Succulents have grown and grown (no pun intended) in popularity over the last few years as a way to enjoy a spot of indoor gardening. They’re refreshingly understated, sturdy little things, as well as being a low-maintenance way to get more greenery into your everyday life. We’ve touched on a few of their plus points already, but here’s a handful more reasons for why we love them so…

Busy lifestyles mean we’re always on the hunt for quick, easy ways to make our homes feel good, and plant-life is one of those ways. A table is cheered up with a blooming vase of seasonal flowers stood upon it and a kitchen feels all the more alive when you spy home-grown herbs sitting pretty. Back to succulents; they come in endless different shapes, colours and sizes, so you can use them like accessories to create a modern indoor garden. When flowers feel a bit too much, their neat forms add life to your space without making it feel overgrown.

The main reason they’ve become so popular, though, is that they need hardly any looking after. A spritz of water on the leaves once a week, and a sunny spot to help them grow, are pretty much all it takes to keep succulents healthy. You can get the most out of them even if you’re too busy for serious gardening – or lack green fingers. That being said, there are those of us who seem to possess the unfortunate ability to let any plant wither, and so our life-like versions will appeal particularly to this group.

Some succulents are particularly good to have indoors, such as jade, also known as the money plant. It’s thought to bring good luck. We’ve included one in our collection of life-like succulents, alongside a spiky, tropical aloe and a dark green stonecrop with pretty rosette-style leaves. Planted in textured pots with soil so believably real you’ll need to touch it to be convinced otherwise, they add character to a bathroom shelf or a kitchen windowsill, where they will mingle happily with living plants and herbs. We also love to use them as not-so-ordinary bookends, or huddled together on a large decorative plate or bowl (try our Corinium) as a table’s centrepiece.

With summer not far away, now’s the time to consider outdoor displays of succulents too. Group different-sized plants and pots together to add interest to a balcony or patio – just be sure to bring them inside if the weather turns as our make-believe succulents won’t withstand a summer shower. In fact, real succulents will struggle with a torrent of water too – yet another trait that ours share with the ‘real McCoy’.

Succulents, they're about as effortless as gardening gets.