In the tufty club
Succulents are born survivors and can cope with a bit of neglect, writes David Overend.
Some plants were created with iron in their veins. They are super-tough, undemanding and capable of withstanding extremes of neglect. These are the houseplants their owners forget; foliage (and, occasionally flowering) plants that survive in the closed rooms, confined spaces, draughty hallways and shadowy corners where living things were never meant to exist.
Take, for instance, sansevieria, the wonderful mother-in-law’s tongue, which has been around for years because it tends to look after itself.
It likes sunshine (but can tolerate shade) but it hates a heavy soil, so well-draining sandy soil is best. It doesn’t need pruning, just the occasional repotting, and it doesn’t demand much TLC.
What you get for all that is a succulent perennial forming a clump of erect, swordshaped leaves and racemes of small, tubular pale green flowers in summer or autumn.
Equally attractive but on the smaller side is the ever-popular kalanchoe. This compact little plant produces masses of heads of colourful flowers, from winter right through till summer. Give it plenty of bright light, low humidity and water when the compost is dry to the touch.
Aristaloe aristata, also known as the lace aloe, has dark green leaves (speckled with white bumps) which are wide at the bottom and taper into a sharper point at the top. The orange flowers are thrust up on long, thin stems and can hang around for many weeks.
It’s a succulent and is drought-tolerant, so allow the top half-inch of soil to dry between watering. In the winter, the plant needs just enough water to keep the soil moist. It should be repotted regularly – but rarely is.
Crassula ovata (the jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree) is another popular houseplant which, given the right conditions, will grow slowly to eventually form a small bush of succulent leaves tinted slightly red.
It’s a succulent that prefers bright light, low humidity and an occasional feed. Water it sparingly and wait to see if it produces flowers – small white or pink blooms should appear in autumn. It can be encouraged to bloom if given a rest period with reduced watering, no fertiliser and full darkness at night.
And the wonderful but often maligned Aspidistra elatior, the cast iron plant, tolerates poor light, irregular watering, fluctuating temperatures and a lot more.