Succulents vs. Cactus

Oops! Riley slipped in here. She didn’t have a huge chance to plant many cactus in her book, Riley’s Garden Oasis but she hopes to experiment more in the future

Let’s clear something up right away.

All cactus are succulents.

Not all succulents are cactus.

Most of us, myself included, use the words interchangeably in conversation. I do it. Then I catch myself. Then I keep going anyway. But when it comes to choosing plants for pots in the desert, that distinction actually matters.

Succulents are a huge family of water-storing plants.

Cactus are a specific subset of that family, usually thorny, often columnar or rounded, and generally far better equipped for our sun.

Here’s where people get into trouble and to learn more, upgrade to paid and stop throwing your money into the compost heap.