Succulents are very interesting as houseplants because they are unusual and make unique decorations. They can be a great way to make your living room more interesting. Succulents can add some charm to your home. They look great in decorative pots and other containers.

It's very nice to see beautiful succulents in unique-shaped containers and pots. Alternatively, you may keep them in hanging baskets. The possibilities are endless.

The best thing about succulents is that they are readily-available at most garden centers and their unique appearance is ideal for making some interesting decorations in your home. Cascading succulents are great to be kept in hanging baskets.

Popular Decorative Succulents

There are many popular succulents you can use to make interesting decorations in your home.

Burro's Tail or Donkey's Tail (Sedum morganianum) is a beautiful plant that looks very nice when kept in decorative hanging baskets. It has trailing stems thickly covered with plump blue-green leaves. They look very impressive as they trail down the side of the container. The plant derives its name from the overlapping leaves that resemble donkey's tail. This plant rarely blooms indoors but flowers in red and pink colors may appear at the tips of the stems in the summer.

Another popular succulent is String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus). This is probably the most famous cascading succulent and it's native to South Africa. It looks like burro's tail but it has very beautiful pea-shaped leaves that resemble pearls. The plant has these little beads bubbling up from the center of the container and then spill over the sides. It can cascade down over a foot. This makes it into a perfect plant for hanging baskets. This succulent can be grown in the milder climates, such as in the Bay Area.

What about mistletoe? This is a very interesting choice and it looks beautiful. This wonderful plant is ideal for setting romantic mood. It is a very delicate cascading succulent. This plant is a South African member of the milkweed family. It has thin trailing stems decorated with beautiful hear-shaped leaves that are about 1 1/2 inch in size. These beautiful leaves have unique silver marking on the bluish-green upper leaf surface. The lover side of the leaf surface is grey-green or purple.

If you're looking for something more unusual, Hindu rope (Hoya compacta) may be the perfect choice for you. This is a tropical plant with contoured vines. It has waxy, thick leaves that fold back on one another, which makes them seem like ropes. This is a very hardy plant and unlike most blooming indoor plants, it requires very little care. It can bloom without much effort. It gives beautiful pink blooms that resemble porcelain.

How to Care for Cascading Succulents

Succulents don't require much care. It's very easy to take care of them and make them thrive. All you need to do is to water them in the sink once in two weeks. The exact amount of watering will depend on the size of the container, but they don't ask much.

It's best to keep your succulents in a bright but not direct light. For best effects, make sure to fertilize them once per season.

Most of these plants, especially Burro's Tail and String of Pearls, are very easy to propagate. Break off a bead or two and place it in a pot. Use fast-draining soil. This is all you need to do to make them grow.

It's also important to know that most succulents can be grown on a deck except during very cold winter days. If the temperatures go down, it's best to bring them indoors.

Succulents are generally healthy plants and they usually don't have pests. In case you notice aphids or mealybugs on your succulents it's usually the sign of overwatering.

Photo credit: PINKE