String of Plants: All 10 "String of" Succulents Ranked and Compared

Why You Want It

Heart-shaped leaves marbled in silver on wiry purple stems that can trail three feet or more. It grows fast, forgives missed waterings, propagates from a single node, and even makes little aerial tubers you can pot up. If you buy one string plant, buy this one.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright, filtered light; a little gentle direct sun deepens the marbling.
• Water: Let the top half of the soil dry, then water well.
• Trickiness: Almost none; it politely wilts before it dies.
• Pet note: Considered pet safe.

Read the full 👉 String of Hearts care guide.

Why You Want It

Bean-shaped leaves on bright red stems that deepen to ruby under strong sun, plus yellow daisy flowers that actually show up indoors. It is the easiest of the sun-loving succulent strings and the only one that blooms reliably on a windowsill.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright with 2-4 hours of direct sun; the color depends on it.
• Water: Soak and dry, fully.
• Trickiness: Low; it just fades to green without enough sun.
• Pet note: Treat as mildly toxic in quantity.

Read the full 👉 String of Rubies care guide.

Why You Want It

Glossy, banana-curved leaves on stems that grow fast enough to measure by the month. It delivers the classic cascading-string look with a fraction of the fuss of String of Pearls, which makes it the string I recommend to recovering Pearls-killers.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright light with some gentle direct sun.
• Water: Soak and dry; the leaves wrinkle slightly when thirsty.
• Trickiness: Low.
• Pet note: Mildly toxic; hang it high.

Read the full 👉 String of Bananas care guide.

Why You Want It

The same species as String of Bananas in a sleeker cut: longer, flatter, hook-shaped leaves spaced along fast-trailing stems. It reads as a finer, moodier cascade and tolerates the same neglect. Strands can reach several feet in a couple of seasons.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright with a few hours of direct sun.
• Water: Soak and dry.
• Trickiness: Low; among the most drought-proof hanging plants anywhere.
• Pet note: Mildly toxic, same as Bananas.

Read the full 👉 String of Fishhooks care guide.

Why You Want It

The odd one out, and the architectural star of the family. Triangular leaves stack in tight spirals around the stem, as if threaded like buttons on a cord, growing upright first and trailing as the columns lengthen. Good sun paints the leaf edges pink. It shares the famously easygoing nature of its cousin the Jade Plant.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright with 3-4 hours of direct sun for tight stacks and pink edges.
• Water: Soak and dry; ease off in midsummer and winter.
• Trickiness: Low; it stretches in dim light but beheading fixes it.
• Pet note: Mildly toxic, like all Crassulas.

Read the full 👉 String of Buttons care guide.

Why You Want It

Thick, round, silver-green discs on sturdy stems, courtesy of a Madagascan cucumber relative. Unlike the danglers, this one climbs, throwing out curling tendrils that will happily scale a small trellis. It handles stronger direct sun than any other plant on this list.

Care Snapshot

• Light: The sunniest window you own; real direct sun is welcome.
• Water: Soak and dry, sparingly.
• Trickiness: Low, as long as you resist overwatering.
• Pet note: Toxicity is not well documented; keep it out of reach.

Read the full 👉 String of Coins care guide.

Why You Want It

Flat, round, milky-green leaves strung close along thin stems, like a run of small coins. It is an epiphyte that grows on tree bark in the wild, which makes it the humidity lover of the group and a natural for bathrooms and kitchens with a bright window.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright indirect; no harsh direct sun.
• Water: Water when the chunky mix approaches dry; loves a humid room.
• Trickiness: Low once you respect the epiphyte roots: bark-rich mix, never dense soil.
• Pet note: Considered pet safe.

Read the full 👉 String of Nickels care guide.

Why You Want It

A hybrid of String of Pearls and the candle plant, with leaves that genuinely look like a pod of leaping dolphins. It is the conversation piece of the family. Care difficulty sits between its parents: tougher than Pearls, touchier than Bananas.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright with gentle morning sun; strong heat flattens the dolphin shape.
• Water: Soak and dry, carefully; it rots faster than Bananas.
• Trickiness: Moderate. Keep it cool and bright to hold the leaf shape.
• Pet note: Mildly toxic.

Read the full 👉 String of Dolphins care guide.

Why You Want It

Tiny round leaves painted with a turtle-shell pattern on threadlike stems. It is the miniature jewel of the collection and a terrarium favorite. The twist: it is a rainforest Peperomia, not a succulent, so everything you learned from the plants above gets turned upside down.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Bright indirect only; direct sun bleaches the pattern.
• Water: When the top inch dries; never fully bone dry.
• Trickiness: Moderate. It sulks in dry air and rots in soggy soil, so the margin is narrower.
• Pet note: Pet safe.

Read the full 👉 String of Turtles care guide.

Why You Want It

The icon that started the whole craze: perfect green beads on threads, unmistakable in a hanging pot. It is also the diva of the family. Shallow roots, thin stems, and zero tolerance for wet soil mean it punishes mistakes faster than any other string. Gorgeous, worth it, and best attempted after you have kept an easier string alive for a season.

Care Snapshot

• Light: Very bright with gentle direct sun; dim corners are a death sentence.
• Water: Soak and dry with discipline. When in doubt, don't.
• Trickiness: The highest here. Shrunken pearls mean thirst, mushy pearls mean rot.
• Pet note: Mildly toxic; keep it hanging high.

Read the full 👉 String of Pearls care guide.

Light: Bright Wins

Every string on this list wants a bright spot; they differ only in how much direct sun they can take. The succulent strings (Pearls, Bananas, Fishhooks, Dolphins, Rubies, Buttons, Coins) welcome a few hours of real sun. Hearts likes it filtered. Turtles and Nickels want bright but indirect, and will scorch where the succulents thrive. Whatever the plant, remember the crown: the top of the pot needs as much light as the dangling strands, or the plant goes bald from above.

Water: The Universal Killer Is the Watering Can

Every plant here dies the same way: wet soil, rotted roots, mushy stems. For the succulent strings, water only when the soil is bone dry, then drench and drain. Turtles and Nickels drink a little sooner, when the top of the mix dries, but even they hate a soggy pot. If you take one habit from this page, take the soak and dry method.

Soil: Match the Roots

Gritty cactus mix with extra perlite suits the succulent strings. Nickels, the epiphyte, wants a chunky bark-based blend closer to orchid mix. Turtles takes a light, airy houseplant mix. All three recipes share one goal: air around the roots, fast drainage, no standing moisture.

Propagation: The Whole Family Is Generous

Every string propagates from cuttings, most of them absurdly easily. Lay succulent-string cuttings on dry mix and they root where the nodes touch. Hearts roots in water, soil, or from its little tubers. This is the real joy of collecting strings: one healthy plant becomes gifts for every friend you have. The succulent propagation guide covers the technique.