10 Best Unusual Succulent Plants for Your Garden

By
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh has written about gardening and special occasion flowers for the Spruce since 2011. She has more than 20 years of experience caring for flowers and plants. She was a feature writer for Organic Gardening at Suite101, where she won awards for her writing.
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Updated on 03/16/22
Pebbled tiger jaws succulent with serrated leaves around rocks

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The popularity of succulent plants has exploded in recent years, not only due to the low-care requirements of these sun lovers but also their diversity. Special anatomical adaptations and colors make some succulents look like they belong on another planet rather than on your windowsill. These plants feature varying leaf shapes, interesting patterns, and unexpected textures. And they can do wonders to add some personality and distinction to your garden.

Here are 10 unusual succulent plants to liven up your space.

Warning

Some succulents on this list are toxic to people and/or pets. Before planting anything in your garden, ensure that you and your family will be safe.

  • 01 of 10

    Topsy Turvy (Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy')

    closeup of Echeveria Topsy Turvy leaves
    Satakorn / Getty Images

    The Echeveria genus of succulents, also known as Mexican hens and chicks, encompasses hundreds of rosette-forming plants native to Central and South America. The squared-off leaf tips of Topsy Turvy give it a sea urchin appearance and look handsome when planted in groups or combined with other succulents in a container garden. Consider planting Topsy Turvy in a chartreuse pot to show off its pale bluish-green leaves. Make sure it has good drainage, and don't overwater.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 12
    • Light: Full, partial
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to alkaline 
    • Mature Size: 6 to 12 inches tall and wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 02 of 10

    Plover Eggs Plant (Adromischus cooperi)

    Adromischus cooperi on a windowsill

    Jian Yi Liu / Getty Images

    Plover eggs plant sports pudgy little leaves dotted with purplish-gray speckles. It is especially sensitive to frost and must be protected from cold outside of its growing zones. The speckles on plover egg plants will become more pronounced in bright sunlight. Plants are easy to propagate by leaf cuttings. Simply twist off a leaf from the stem, and insert it into a moist cactus mix. Roots will form in four to six weeks.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
    • Light: Full
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to alkaline
    • Mature Size: 4 inches tall, 2 inches wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 03 of 10

    Crinkle Leaf Plant (Adromischus cristatus)

    crinkle leaf plant
    imv / Getty Images

    Crinkle leaf plants feature triangular leaves with lightly ruffled tips for some visual interest and texture. They tolerate a light frost but grow best in a sunny spot with infrequent waterings. Small, tubular, red-and-white flowers might peek out between the 2-inch leaves on mature plants in the springtime.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 10
    • Light: Full, partial
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 6 inches tall, 3 inches wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 04 of 10

    Tiger Jaws (Faucaria felina)

    Pebbled tiger jaws succulent with serrated leaves and red spikes

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Tiger jaws is the kind of plant that both attracts and repels the temptation to touch its strangely serrated leaves. In addition to the fascinating leaf form, the succulent sometimes produces showy, daisy-like yellow flowers that nearly obscure it in fall and winter. These plants can work for those who need a shade-tolerant succulent, but they also require more irrigation than most succulents. If they become too dry and the leaves separate from the stems, you can root them to start new plants.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
    • Light: Full, partial
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to alkaline
    • Mature Size: 6 inches tall and wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)

    baseball plant (Euphorbia obesa) among rocks
    AYImages / Getty Images

    A baseball plant is just the plump character to beef up your garden. Its spherical shape adds heft and textural interest to plantings, but it doesn't have the sharp spines one might expect on a round succulent. Petite flowers sometimes appear on the top of the globe, giving you a signal that the plant is thriving. Water only when the soil is dry, and make sure your plant isn't exposed to freezing temperatures.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
    • Light: Full, partial
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 7 to 8 inches tall, 4 inches wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 06 of 10

    Topsy Debbi (x Graptoveria ‘Topsy Debbi’)

    x Graptoveria ‘Topsy Debbi’

    salchuiwt / Flickr / CC By 2.0

    Plants of the Graptopetalum genus, such as Topsy Debbi, form rosettes of leaves that spread by offsets, which can easily create new plants for your propagating pleasure. Topsy Debbi sports spoon-shaped, waxy leaves in a lilac-gray color. In cooler weather, the color can become even more vivid. This plant does best in full sun, but it can tolerate some shade. However, too much shade can result in a leggy and unsightly shape.  

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
    • Light: Full, partial
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 6 inches tall, 4 inches wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 07 of 10

    Pies From Heaven (Kalanchoe rhombopilosa)

    Pies From Heaven (Kalanchoe rhombopilosa)
    insjoy / Getty Images

    Who can resist a plant called Pies From Heaven? This Kalanchoe species is but one of the many strange and beautiful living things that hail from Madagascar. The leaves are fuzzy, gray, and covered with brown streaking. Insignificant yellow flowers sometimes appear on stalks in the spring. Give your Pies From Heaven plant abundant light for the most healthy growth, but avoid very strong sunlight that can burn the leaves.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 10 to 11
    • Light: Full, partial
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 12 inches tall, 6 inches wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 08 of 10

    Barbillion (Echeveria gibbiflora 'Barbillion')

    Echeveria gibbiflora 'Barbillion' in outdoor pots
    Stephen / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

    If you've ever observed the fleshy wattle of a turkey or rooster, you have seen something these fowl have in common with Barbillion: They are both carunculated. This term refers to a bumpy, fleshy growth that certainly provides some visual interest. Give Barbillion plenty of light, water sparingly, and see whether the unusual appeal of this succulent grows on you.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
    • Light: Full
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 12 to 18 inches tall and wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Blue Curls (Echeveria 'Blue Curls')

    Echeveria 'Blue Curls' in a pot
    Stephen Boisvert / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

    Blue Curls is another Echeveria specimen that can make an exquisite statement in a garden or terrarium. It sports frilly blue-green leaves that gain a pinkish hue around the edges in the spring and fall. Avoid overheard watering to prevent water from accumulating within the rosette. And remove dead leaves from the plant's base to keep pests from interfering with its vigor.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
    • Light: Full
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 6 to 12 inches tall and wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes
  • 10 of 10

    Aloinopsis (Aloinopsis luckhoffii)

    Aloinopsis luckhoffii plant

    imv / Getty Images

    In spite of its petite mature size of about 3 inches high, the remarkable Aloinopsis luckhoffii commands attention with its profusion of fleshy geometric leaves topped with bumpy white dots. This unusual form, along with hues of green, gray, and brown, help the plants blend in with rocks, a survival adaptation to prevent being eaten. Just don't kill this plant with kindness. The best growing conditions are those that mimic its native habitat of South Africa: full sun, sharply draining soil, and very spare irrigation. However, these plants are frost-tender, so bring them indoors if you expect cold temperatures.

    • USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 to 11
    • Light: Full
    • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained, acidic to neutral
    • Mature Size: 2 to 3 inches tall and wide
    • Deer Resistant: Yes

Tip

When creating a succulent container garden, look for containers with ample drainage holes. An unglazed clay pot is an ideal material, as it will allow excess soil moisture to evaporate through its walls.

How to Grow Succulents
Article Sources
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