While it is fun to receive a bouquet of fresh roses during Valentine’s Day, nothing is more disheartening than seeing these flowers wither away in the next couple of days. No matter how much we try to make sure that these flowers remain alive, healthy, and fresh, it seems so easy for them to wither before our very eyes. That’s why you may want to give out succulent arrangements instead of bouquets of flowers. Succulents are actually cheaper if you think about it, and they definitely last longer.

They are Priced Similarly as Bouquets

A bouquet of flower can cost from $30 up to hundreds of dollars. If you’re buying them during peak hours like Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and Graduation, they will be priced much higher. On contrary, succulents mostly maintain their prices regardless of the occasion. They are priced at around $30, too, but they can go cheaper, too, when you buy in bulk. You can find great arrangements of succulents both online and in brick-and-mortar stores.

They Don’t Need Too Much Care

There’s no avoiding when flowers will wither and die. Some last for a week while some can be kept alive for only a couple of days. Succulents can last for months without you watering it or putting it under direct sunlight. Even after you neglect succulents, they can still thrive and prosper. And if you see that they are starting to wither, you can simply water them or put them under a light. It is very easy for them to survive in rough conditions.

They Die Too, and It’s Okay

If you don’t take care of your succulents, they will eventually die but it will still last longer than a bouquet of roses so the money you spend wouldn’t be such a waste. Succulents, even if they are not properly maintained, can last for weeks and months. You can buy another variety and plant it in the same pot you originally used for the arrangement. It will last again for weeks so if in case it dies, it’s okay, too, because you can get a new one.

They are Easy to Maintain

If you want your arrangement to last, it’s easy to keep it alive. All you need is water it when the soil is completely dried out and to put it under sunlight a couple of days each week. You can grow and maintain succulents no matter where you live. If you want to get the most out of your succulent arrangement, all you need is a little bit of effort to care for it.

They are More Unique

Succulents are definitely more unique and interesting than flowers. Everyone, at some point in their lives, received flowers while only a few got succulents for Valentine’s Day. Succulents are so diverse, too, so you can arrange different varieties for that unique succulent bouquet.

They Can Propagate

The best thing about succulents is you can cut off a bit from their leaves and it can result in more plants. As it grows, you can take the cuttings from the plants and pot them somewhere else. You can turn one plant into a business or simply more arrangements to give to your friends and family.

Succulent plants are popular with people who don’t have much time to take care of houseplants but still want that calm and serenity that plants bring to a home. Many place their potted succulents in their patios or their gardens so the plants can get the sunlight they need in order to bring out their visually aesthetic view. However, since we’re now officially in the winter season, it’s time to spare a moment of our time to think about what to do and where to place our succulent plants.

One of the things you have to do once the cold season starts, whether it snows in your area or not, is to find a place for the succulents inside your house. Whether it’s a small table placed in the corner of your kitchen or a larger area in your garage, you need to make sure that they are safe (from your house pets) and they will still get the light they need.

Fertilize Before the Winter Season

Before bringing your succulents inside the house, fertilize them one last time. Succulent plants don’t need fertilizer during the winter months and they only need diluted fertilizer once they start growing. When the temperature drops and the light level falls, the plants will go dormant, which means they don’t need fertilizing anymore for that period. Too much fertilizer causes the plants to have “soft leaves,” which will rot almost immediately.

Keep Them Warm

Even during the cold season, there’s still a little bit of bright light available during the day. Make sure that your succulent plants are placed in the area where they can get this light for at least three to four hours a day. Succulents need less light during the winter than the summer season when they are actively growing. Try to keep the temperature of the room where the succulents are in no cooler than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Extreme coldness can harm the succulents.

Water Your Succulents Infrequently

Succulents are the best plants for busy people because they retain water in their leaves, roots, and stems so they don’t require much watering. Overwatering the plants can lead to root rot. To water your succulents during the winter season, pour water on top of the leaves until the water drains out the bottom. Water the plants less during the colder months because dormant succulents need less water than they do when they are growing during summer. You can set your schedule to watering them once every month or two months or when you notice that their leaves are droopy or developing indentations.

Check for Pests

Every month, make it a habit to check the leaves of your plants for aphids or mealybugs, which look like tiny cotton balls. You should look under the leaves as well. If there are infested plants, move them away from the other plants. Next, fill a spray bottle with three parts rubbing alcohol mixed with one part water, and mist it onto the plant. This will kill the pests. Repeat misting the plants for a couple of weeks until all the pests are gone.

We take care of succulents mostly because they are easy to maintain, and they look good with their fleshy leaves that are able to store water and moisture. They also come in a variety of colors and textures which give us more options when it comes to using them as house decors. Flowers are a wonderful and exciting bonus though, especially if we are talking about indoor plants.

However, before talking about blooming succulents, we need to know the different factors that cause them to bloom and bring out their wonderful-looking and colored flowers. Not all flowering succulents bloom because of the habitat and the environment they are in.

Temperature

Many succulents bloom during the warmer summer months because of the extreme temperature. When you place your succulents indoors, you are basically letting them live in a controlled environment where the temperature barely changes (even during the winter months when we use the heater system and the warmer months when we turn on the air-conditioning unit). Succulents thrive and benefit when they are moved outdoors during the summer season. The move, however, should be gradual, exposing them to heat and sunlight over a couple of weeks before completely placing them in partial sun and warm temperature.

Before deciding where to place your succulents, you need to know where they come from. For example, plants from cold-winter deserts like interior western American deserts and high-altitude South American deserts need winter dormancy and cold temperatures to induce spring blooms.

Fertilizer

Plants need fertilizer to provide the building blocks for flower formation. Flowering is important to all plants because the seeds are needed to perpetuate the species so they flower as much as possible. In the desert where these plants thrive, the soil provides a good base for flowering because there’s no water to leach the nutrients out of the soil. But under cultivation, you need to fertilize the succulents starting spring when the plants begin to grow. While the plants are growing, use a half-strength fertilizer then, discontinue the feeding in late summer or early fall. To promote flower formation, use a fertilizer with high phosphorus content such as 10-15-10.

Water

Succulents thrive even without regular watering because they are able to store water and moisture in their leaves, stems, and roots. However, without regular watering, they deplete the water they are able to store in their tissues. They live but they do not thrive. During their growing period, which is summer, make sure that you water the plants thoroughly until it comes out of the pot’s drainage holes. Don’t water again until the top of the soil is dry. During dormancy or winter months, keep the plants drier.

Light

Most succulents need sunlight for half the day, especially during the morning. They use this light to produce the food needed for blooming. There are only a few varieties of succulents such as gasterias, haworthias, and some aloes that will bloom if kept in full shade. If natural light is lacking, put the plants under grow lights.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to spend time with family and friends, to talk over platters and bowls of food, and to merry-make with our loved ones. Every year, there’s probably someone in the family or your group of friends who are tasked to handle the Thanksgiving dinner. Is this year your turn? If you’re tired of the usual fare being served during your annual Thanksgiving dinners, maybe up the competition a notch by going full succulents on them. That’s right. Unknown to many, there are many delicious recipes that involve succulents. You can make a whole feast—from appetizers to soups to salads to entrees—out of succulents.

Appetizers

How about a mini taco that can be passed around from one table to another? You can saute the cactus with your favorite taco filling like chicken, shrimps, beef, and pork. You can choose between a hard taco shell or a soft taco shell. The crunch of the cacti leaf, which is meaty and sumptuous, will be an exciting surprise for your guests.

Soups

A heartwarming nopales soup on a chilly winter night is the best way to jumpstart your Thanksgiving dinner. You can make a lentil and cactus soup by boiling water in a soup pot with garlic, lentils, and chicken bouillon. After the lentils become soft at the one-hour mark, you can then lower the heat to a simmer. In a separate skillet, put extra-virgin olive oil and saute the garlic and onion until translucent. Add the tomato and stir until the tomato releases its juice. Add the lentil, the cumin, and the chicken bouillon before putting the nopales and the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Salads

Grilled cactus sounds good to you? That’s right. You can grill the cactus leaves and chop them into cubes. Put your favorite dressing together (a light virgin olive oil with a squeeze of lemon sounds wonderful), as well as other vegetables and garnishes such as iceberg lettuce, onions, olives, chopped eggs, and cherry tomatoes. Toss them all together and you’ll come up with a wonderful salad that everyone will love.

Main Entrees

Okay, you can still have your turkey dinner, don’t worry. Prepare your turkey the way you like it—with stuffing and turkey gravy and your cranberry sauce. But on the side, instead of the usual carbs like mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese, you can serve the turkey with a cactus salsa. Turn your Thanksgiving dinner a bit Mexican by chopping the cactus into bite-sized pieces and mixing it with tomatoes, onions, and corn kernels. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and Himalayan salt, and you’re good to go.

And while there are no succulent desserts, you can always design your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies into cactus shapes. Simply purchase a cookie cutter in the shape of a cactus and color your cookies with same colorful foliage of the succulents in your garden. Using the right piping tip, you can also create a rosette on your cupcakes.

Salads and sautes are not the first things you will think about when you hear the word succulents. In fact, food will be the farthest from your mind. All you’ll probably think about is draining soil, terra cotta pots, pebbles, fertilizers, and propagation. Food is not synonymous with succulents, unfortunately, in this side of the world. But in farther south, where President Donald Trump plans to build his wall, succulent are delicious additions to their dinner fare.

Ever wonder how succulents taste like? Want to try how edible and healthy these are? Here are the top five edible succulents that you can turn into delicious salads, soups, and main courses:

1. Saguaro

If you have ever looked at an old Western movie and wondered what those ubiquitous plants in the background are called, that’s the Saguaro. But this is more than just a desert decoration. The night-blooming white flowers, which are the state flower of Arizona, produce greenish-pink fruits whose bright red pulp and black seeds have a sweet and nutty flavor. Tribes from Arizona and the Mexican people have used the Saguaro to make sweet jams, syrups, and ceremonial wines.

Rich in fiber, vitamin C, and B12, Saguaro can be chopped and turned into salads or biscuits.

2. Opuntia

Also called the “nopales” in Mexico and the many Mexican restaurants scattered all over the country, the Opuntia has a flavor similar to green beans though with a slightly chewy texture. It produces a fruit called tuna in Mexico but known as the prickly pear stateside, tastes like a mix of bubblegum and watermelon. The flat oval leaves of the Opuntia can be chopped and made into salads, soups, salsa, and tacos while the fruit can be peeled and sliced and eaten raw or juiced.

The leaves are rich in fiber and calcium, and it’s just 23 calories per cup. The fruit is high in vitamin C.

3. Stonecrops

Also known as sedums, Stonecrops have up to 600 species of plants. The leaves have a peppery and mildly bitter flavor that’s perfect for salads and stir-fry. If you want to eat these, make sure to take them in moderation because large quantities can upset the stomach. They are best used for stir-fry. The red-flowering sedum leaves, stems, and tubers are safe to eat raw while the yellow-flowering sedums need to be cooked because of a mild toxicity.

Stonecrops can relieve coughs and can lower blood pressure. It is also known for being applied to burns, cuts, hemorrhoids, and eczema.

4. Sea Beans

Scientifically called the Salicornia, Sea Beans grow on salt marshes and sandy beaches. Over the last years, they have grown popular among gourmet chefs. The flavor is similar to asparagus, so you can either eat it raw or pan-fry it. If you want to mellow out the intense sea salt flavor, you can blanch it in hot water.

Sea Beans are high in protein, iron, calcium, and iodine.

5. Dragon Fruit

Who knew Dragon Fruit came from a cactus? These fruits come from a night-blooming cactus known as the queen of the night. Their appearance may be striking but the flavor is very mild, almost like a bland melon. To eat it, you can scoop out the pulp and turn it into a smoothie or shake.

The Dragon Fruit is low in calories and packs protein, fiber, vitamin C, iron, and calcium.