35 Best Succulents for Terrariums [With Pictures]

Terrariums are extremely rewarding things to put together for your garden. They require minimal care once you have put all the elements in place and will also make your garden look warm and inviting.

The following are some of the best succulents for terrariums that you may consider:

Best Succulents for Terrariums

1. Haworthia fasciata

This is an adorable succulent that generally tends to stay short. It has distinctive triangular-shaped leaves and the tips have white crests. It can often be confused with Haworthiopsis attenuata, but the distinctive feature is that the former has fibrous leaves. It’s a perfect addition to any terrarium.

2. String of Pearls

This succulent is named thus precisely because it looks like what it is named after. They are easy to maintain and require a balance of direct and indirect sunlight. This is a perennial vine that you could place in your terrarium, such that it cascades like a string of pearls.

Check out these 13 Best Places to Buy Succulents Online!

3. Burro’s Tail

Burro’s tail, also known as donkey’s tail, is a succulent that has trailing stems that can often look like an animal’s tail (‘burro’ is the Spanish name for ‘donkey’). This is also a flowering plant that has a perennial cycle, with fleshy blue-green leaves.

4. Leatherpetal

This is a beautiful succulent that typically grows in a rosette. The texture of the leaves is smooth like leather, which is what explains the name of the plant. This is also a fairly easy plant to take care of and will add a great variety to your terrarium.

5. Pencil cactus

Pencil cactus is a small shrub that one can add to the terrarium. However, it is important to handle the plant with gloves and protective eye gear as the latex secreted from the cactus may be toxic. But despite the extra care you will require to handle the plant, it is worth it as it looks great in a terrarium.

6. Moon cactus

Moon cactus is a very beautiful option to include in your terrarium. This is a hybrid cactus that has a moon-shaped section on top that lacks chlorophyll, so it is typically red or orange in color. This is a beautiful and exotic-looking cactus that looks great in a terrarium.

7. Aeonium zwartkop

This is an evergreen succulent that will make any terrarium look more exotic and colorful. They have large rosettes that can grow up to 8 inches. This is a tender succulent that may take some time to grow and flower, but it is completely worth the wait.

8. Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’

This is another great option for putting in your terrarium. It has beautiful, star-shaped flowers. When exposed to the sun, the leaves can turn to a lovely shade of red. This is a small succulent that can also be used for ground cover in your terrarium.

9. Graptopetalum mendozae

This is another spreading succulent that typically grows in rosettes. It has pale-gray leaves that can also become slightly darker in the summer light. This is also a great option for a carpet succulent, which will make your succulent fuller and more bright.

10. Panda Plant

The Panda Plant is an adorable plant that is ideal for growing in a terrarium. The edges of the leaves have dark, brownish-red spots. It is quite an easy plant to care for and will be an incredible addition to any terrarium, especially if it is indoors.

Check out these 13 Best Places to Buy Succulents Online!

11. Coppertone sedum

This is an evergreen perennial plant that takes on a beautiful copper-red color when exposed to the sun. This is the ideal plant to use as a ground cover in your terrarium. It will make your terrarium look more full and the copper-red will add a pop of color.

12. Echeveria Perle von Nurnberg

This is one of the most beautiful succulents that you can add to the terrarium. It has gray leaves that take on a beautiful shade of pink and purple when exposed to sunlight. It also has lovely pink flowers that have a yellow core, which blooms frequently.

13. Graptopetalum amethystinum

This is another succulent that loves being in the sun, as the sunlight gives it a beautiful hue of powdery pink and sometimes even purple. They also thrive in warmer months and weather.

14. Aeonium kiwi

This is a succulent that grows in rosettes and has spoon-shaped leaves that have lovely pink edges. The center of the leaves is typically yellow and the middle is green. It is a beautiful combination of colors to add to your terrarium. In the summer, you will also see yellow flowers bloom!

15. Anacampseros sunrise

This is another great option for the terrarium, named so because it loves a good sunrise and light! It takes on a beautiful pink color when exposed to the sun. When there is less light, the leaves are green and can also have hints of yellow. Again, a great mix of colors to add to your terrarium.

16. Sedum Tokyo Sun

The Sedum Tokyo Sun has bright yellow foliage when it is out in the sun and can take a light lime color when there is less light. It has petite leaves and provides full coverage for the ground.

17. Jade Plant

Jade plants are one of the easiest succulents to take care of. It looks like a tiny tree and adds a great sense of coziness and even quirk to your terrarium! It typically has white or pink blooms and is an extremely common houseplant, because of how easy it is to maintain.

18. Echeveria dionysos

This is a small and easy-to-maintain succulent that has several rosettes in a variation of colors, depending on how much light it gets. It may have whitish-green leaves, grey-green leaves, or even darker olive-toned leaves. The leaves typically have reddish-brown spots and borders.

Check out these 13 Best Places to Buy Succulents Online!

19. Echeveria pulidonis

This beautiful succulent creates clusters of rosettes the older it gets, giving it a vibrant and full look. The leaves are tapered and have a sharp point at the end. They are typically green and have red margins, with tiny yellow flowers that bloom from time to time.

20. Aloe juvenna

This is a succulent in the Aloe genus and is also known as the Tiger-tooth aloe because of the tiny pointed spokes that appear on the leaves. This is an easy Aloe plant to care for, which does fairly well in dry and warm climates.

21. Haworthia aristata

This is a small succulent that has beautiful stemless rosettes. The leaves vary from dark to bluish-green, giving the terrarium a beautiful offset of colors. It can grow up to 9 cm in diameter at a full adult stage.

22. Aeonium sunburst

This is a branching succulent with beautiful white and green leaves, embellished with pink edges. When exposed to full sunlight, the pink edges can also turn red. In the summer months, you will also be delighted to see tiny white flowers. This is a monocarpic succulent, however, which means that the main plant dies after it flowers.

23. Elephant bush

This succulent is so named because elephants love its delicious and fleshy leaves. The succulent is native to South Africa, where elephants in the wild will frequently snack on its leaves. The succulent typically has a red stem and green leaves, although different variegated varieties may boast of different colors.

24. Echeveria minima

This is a small succulent native to Mexico that has tiny orange or yellow flowers, which grow on a long and arching stem. The succulent grows in rosettes and the edges of the gray-green leaves can often turn a shade of red in the sun.

25. Echeveria setosa

This is another succulent native to Mexico that has orange or yellow flowers that also bloom on an elongated and arching stem. The plant grows in small rosettes and the stems with the flowers emerge from this cluster of rosettes.

26. Aloinopsis luckhoffii

This is a small succulent that is great for ground cover as it creates a dense mat with its cluster of rosettes. It typically has green or dark purple leaves. This is a great succulent to use if your terrarium does not get a lot of heat.

Check out these 13 Best Places to Buy Succulents Online!

27. Peperomia graveolens

This is a strikingly beautiful succulent that is also referred to as Ruby Glow. It has thick but oblong leaves that have a fleshy texture. The green of the leaves also has a slightly translucent quality and the edges can also become red when exposed to sunlight.

28. Crassula Jade Necklace

This succulent is so named precisely because it looks like a beautiful jade necklace. The stems are densely packed with tiny succulent leaves that make the stem look like a necklace. The leaves are fleshy and typically a bright green color, though they can also take on a shade of red when exposed to the sun.

29. Crassula Conjuncta

This succulent has fleshy and pale gray, almost silver leaves, which is where it gets its common name “Ivory Towers” from. The leaves have a vertical growth and the edges can often become red in the sun. The rims of the leaves are also a deep shade of red.

30. Jelly Bean Plant

The jelly bean plant, again, is named after what it looks like. This is an adorable succulent that has tiny, fleshy leaves that look like jelly beans. The succulent is native to Mexico, although it has been commonly cultivated in various parts of the world.

31. Senecio kleiniiformis

This is a flowering plant that has beautiful blue-green leaves. The leaves are small and triangular-shaped. It is commonly referred to as Spear Head as that is what the shape of the leaves looks like!

32. Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri

This is an extremely exotic and interesting-looking succulent that would add just the right charisma to your terrarium. The succulent is native to Namibia, although it can be cultivated in various types of weather around the world now. The succulent also provides great ground coverage.

33. Crassula Campfire

This is a fast-growing succulent that has bright green leaves. The leaves have a distinct propeller shape that takes on a hue of red when exposed to the sun. One may find butterflies and bees buzzing around its tiny flowers.

34. Common Houseleek

This is a low-growing succulent that is evergreen. This type of succulent is often also referred to as hen-and-chicks because when new offshoot plants grow, they appear in a tight cluster around the parent plant just how newborn chicks stay close to the mother hen.

Check out these 13 Best Places to Buy Succulents Online!

35. Echeveria melaco

This beautiful succulent has distinct spade-shaped leaves, which are known for their changing colors as the season shifts. It typically grows as a cluster of colored rosettes that have a bright green center.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some frequently asked questions about succulents and terrariums.

Do I Need Moss in My Succulent Terrarium?

No, typically one will not require moss in their terrarium as both require different living conditions and are not compatible. You can find plenty of ground covering succulents that will make your terrarium full. Besides, moss may add extra moisture to the terrarium which is not good for your succulents.

Do Succulents Do Well in Closed Terrariums?

Succulents are easy plants to care for but they need a balance of all the elements in order to thrive. A closed terrarium will not give the succulents the adequate amount of fresh air required.