Survivors of the veld

Succulents are hardy and drought-resistant, and come in the most fantastical shapes and colours, and varied textures. Plus, they're easy to propagate and sow from seeds. We paid a visit to the annual succulent festival in Calitzdorp to ask the experts for practical advice on keeping these dependable plants healthy and happy.

- JOHAN VAN ZYL

When you've grown up in an arid region like the Karoo or Namaqualand, succulents aren’t merely “décor”; they are an integral part of the landscape, as ubiquitous and straightforward as the stones where you'll find them growing.

They flourish on neglect, survive in nature on morning dew and a few drops of rain, and ask for little or nothing in return. Long before city slickers started planting succulents in designer pots to show off on Instagram or Pinterest, these plants were inspiring desert dwellers to carry on, no matter how tough life became.

I've often wondered why some people - my mother included! - don’t like succulents. Apparently, they remind her of drought and dust and hardship. And, she adds, compared to her lovely lush green ferns, they're quite dull and boring.

I've read some snippy comments online by people who call succulents the Kardashians of the plant world: lovely to look at, but as useful as a Tupperware container without a lid. Others complain that they grow too slowly, and generally just sit there, plump, smug and swollen. Or they're “hard and cold and unapproachable, like cheap plastic furniture”. Succulents are for people too lazy or stingy to water them. (There is a glimmer of truth in this one, as, compared with many other plants, succulents are indeed content with a lot less love, and water.)