have chosen to read, which is why we have some puns thrown in here and there, a bit of sarcasm, and a couple of jokes as well. And along with all of that, a bit of information too, because by the end of reading this post, I want you all to have learned how to replace some of the more traditional flowers that you know and love with flowering succulents instead! This is becoming more and more important as succulents grow in popularity, but looking back on some of my own experiences, I am starting to wonder why this potential replacement of typical flowers with flowering succulents hadn’t been brought up even earlier. For example, I have been a competitive dancer for the last 16 years. That’s a lot of recitals and a lot of competitions and a lot of friends and family coming to see each. It is a bit overwhelming to think about the countless bouquets of roses and carnations and geraniums that I have been receiving since age three, now making me reminisce on how expensive each of those were, and how quickly each bouquet died within a week after the performance. My newfound knowledge on the topic of flowering succulents has opened my eyes to the alternative solutions for this budding problem, and that is what I want to share with you all today.

All you will need to know coming into this post are the basics. What kinds of traditional flowers are you interested in? Why those? Is it for the way they look? What about their colors? Could it be the way they fill up a pot like a little nature pillow? Let’s dive into this blog post and discover the endless options available to you as you become educated on your new potential as a new flowering succulent giver.

1. Buttercup flowers vs Adeniums: Shapely Sisters

Buttercup flowers are known by all from their vibrant yellow pigment and gorgeously delicate petals, outstretched and open so much so that they look like the kinds of flowers you would draw on your paper as a young kid.

This is the Buttercup Flower, known for its vibrant yellow pigment and wide open petals.

If you are looking to be able to give or grow a succulent that has the same shape and structure as a buttercup flower, then you should head right towards the Adeniums. Although they grow off of a gnarled trunk that resembles that of a Bonsai tree, these floral beauties with pink edges and white centers are the perfect alternative for those open Buttercups we all adore so much.

This is the Adenium flowering succulent.

The Adeniums need full sun in the summer and cool temperatures, but not freezing, in the winter months. This is pretty typical for growing most flowers, although they have one major difference from the Buttercups, considering that they are a succulent… they absolutely cannot be overwatered. The soil must be completely dry before you water it again, so if you want to give flowers as a gift to a procrastinator who struggles to remember watering their plants, then I am so glad to have educated you on your newfound flowering succulent, the Adenium! However, if you are looking to grow your own flowers, and you are someone who feels like they need to water their plants every night, then you may want to stick with the Buttercup

2. Gerber Daisies vs Cactus Plants: Colorful Cousins

We just went trough what kind of succulent to look for if you are searching for a flower that resembles the shape of a Buttercup flower, but what if you’re just looking for something colorful? Everybody knows that Gerber Daisies are the go-to flower if you’re looking for variety in color and brightness, not to mention their wide, attention-grabbing centers.

This is a bouquet of vibrant Gerber Daisies.

However, Gerber Daisies are not the most durable of flowers, seeing as they can only survive for a single blooming season. This is where we turn to the strong and structured succulents. More specifically, Cactus Plants! These are super colorful succulents that sadly, nobody really thinks of. Not only do they resemble Gerber Daisies quite a bit, but they also make even better gifts because, contrary to the Gerber daisies that live outside, Cactus Plants are most known for being houseplants! No going outside, no getting super dirty, and no worries of overcrowding.

This is a flowering Cactus Plant.

Cactus Plants come in all shades of whites, yellows, oranges, and pinks, making them the perfect unexpected addition to your indoor space, and without much need to tend to them either! Similar to most succulents, they take major advantage of the little water they are given, leaving them to hold the title of Best Plants for Procrastinators and Forgetful Plant Owners, as dubbed by me. See if you agree and go grab a cactus Plant, whether it is going to be for yourself or a gift for someone special (or just someone who’s had bad luck with plants so far!)

3. Roses vs Greenovia Dodrantalis: Twisted Twins

Elegance, Romance, Delicacy, Roses. These all have synonymous moods attached to them, and there’s a reason for that, but it is not because of anything that those words necessarily did to deserve it. Rather society has meticulously placed roses into scenes of romance and elegance while delicate shades of red danced around the room as well, making all of us think that roses are therefore the expected gift as a result of a gorgeous performance or a classy event.

Traditional red roses.

However, roses are not all that they are hyped up to be, and there are much better options to be given as tasteful gifts. A classic bouquet of roses will wilt within a few days, but that could not be further from the truth when it comes to the Greenovia Dodrantalis succulent. Although the Greenovia Dodrantalis isn’t a flowering succulent, the densely packed green leaves accurately represent the head of a rose, so much, in fact, that it’s literally nicknamed the “rose succulent”!

This is a bundle of Greenovia Dodrantalis succulents.

Although they usually come in a blue/green color, a new pinkish color has recently been discovered, making it resemble a traditional rose even more! Greenovia Dodrantalis succulents live a long life and barely require any water, so this paired with the fact that it is basically a little indoor rose bush makes this rose succulent the perfect substitute for the typical bouquet of boring red roses.

It was really important to me to educate readers on the ability to replace traditional flowers with increasingly popular succulents, for although I absolutely LOVE flowers, I have had a couple of pretty rough experiences with them. To illustrate this for you, I am going to tell you an anecdote from a couple of Mother’s Days ago. My brother and I were trying to think of something creative to do as a gift, something that wasn’t simply chocolate or a card, so we wanted to buy a bunch of different flowers and spell out “M” then “O” then “M” in three pictures with us in them as well. This was a great plan, and we executed it well, but oh my goodness was this expensive. We easily spent $50 on these flowers, and that was us going the cheap route. The flowers died about a week after giving them to my mother, along with the gift of the framed pictures, and all that money died with it. This memorable story made me really want to explore what other options were out there that could have been more cost efficient for my younger brother and I, which brought up succulents.

“MOM’s the word”: The Succulent Substitute Saga Continues

Mothers are not specific about the gifts that they want, which is usually frustrating so as you scramble to find them the perfect present, but it can sometimes be helpful too! They really will love whatever they receive, it’s basically part of the motherhood job description, but maybe it would be cool to get them something that they can display, and care for for a while, and think about you every time they do care for it? Maybe… a succulent? I have done a bit of searching and I have found a couple of gorgeous little succs that would be perfect for that special holiday in May. The first one is the Purple Ice Plant – a stunning frosty violet flower that blooms off the top of a green finger looking plant but is much more beautiful than I am describing it here, again, perfect for a potted Mother’s Day gift. Next up is the Peanut Cactus – a gorgeous flowering cactus that blooms pink, orange, or yellow flowers in late spring, making it, again, the perfect potted succulent for your Mother’s Day gift this year. The final potted succulent that you should look into for this Mother’s Day is the vibrantly colored, tiny and delicate, field-of-succulents-looking Flowering Kalanchoe. These are all cute, perfect options if you are looking to give your mother a precious potted garden this holiday, but if you are looking for something a bit taller and less innocent, I would suggest the Crown of Thorns. The vibrant coral flowers of this succulent top the viciously thorn-covered stems that raise them up, making it a powerful representation of motherhood that is sure to make your mamma proud. All of these succulents are low-maintenance, gorgeous when blooming, colorful, inexpensive, long-lasting, and overall just the perfect alternative gift option for the woman who raised you.

But let’s not act like succulents can only be given or received at recitals, or Mother’s Day, or for birthdays, or for anniversaries, or decorating for spring. Part of the beauty of them is that unlike more typical flowers, they can survive year-round! So, a great takeaway from this post would be to start a new Christmas tradition! There is a succulent that is literally called the Christmas Cactus… tell me that isn’t perfect?! It pours over the pot in the most beautiful way and is a great alternative to the typical poinsettia that is usually the only gorgeous flowering plant at that time of year.

So, after all of this, I think that everybody, no matter your succulent knowledge, has learned something from this post. I know that after a bunch of research on this topic, I can give my personal recommendation with confidence. Not necessarily on a specific flowering succulent, but on the fact that I definitely think that more traditional flowers should not always be the go-to when it comes to gifts and the expectation for recitals and first dates. Succulents, although I make fun of them a lot, really do deserve more credit than they usually get. So again, next time you are on the hunt for a beautiful blooming present, please do not overlook the textured and coarse, delicately subtle, strong enough to withstand the wildest of elements, tall enough to break through ceilings, flamboyant enough to make it seem as if that’s the only way they think they can attract insects plants: succulents.

If you liked this post and are looking for more succulent content, go check out the rest of our posts at our blog “You Had me at Aloe: A Succulent Blog” which is linked right here for your convenience: https://aguidetosucculents.wixsite.com/website.