Imagine if you could keep a rose alive forever, perfect in its design. What would it look like? Well, it might look a little like the Greenovia dodrantalis or Aeonium dodrantale, also known as a mountain rose or succulent rose. These little beauties are actually not roses, despite looking exactly like one, prompting people to ask, ” Is that a real plant, or is this Photoshop? Is it actually a succulent rose?”
Well, the good news is that they’re succulents, and they’re totally, beautifully real! And because they are succulents, they’re thick and sturdy and are able to live a much longer time than roses. (No shade for roses. We love roses!)
The internet has caught on to the whole succulent rose trend, which has been making its rounds on Instagram. The adorable succulents are largely blue-green, although there are a few rare pink ones out there, enchanting everyone who finds them. This succulent rose is perfect as decor, bringing instant beauty and earthly magic to any space.
The succulent rose hails from the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain, which means it enjoys warmth and sunlight. According to Sublime Succulents, they don’t typically tolerate cold weather, so if you live in a cold climate or if you happen to have one during winter, you’ll need to keep them inside in a warm room.
In fact, these mysterious little lovelies actually bloom in winter (which means they are “summer dormant”).
The thing is, don’t go too wild with the light. They like lots of light — and their rose shape takes form with exposure to light — but they don’t need intense, sunburn amounts of light.
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The succulent rose does require water — more than other succulents.
When the soil is totally dry, water it. Depending on the weather, it’ll need water every few days.
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In cooler months, every week or every few weeks might do.
Make sure it’s not damp, though — you’ll want a container with holes for air. You can use a typical succulent and cacti soil mix for your succulent rose.
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If you do live in a warmer climate, feel free to bring them outdoors.
As we know, succulents are great indoor and desk plants due to their strength, but they grow outdoors too! If you do choose to keep them indoors, make sure to give them little vacays in the sun every couple of days.
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When they are still babies, they might not look like roses yet. But when they are full-grown, they’ll look like roses and reach about six inches.
Sometimes the succulent rose even starts to produce “pups,” which are other mountain roses connected to the stem.
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Snip these off, and plant them in another container to grow them! Voila! A new succulent rose.
They also grow small yellow flowers, which can produce seeds.
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Want to get your hands on a succulent rose (or three)?
You can grow them yourself — including the pink variety, which is harder to find. You can also purchase a full grown succulent rose on the internet, like at this Etsy shop. They are pretty affordable around $15, too.
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The Etsy shop even has their own Instagram account so you can drool over these succulent beauts.
Look at these rare pink ones! We’ll take a dozen, please.
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Is this not the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?
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Yeah, we thought so.
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If you want a rose to last forever, get your hands on a rare succulent rose. They’re great for windowsills, desks near windows, and porches without too intense sun exposure.