Trailing succulents are a great choice if you’re limited on space. Whether your situation includes a desk in a cubicle at work or a small apartment, a trailing succulent is surely the best way to bring some color into your space! A trailing succulent will do well in a traditional pot or a hanging basket, so the options that you have will be nearly endless. Now you just need to choose which trailing succulent is right for you!
String of Pearls
Like the name might suggest, the leaves on the String of Pearls are nearly perfect spheres that hang from long, trailing stems. You’ll also like this: String of Pearls are easy to care for because all they need is some bright light and well-draining soil.
String of Bananas
Also known as the String of Fishhooks, this trailing succulents looks like someone attached green bananas to a green rope. String of Bananas succulents are native to South Africa, so this succulent can handle high temperatures and droughts – perhaps a good choice if watering your succulents is the last thing on your mind!
Ice Plant
Ice Plant succulents provide a different kind of trailing quality than other succulents on this list. Rather than hang or trail downward, these succulents will sprawl across the ground, creating a carpet-like cluster of plants. Under proper conditions, Ice Plants can spread one to two feet wide.
Starfish Flower
Next to the String of Pearls, the Starfish Flower might be one of the most aptly named succulents on this list. If you haven’t seen a photograph of this flower yet, I encourage you to take a look because it certainly looks like someone caught a starfish out of the ocean and stuck it on a stem!
The stalks of the Starfish Flower succulent will also spread across an area, so while it will grow wide, it will also grow tall. This succulent will be fine in a pot, but you may not want this in your apartment or on your desk, as the flower that blooms smells like rotting meat!
String of Nickels
String of Nickels succulents are a great choice if you want a trailing succulent for a hanging pot. This succulent prefers partial to full shade, so the String of Nickels will do well in a darker corner of your house or apartment.
Trailing Jade
The Trailing Jade succulent is actually not related to the traditional Jade Plant that you may be thinking of when you see the name.
Trailing Jade are an interesting choice of trailing succulent because it is versatile. In the ground, Trailing Jade will trail across the ground around it. On the other hand, you can also make Trailing Jade cascade downward if you plant it in a hanging pot. Being in a pot will not limit its growth either; its cascades could reach four feet long!
Burro’s Tail
Burro’s Tail is said to resemble the tail of a number of different animals, which is why you might see Burro’s Tail also called:
- Donkey’s Tail
- Horse’s Tail
- Lamb’s Tail
Burro’s Tail has bluish green leaves that cascade down a thick stem.
Christmas Cactus
The Christmas Cactus is not the most common type of trailing succulent, but I would also categorize it as trailing.
When grown under proper conditions, the knuckle-like stems will continue to grow. It looks a bit like a messy head of hair actually! The new stems will grow upward, outward, and downward. If you allow your Christmas Cactus to continue to grow, it can easily reach the floor from its pot on a stand.
Dancing Bones
The Dancing Bones Succulent can grow both upward and outward as it grows across the ground.
You might see some sources describe the sections of the stems as “bottle-like,” but as the name suggest, you might also think that the green, fuzzy stems resemble bones.
Also, how is this for trailing? Dancing Bones Succulents can be found growing off the sides of tree trunks when found in the wild!
Wax Plant
Wax Plants are one of the most common indoor hanging succulent varieties that you will find in the market and in homes.
As the name suggests, Wax Plants have leaves that look like they are made of wax. If you’re anything like me, it will make you so serious that you’ll be touching the leaves to see if they are indeed real!
String of Hearts
The heart-shaped leaves of the String of Hearts will be sure to win any plant lover’s heart (pun intended!). The leaves on the String of Hearts are one of the most unique on this list too. In bright light, the leaves will be a dark green color with white veining.
String of Buttons
While you might think that the String of Buttons could be confused with the String of Pearls based on the name, the two succulents couldn’t be more different. The String of Buttons has triangular leaves that grow upward on thick stems. One might even say that the leaves resemble a building block tower built by a child!
Mistletoe Cactus
The Mistletoe Cactus is yet another unique-looking succulent on this list. The stems on this succulent look somewhat like the Dancing Bones succulent, but they are fuzzy or furry. If you see this plant from far away, you might even think that it is covered in ice. The stems will grow up and over the side of the pot that it is in.
Ruby Necklace
The stems of the Ruby Necklace succulent are bright red, hence the name of the succulent. The name may also come from the fact that the hook-shaped leaves will turn bright red when in distress – though this certainly isn’t an indication that your succulent is happy in its environment!
