2024 is already drawing to a close, and this will be the final PUKUBOOK column of the year. To wrap things up in style, we're bringing you our annual "SUCCULENTS OF THE YEAR." This is our fun project where we look back on the year by selecting the succulent plants that truly made a splash in 2024!
Once again, we've put together the rankings using objective data as a base—plus a healthy dose of the editor-in-chief's personal favorites.
At PUKUBOOK, we’re always adding brand-new succulent varieties as they debut in the market. These don’t get added automatically—every official name, origin, and distinguishing feature is researched by hand by the editor-in-chief before listing. In 2024, we added 340 new types! And among all those 340 new varieties, here are the most promising newcomers that shot right up into the top for pageviews!
Absolutely. The star of the year is undoubtedly "Drosanthemum." It really stuck out to me too, since it suddenly surged in popularity right at the end of the year. Once a plant I'd only seen in photos, now it's popping up all over the place with plenty of new varieties causing a buzz on the market. We introduced some of these in "PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS," and I even wrote an article sharing tips from experience—like ["How to Grow Drosanthemum (Cuttings Only)"](/column/drosanthemum).
The runaway top spot goes to "Strawberry Milkshake," but there are several others with strawberry or "ichigo" (strawberry in Japanese) in their names making the lineup—many new Echeveria varieties I've registered with such names still fresh in my memory. Maybe we should do a special feature on them next time strawberry picking season rolls around!
Aeonium made the rankings too! The biggest attention magnet was "Charm Golden Rose." Its greenovia-esque form is pretty rare in Japan, which probably gave it an edge.
Personally, I'd give "Diamond Colorata" an award in the "Best Expression Creation" department. I think we managed to bring out a whole new level of charm—different from what's usually sold in stores. It's so satisfying to see it ranking high like this!
This one also belongs in the "Best Expression Creation" category (though I've seen similar pictures elsewhere, to be fair). I did mix this variety up with another at one point, which turned into a little incident—so it has special meaning for me!
Sadly these didn’t make the top five, but lots of other great new faces showed up this year! Some I wrote especially detailed guides for, so they’re special to me. I hope reading this, you’ll also remember seeing some of these for the first time just this year.
Now, here’s a ranking for plants that were registered before 2023 but saw a huge jump in pageviews compared to last year!
No surprise here. Although "Black Sabbath" was introduced ages ago, it’s experienced such a boom this year that it easily deserves a spot as OF THE YEAR. We shared some on "PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS," but it was a limited batch (further production flopped, unfortunately). But lately, it’s climbing up the "Distribution Expansion Ranking" too. Looks like it should be easier to get next year.
Similar "jellybean-type" varieties made the list, with Rococo up top and Daphne right behind. "Spotted Deer" also continued to be super popular on PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS. I get the feeling this style always has a steady demand, so we’ll keep featuring them!
This one was totally under the radar. What drove its popularity, I wonder…?
Another surprise spike this year…(haha)
From the dark-style Echeverias, "Daredevil" soared into the top. That also puts it in my personal "Best Expression Creation" department. And suddenly in December, "Black Rose" shot up too—was there some trigger? We saw a lot of dark Echeverias this year and even ran a feature all about them.
"Venezuela," a classic, probably got a boost from its expanding variations. "Dioscorea elephantipes" was a surprise. "Hyalina" too—guess I need to investigate what sparked their interest!
Finally, as we did last year, here’s a ranking of the biggest climbers in our "Favorite Registrations Ranking" compared to one year ago. Honestly, this ranking rarely ever changes—maybe because few know the feature even exists or the demand just isn’t there? Improving it so that it feels more live and dynamic is on my to-do list, but probably for 2025!
This year I participated in my first-ever events, so my year was packed with succulent activities. Yet, it feels like my visible results were actually a bit understated. Next year, I hope to be a "can-do Succulents Editor-in-Chief"—able to make a big impact even while playing it cool!
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