I remember the first time I laid my eyes on a succulent: I was walking through Lowe's in search of some flowers to plant in my garden. The poor little fella must have been misplaced because I found him among the tigerlilies. I thought to myself, "Well, that's an odd looking cactus." Honestly, I was a little turned off by the conspicuous plant. I ended up buying some geraniums and calling it day, not even thinking twice about it. Three days later I realized that I hadn't watered my precious geraniums even once. Feeling both outraged and foolish, I tried to bring the dried flowers back from the dead by practically drowning the planters with water. Too late, they were too far gone.

Confession time: I have an awful memory. It doesn't matter how many times I try, I always end up forgetting to water my plants. I am, without a doubt, world's worst gardener. However, I don't give up easily. I went back to Lowe's where they recommended I get a low-maintenance plant. The extremely sweaty yet surprisingly chipper employee walked me over to the area of the gardening section where I found myself staring at dozens of the strange little catci I had seen earlier that week. Feeling slightly disappointed, I sighed and eyed the succulents from a distance. I really wanted something with color; a plant with big, beautiful, colorful petals that I could admire every morning while drinking my morning cup of coffee. Then I thought, "Actually, these things are pretty cute. They're a little weird-looking, but I guess I can get used to it. I guess I'll start with a couple and see how it goes."

Six months later, and I can't believe that I was ever hesitant to buy a succulent. Now I wonder why I didn't get one sooner! This is the first plant I haven't killed! Actually, I killed a few...survival of the fittest, right? Regardless, I realized the reason these plants are so easy to take care of is because they store water in their leaves. Once I got past the fact that I could actually keep my succulents alive, I became a little obsessed with them. I even started calling them my children. Before you start judging me, just hear me out.

Since I've already made it clear that these plants are practically immortal, I think that it's obvious how low-maintenance they are. All you have to do is put them in the sun and make sure to water them once a week during the summer and once every two weeks during the winter. Also, I wouldn't recommend leaving them outside when temperature gets below freezing. Succulents like warm conditions because cold temperatures will cause the water that is stored in their leaves to freeze and can result in death or mushy leaves.

Remember when I complained about wanting to have a big, beautiful, colorful plant? To my excitement, I have discovered that succulents come in all kinds of colors. Although they are most commonly shades of light green, some succulents can be shades of pink, orange, purple, and even light blue. This is due to different levels of sun exposure. When succulents aren't receiving enough sun, they tend to be dull. In contrast, succulents "blush" or turn different colors when they receive a lot of direct sunlight. When fully blushing, some succulents can even turn shades of red or almost black.

Trust me when I say that succulents are super durable. Mine have survived torrential rain, thunderstorms, 60-miles-per-hour wind, and even hail storms. My cat even chews on the leaves with his razor sharp teeth and they are seemingly unaffected. What's even cooler is that you can use their leaves or "cuttings" to grow even more succulents. It's called propagating succulents.

My absolute favorite thing about succulents is that they can live in anything. Just because they are a plant, doesn't mean they have to be put in a pot. In fact, they can go in just about any container you can imagine: a mason jar, a teacup, a mug, an old soup can, a random bowl, a repurposed wine bottle, a vintage birdcage, the list goes on and on! Moreover, succulents aren't impacted by gravity so they can be made into a unique wreath or even a vertical succulent garden.

Bottom line: Succulents are pretty much the holy grail of all plants. They are regarded in many cultures as being sacred, wise, and even bearers of prosperity. Sure, they may look a little strange upon first glance, but give one a try. Even if you do forget about it for the first week, chances are that it won't die and you'll end up enjoying the company of the little fella more than you thought!