Succulents - Water-Smart Picks for Western Cape Gardeners

This unique succulent has furry, grayish-green leaves with brown spotted tips. Opal-shaped leaves are covered in tiny hairs that gives the plant a velvety look and feel. Once mature they look fantastic placed in hanging baskets or displayed near windows and on shelves. Does best in bright light and indirect sunlight. An essential addition to any indoor succulent plant collection.

Lovely green leaves with orange-red nodding tubular flowers at the end of thin pendant stems. Great in pots and hanging baskets.

Can be used as an indoor plant. Easy to maintain - place in a sunny or light spot and water liberally in summer. After its flowering period, it needs a resting period and requires little water. Place in a cooler, yet light, space during this time. 

Angulata is a beautiful semi-succulent plant with a trailing habit, making it ideal for hanging baskets and containers.  Water is stored in the leaves and stems, therefore let your peperomia almost dry out completely before watering again.  Prefers well draining soil.

Hope is a soft succulent with light green, round foliage that is slightly thicker than most other peperomia varieties. These easy to care for beauties are ideal to bring a modern dash of colour to your interior space.

A succulent perennial with erect, fleshy , bluish-green pencil-like stems. They are adorned with purple-green patterns and lined with soft spines along the sides. Brilliant red to orange thistle like flowers appear in summer. Easy to grow, the pickle plant is great for containers and can be used as a houseplant. Slightly cascading when mature,it is also perfect for hanging baskets.Also excellent for rock gardens and succulent gardens to add colour contrast and interest.

This striking indigenous succulent forms attractive grey-green rosettes of thick, paddle-shaped leaves that create beautiful textural contrast in water-wise gardens. Particularly spectacular in late winter when clusters of showy salmon-orange bell-shaped flowers emerge on tall stems, attracting pollinators and adding vibrant color to the garden. Plant 60cm apart for groundcover effect or use as specimen plants in rockeries and containers. Feed with a low-nitrogen succulent fertilizer in early spring to encourage flowering, avoiding overwatering which can cause root rot.

An evergreen free-branching succulent-shrub, with rosettes of bluish-green leaves.  The leaves are tinged with red margins.  Bears pale yellow-white flowers in late Spring. Perfect for rock gardens or Mediterranean gardens.

Happy Hour is full with an upright and mounded habit and large semi-double blooms in vivid colours with excellent performance.  Happy Hour is bred to bloom under reduced daylengths, will therefore bloom two weeks earlier than other varieties.  Drought and heat tolerant and excellent for edging and works well in containers.

Happy Hour is full with an upright and mounded habit and large semi-double blooms in vivid colours with excellent performance.  Happy Hour is bred to bloom under reduced daylengths, will therefore bloom two weeks earlier than other varieties.  Drought and heat tolerant and excellent for edging and works well in containers.

Happy Hour is full with an upright and mounded habit and large semi-double blooms in vivid colours with excellent performance.  Happy Hour is bred to bloom under reduced daylengths, will therefore bloom two weeks earlier than other varieties.  Drought and heat tolerant and excellent for edging and works well in containers.

Happy Hour is full with an upright and mounded habit and large semi-double blooms in vivid colours with excellent performance.  Happy Hour is bred to bloom under reduced daylengths, will therefore bloom two weeks earlier than other varieties.  Drought and heat tolerant and excellent for edging and works well in containers.

Portulaca 'Happy Hour Mix' is a vibrant, drought-tolerant succulent that produces masses of colorful flowers in shades of pink, orange, yellow, and white, perfect for adding bright splashes of color to rockeries, containers, and sunny garden beds. This hardy annual thrives in hot, dry conditions and blooms continuously throughout the summer months, making it an excellent choice for water-wise gardens and low-maintenance landscapes. Plant 20-25cm apart for best coverage or use as a stunning specimen in containers and hanging baskets. Feed monthly during growing season with a balanced succulent fertilizer to encourage continuous flowering and maintain vibrant blooms. Learn more about water-wise gardening techniques or discover why succulents deserve a spot in every garden for colorful, low-maintenance beauty.

Red Vygie (Lampranthus 'Red') is truly one of South Africa's most colourful indigenous plants, producing masses of vibrant red daisy-like flowers that create spectacular displays in spring and summer.

Why You'll Love It:
• Masses of vibrant red daisy-like flowers in spring and summer
• Truly South Africa's most colourful indigenous plant group
• Easy to grow and drought tolerant once established
• Grows vigorously with minimal care
• Perfect groundcover for slopes, rockeries, and borders
• Excellent for coastal gardens and water-wise landscapes
• Attracts bees and butterflies to your garden
• Low-growing spreading habit creates colorful carpets

Planting & Care:
Plant 30-40cm apart for groundcover effect in full sun with well-draining soil. Water regularly during establishment, then reduce as plant becomes drought-tolerant. Trim lightly after flowering to encourage dense growth and maintain shape. Feed with slow-release fertilizer in spring.

Euphorbia trigona is a an exotic, easy care succulent and not a cactus. A wonderful, striking addition to any interior design, with its upright stems and ridges of short-lived leaves and thorns. The leaves will die off in winter but produce new ones in spring. Requires very little water in winter and moderate water in summer. 

The leaves and stems of Euphorbia trigona 'Rubra' have a reddish, burgundy colour.   Prefers well-drained soil.

*Toxic - not suitable for pets and small children.

An ornamental shrub-like succulent with v-shaped oblong leaves growing from wine red stems.  The succulent leaves are a transparent green on top and red underneath.  Ruby Glow bears tiny yellow-white flowers on long stems that resembles a mouse tail.

Sempervivum 'Grape' features fleshy rosettes with vibrant deep purple leaves, The mother plant offsets readily, to create a large colony over time. Bears lovely flowers from late summer. The rosettes die after flowering, but are quickly replaced by new ones.  Ideal for beds, borders and containers.

A low and fast-growing, mat-forming evergreen groundcover. Succulent plant with green & red leaves and sprays of pink star-shaped flowers on long stems.  Ideal as groundcover in a shady corner.  This drought resistant, indigenous beauty will attract birds to the garden.

Snake plants, sometimes referred to as mother-in-law's-tongue, are some of the toughest plants you can find. Whether indoors, in your garden or on your balcony, these spiky beauties with green and silver leaves can put up with almost anything. .

'Snake Plants', sometimes referred to as' Mother-in-law's-tongue', are some of the toughest plants you can find. They are one of the best air-purifier plants, especially for people with allergies. Whether indoors, in your garden or on your balcony, these spiky beauties create striking contrast when being grouped with other plants.The 'Snake Plant' is ideal for beginner gardeners,apartments or offices; remaining a timeless favourite in Western Cape homes.

Spekboom 'Grande' (Large-leaf Spekboom) is a hardy, water-wise indigenous succulent with large, fleshy leaves that's perfect for creating fast-growing hedges, container gardens, or eco-friendly landscapes in Western Cape gardens.

Why You'll Love It:
• Hardy, water-wise indigenous succulent with large, fleshy leaves
• Perfect for creating fast-growing hedges
• Excellent for container gardens and eco-friendly landscapes
• Thrives in poor soils and drought conditions
• Provides excellent carbon sequestration benefits
• Environmentally conscious choice for sustainable gardening
• Resilient plant that adapts to challenging conditions
• Striking specimen plant for containers and rockeries

Planting & Care:
Plant 50-60cm apart for hedging or use as a striking specimen plant in containers and rockeries. Feed monthly during growing season with a balanced succulent fertilizer to encourage vigorous growth and maintain healthy foliage.

Learn more about water-wise gardening techniques or discover how your garden can support local ecosystems with indigenous plants like Spekboom.

Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra) is South Africa's beloved 'miracle plant' featuring traditional small, round succulent leaves that create dense, compact growth perfect for detailed pruning and shaping.

Why You'll Love It:
• Indigenous carbon-capturing champion
• Small, round succulent leaves with fine-textured foliage
• Forms tight, neat hedges with regular trimming
• Ideal for bonsai work and intricate topiary designs
• Perfect for precise garden borders and detailed definition
• Compact leaf size suits smaller garden spaces
• Excellent for container growing

Planting & Care:
Feed with a balanced succulent fertilizer in spring to encourage healthy growth and maintain its characteristic dense branching pattern. The classic Spekboom's compact leaf size and naturally bushy habit make it particularly suitable for applications where a refined, detailed appearance is preferred over bold architectural statements.

This quirky and fun trailing succulent with leaves that look like little dolphins will bring instant joy to your surroundings. Easy to grow, waterwise and can be grown indoors or outdoors.

String of arrows is almost similar to string of hearts, except for the narrower, arrow- shaped leaves. This succulent, evergreen trailing vine bears small mauve coloured flowers.  The leaves are plump when well watered.

String-of-bananas (Senecio Radicans) is a popular trailing succulent with distinctive banana or fishhook-shaped leaves that create stunning cascading displays in hanging baskets or containers. This fast-growing indigenous succulent makes an excellent groundcover when planted in well-drained garden soil, where it will trail attractively along the ground and spread to form attractive mats. Perfect for adding textural interest to vertical gardens, hanging displays, or as spilling accents in mixed container plantings. Plant 30-40cm apart when using as groundcover or allow individual plants to cascade naturally from hanging baskets and elevated planters. Feed monthly during growing season with diluted succulent fertilizer, ensuring excellent drainage and allowing soil to dry between waterings to prevent root rot in this water-wise indigenous beauty.

This diverse collection of water-wise succulents provides everything needed to create stunning container displays or rockery plantings with varied textures, colors, and forms. Each pack contains carefully selected varieties that complement each other beautifully, offering different growth habits from rosette-forming echeverias to trailing sedums. Plant small varieties 15-20cm apart and larger specimens 30-40cm apart, ensuring excellent drainage in all plantings. Feed monthly during growing season with diluted succulent fertilizer, reducing to minimal watering in winter months. Learn more about water-wise gardening techniques or discover container gardening tips for growing beautiful succulents in pots and planters.

Adds great ornamental value to your garden due to its porcupine-like form.  Striking when planted in pots or rockeries. Takes several years to produce a long tubular flower whereafter the plant dies. Unlike other agaves these are not armed with thorns around their edges (but be careful for the spiky tips!) Instead the leaves look as if it is exuding tangled white threads. Only water when soil is completely dry. Low maintenance and waterwise.

Variegated Dwarf Elephant Bush (Portulacaria Afra 'Variegata'), also known as 'Variegated Spekboom', is a charming hardy succulent with attractive cream and green variegated foliage that creates stunning visual interest in water-wise gardens. This low-growing indigenous plant works beautifully as groundcover, cascading dramatically down rockeries, or spilling attractively over the edges of pots and containers. Like all Spekboom varieties, it's a powerful carbon-capturing plant that contributes to environmental sustainability while requiring minimal care. Plant 40-50cm apart for groundcover effect or use individually in containers where its trailing habit can be showcased. Feed with a balanced succulent fertilizer in spring and again in mid-summer to maintain vibrant variegation and encourage healthy growth, ensuring excellent drainage to prevent root rot.

Senecio Haworthii 'Mont Blanc' is a small, drought-resistant succulent perfect for sunny pots or rock gardens. Its upright leaves are covered with soft, silver-white hairs, giving a fuzzy feel. This plant adds a nice contrast and produces bright yellow flowers in summer.

The Yellow Spekboom is an indigenous plant with bright yellow-green, rounded succulent leaves and a reddish stem. For gardening purposes the plant is grown for its striking leaf colour and water-wise attributes.

The leaves are edible and the plant has marvelous air-purifying qualities. It helps fight air pollution in that it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, acting like a carbon sponge. Easy to grow and low-maintenance. It works well in hot, dry rockeries or grouped with other succulents in drought-prone areas.Yellow Spekboom happily provides bright evergreen leaf colour amongst plants receiving regular watering.