HOW TO
5 MOST PHOTOGENIC SUCCULENTS

Story by Diana Keeler

Jades: check. Snake plants: check. Zebra plant? Everybody’s got one. An aloe or two: absolutely. These are the greatest hits of the succulent world, found everywhere they’re sold, from corner stores with a couple dusty aloes to big-box DIY stores with two aisles … of exactly the same dozen or so plants.

But what to look for when it’s time for something a little less familiar?

Below, a few of our favorite under-the-radar succulents.

Othonna capensis

RUBY NECKLACE

With its red-purple stems, ruby necklaces are a highly dramatic plant, with beans that will turn bright-red in full sun or a soft green in shadier conditions.


Photo: @_pasiora

Aloinopsis schooneesii

LIVING STONES

If you haven’t seen them before, living stones are an object of fascination, with fleshy, tubby, diamond-shaped leaves. Its flowers, meanwhile, and bright and sunny, coming at the end of winter (as long as it got plenty of sun.)


Photo: @gonza1170

Fenestraria aurantiaca

BABY TOES

Fenestraria aurantiaca looks more like tiny green fingers than toes, growing up to a maximum of three inches. They’re a lovely color as well — a soft blue-green, with rosy pink undertones.


Photo: @leafchubs

Haworthia cymbiformis

CATHEDRAL WINDOW PLANT

Native to South Africa, the cathedral window plant takes its name from the rosette glass common to great cathedrals. Give it lots of sun, good drainage, and just enough water, and it’ll reward you with pale pink flowers in early summer.

Adromischus maculatus

CALICO HEARTS

A tweak on the ubiquitous heart-shaped hoya kerrii, calico hearts are similar, with large, flat leaves with chocolate-colored marbling. Also native to South Africa, it will love sun and well-draining soil.


Photo: @ons_stekje

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