2023 is almost over before we know it. This is the last PUKUBOOK column of the year(...wait, is there one next week, too?). And to wrap up the year, nothing fits better than our annual "SUCCULENTS OF THE YEAR." It’s a little tradition where we pick the stand-out succulents of the year (entirely on our own initiative!) and look back over the last twelve months.
This year’s ranking is mostly rooted in objective data, but the editor-in-chief's personal favorites get their say too.
PUKUBOOK is always adding new varieties as they pop up in the succulent market, but truth is, this is far from automated—almost everything is hand-researched by the editor-in-chief, from the official name and origins to differences from similar species. This year, we added 560 new varieties—a modest but meaningful leap over last year's 380. Go us! Here are the newcomers among those 560 fresh faces that rocketed straight to the top in access numbers!
When it comes to page views, these two easily take the crown. Personally, I also saw these new faces everywhere—so there’s no doubt they deserve to be called this year’s standouts. 2023 also marked the official launch of our PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS shop, and these two were hands-down the shop’s top sellers among new releases.
Both probably first appeared around 2022, but back then they started at around 30,000 yen—definitely out of reach for most. This year, though, mass propagation brought prices way down (at PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS, we were quick to offer them at "Japan’s lowest price").
I think "being affordable if you try" is the number one requirement for SUCCULENTS OF THE YEAR. If something remains a "flower on a lofty peak," it won’t be on everyone’s lips, will it?
Agaves continued to steal the spotlight in the succulent world in 2023, too. Especially with the release in September of "The Agave titanota Named Encyclopedia" and the introduction of mericlones at lower prices (mainly on Yahoo! Auctions), these once out-of-reach named varieties suddenly became affordable and accessible to many more people.
But what's interesting is that in PUKUBOOK’s access rankings, it’s not the "named" varieties, but the "no name" and the similar "Oaxaca" types that climbed to the top. Maybe it’s simply a numbers game, since there are so many named ones, but it feels very "PUKUBOOK" (and I have to say, I like it!), that more people are searching for the mysterious "no names."
Maybe this “jump” was just because PUKUBOOK was late to catch up! I only discovered it at an event by chance, but it had actually been around for a while, and it’s no wonder that its adorable look led to so many searches already.
This is another one where, well... let’s just say PUKUBOOK was a little behind, too.
These plants were introduced in the PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS shop with the hype of "brand-new variety!" or even "first ever in Japan!"—so I have a soft spot for them. And I’m honestly so proud and happy, in a parent-like way, to see them rise to the top in access numbers even among all the other new varieties.
This one was actually ranked pretty high in page views, but for "grown-up reasons" it's getting a "special mention"(lol).
It burst on the scene in 2023 and took over major markets like home centers, so it’s no surprise the search demand was high. I know there are plenty of mixed feelings about it floating around on social media, but I think the PUKUBOOK page for this plant truly represents our guiding principle of "conveying accurate information" without ever criticizing. So even as a "special mention," it’s a page I can take great pride in as one of this year’s faces.
Next up is a ranking of plants that were registered before 2023 but saw a big surge in page views this year compared to last.
Oh yes! 2023 was definitely the year of "makinoi." In April I even ventured all the way to Kochi to visit Dr. Makino’s hometown.
I also introduced these in PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS, so of course they’re favorites of mine. Blue Light, in particular, has been around a long time, but maybe because I said "I’m personally obsessed with it!" in the shop, it started getting more recognition again—or so I’d like to believe!
It’s true, I did write a detailed comparison and research article about dasyphyllum, but honestly, I have no idea why "Reference" suddenly took off so much this year…
Agave continues to be a perennial favorite, but these four varieties were the ones that skyrocketed in 2023. Maybe all that demand is coming from folks searching for classics that have "been around a while but are still a mystery." I hope the information on PUKUBOOK helps shed some light.
Even plants I hadn’t noticed made the list—lots of lesser-known ones. I’ll be working to actively research and share more info about these, too!
Last but not least, just as we did last year, here’s the "Favorites Ranking"—plants that climbed higher in the favorites count ranking over the past year. To be honest, this ranking doesn’t change much, probably because most users don’t even know about this feature, or there isn’t much demand for it. Making this feature better and making the ranking feel more active will be one of our goals for 2024.
So, this was supposed to be my last column of the year… but as it turns out, we’ve still got one week of 2023 left! I’m planning to finish off with a fun year-end topic in the next post soon.
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