Leaf & Clay Rare Succulents & Cacti Review

Leaf & Clay sells succulents, cacti and houseplants online, with hundreds of rare and collectible varieties, starting around $21.

The reason to buy plants online rather than locally is variety, and here that reason holds. Garden centres stock the same dozen reliable sellers; collectors want the cultivars that never make it into general retail, and a specialist is the only route to them.

The risks are worth stating plainly because they are specific to living stock. Plants get cold-damaged in transit during winter and cooked in summer, and both are common enough that reputable sellers pause shipping to affected regions. Check whether the seller does that before ordering in January — a shop that ships year-round regardless is telling you something.

The second risk is the one that catches new buyers. Rare succulents are frequently rare because they are harder to keep alive, needing more light than a windowsill provides and less water than instinct suggests. Buying a collectible variety as a first succulent is a good way to spend $40 on something that rots in a month. Start with the common, forgiving varieties and work up.

Unpacking matters too: plants arrive stressed, they need a few days somewhere bright but not in direct sun before being repotted, and repotting immediately on arrival is a frequent cause of loss.

Strong choice for collectors who know how to keep these alive. Start elsewhere and cheaper if this is your first plant.