A homage to succulents
The succulent trend has exploded in the last couple of years, becoming the must-have greenery to have in your home, office and phone wallpaper. Apart from being pretty to look at, succulents are also extremely easy to care for as very little water is needed. Even neglect won’t stop them blooming as the thick, fleshy leaves or stems are adapted to storing water!
Our round up of interior trends tipped to be big in 2017 included the injection of greenery in your home, especially with the news that Pantone has made ‘greenery’ its colour of the year for 2017.
Succulent or cacti?
Many people struggle to understand the difference between a succulent and cacti. We’re here to tell you that there isn’t one… Leaf and Clay give an excellent description:
Succulents are plants that store water in their stems, roots, and leaves. There are about 60 different plant families within the group of succulents, including aloe, haworthia, sedum, sempervivum, and of course, cacti. Cacti are fleshy plants that store water, making them part of this group. Therefore, all cacti are succulents.
60 plant families! Just think of the variation you could have in your home. Which variety will take centre stage in your next canvas print?
Photographing a succulent
Plant photography tests your skills in capturing colour, shade, and working with natural light. You can always photograph indoors if the weather isn’t playing ball but nothing beats natural light, especially when photographing nature.
As well as the greens of succulents, there is also varieties that give pretty purples, ones that flower to give a spectrum of colours and very interesting cactus varieties too. Macro photography is something to look into - our post on macro photography with insects will help you on your way to capturing the finest of details.
The trend in succulents tends to favour photographs from above to get in the unusual details of the plant but be sure to play around with angles.
Succulents on Instagram
Instagram accounts sharing the love of succulents are plenty. Here is a selection of great accounts to inspire your next succulent purchase and plant photography canvas print:
The Succulent Source: Even if you aren’t looking to purchase any, the company’s account has some excellent imagery of this plant – even one shaped like an owl.
Succulent City: ‘Your DIY succulent community’ – this account gives tips for choosing and caring for succulents as well as news of giveaways and trips. A great place to see some unusual finds.
The Simple Succulent: You can find succulents of all shapes and sized on this Instagram account. Over 300 images waiting to be ogled at!
There’s also several wedding-themed Instagram accounts such as ‘wedding ideas’, ‘wedding magazine’ and ‘perfect wedding mag’, that explore the trend of giving a tiny succulent as a wedding favour to your guests. Absolutely adorable, hugely photo-worthy but maybe not the most practical! Can you imagine drunk adults and excitable children trying to get a plant home safe? Good luck…