How to Design with Succulents
Unless a gardener lives in the southwest United States, he rarely thinks of succulents except as a specimen plant. They are curious looking, drought and heat loving plants that come in strange shapes and colors. They store water in large, fleshy leaves and can go without water what seems like forever. They store water in their swollen leaves, stems and roots. This enables them to survive in some of our driest environments. Cacti are succulents. So are yuccas, echeverias and ephedras. You can see these in the xeriscapes of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and other typically dry and hot areas of the country. If you have a problem bed, perhaps one attached to your house, succulents can be a solution for you. Read on to learn how to design with succulents. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Assess the situation. Any brick garden bed is usually attached to the house and can't be removed easily. If it is in the front of the house, you simply must do something with it. Just mulching it up doesn't exactly win you the garden of the month award. The bed is hot because it's made of bricks that soak in that sun all day so no matter how much you irrigate, the bed stays hot and dry. You try other plant material, but find it only looks pretty good for a couple of weeks, but is unable to last through the baking sun.
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Try succulents. With a south facing bed, plants must be able to withstand extra hot conditions. Plant a columnar cactus. The pilosocereus pachycladus is a lovely turquoise, that will shout beauty in front of your house. Use smaller succulents as low growing cover to set off the large columnar cactus.
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Create dramatic garden beds. Even if you don't have a hot brick planter across the front of the house, you probably have a sunny, hot, dry spot somewhere that needs some TLC.
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Combine two or three large succulents and sweeps of smaller ones. Use aeoniums, agaves or kalanchoes for large statements and mix smaller ones in between. Echeverias and sedums can be used as fillers to make the garden a mass of colors and textures. Sedums spread quickly and can even be used between stepping stones to set them off. Plant sedums in strawberry pots for a great display in a small garden.
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Use succulents for an almost maintenance free hedge. Use agave attenuata with jade plants and elephants food (portulacaria afra) for for maximum intrigue.
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Use succulents as accents throughout your garden. Use the large ones like agaves and crassulas as specimen plants among smaller, lower-growing kinds.
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Tuck in smaller echeverias, sedums and senecio wherever you wish. Use them to create patterns in a formal garden or parterre.
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Think containers. Succulents can grow most anywhere, including most every container from iron pots, old wheel hubs, wooden wheelbarrows. If you have or find an old container at a flea market or second hand shop, you can probably make a work of art by planting it with sedums.
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Tips & Warnings
Some sedum and euphorbia can be invasive and become noxious weeds. Choose your plant material carefully.
