Tips for Planting a Succulent Garden

Succulent gardens range from large planters filled with selections like Echeveria to an area of ​​the yard showcasing your favorite succulent varieties. In fact, there are so many different strains to browse through that the possibilities seem endless. Their thick, glossy, water-filled leaves give them an almost unreal look, making them popular with design lovers who are drawn to color and shape. [photo from Southwest Boulder & Stone]

Not to mention that succulents don't mind sharing space with others in planters or the soil, allowing you to maintain a gorgeous garden full of colors and textures, even if your "garden" is nothing more than one large pot. Read on for tips as you plan and plant your own succulent garden. [unless otherwise indicated, original photos are by Kate Simmons for Decoist]

Choosing your succulents

Let's face it: succulent shopping is fun, fun, fun! It's easy to collect a fairly large bill from a cart filled with "little plants," so choose wisely. While there are no hard and fast rules for combining succulents into beautiful arrangements, there are It's important to pay attention to a few key factors.

For starters, you will want Pay attention to the temperature and the position of the sun in your garden. Many succulents do well with a few hours or more of sunshine per day, but when temperatures get very hot, shade is important (at least for part of the day). Some succulents can get burned by the sun, especially in the summer heat. In other words, do your research. This can be as simple as talking to a knowledgeable employee at the nursery when you're shopping for your succulents.

To add interest to your garden, opt for variety. This means Choose from a range of colors, textures and heights. While color and texture will be obvious when you shop, find out if your succulent selection is growing upwards, outwards (groundcover style), or over the tops of containers. This will help you in designing your garden.

Take a few extra minutes to inspect each plant before purchasing, Selection of healthy specimens with good leaf growth.

Maybe you want that too take some succulent soilor talk to a nursery staff member about making your own soil by adding materials like coarse sand and pumice to the mix.

Put everything together

Now it's time to plant! How satisfying will it be from this...

plus… (of course with a few more cacti!) [photo from HOMEBNC]

It's important to remember good drainage is key, so use porous soil (e.g. special soil just for succulents) and make sure there is good drainage when planting your succulents in a pot. A drainage hole is extremely helpful in this case.

When creating the design of your garden, there is a strategy in it Start with the main focus point, and then fill in the rest of the space with your other selection of succulents. As mentioned above, A range of colors, textures and heights add interest to a succulent garden. Consider not only succulents that grow upright, but also succulents that will overhang the edge of the container (or cascade over the wall/rock of your garden). [photo from CRUNCHHOME]

Likewise Consider a "top dressing" like crushed stone (see above) to tie everything together. Last but not least Don't overwater your succulent garden. Also look out for signs like shriveled leaves, which may indicate an underwatered plant. How often you water depends on factors such as where your plants are located and the climate. Do some research and don't be afraid of vigilant trial and error watering in the beginning to get it just right. A little time and care will help you get away from it...

…to!… [photo from CRUNCHHOME]

Have fun planting!

By: Tips for Planting a Succulent Garden