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Monday, April 17, 2017

The Joy of Creating Succulent Gardens


Succulent Gardening can give you hours of enjoyment with little effort! The rewards can be beauty at your fingertips. As a break from our long winter,  we hosted a succulent garden party where friends created their own indoor garden to take  home. We purchased cactus soil, a variety of succulents and found used glass ceiling light shades with holes in the bottom for the bowls. Our creations were bright spots in our lives, as we were surrounded outside by knee deep snow.
The one thing in common with succulents is that they are drought tolerant. 

This group of plants store water in their leaves in preparation for the next time of low water.  Thus they don’t mind if you forget to water them.  Most of them want to be watered well, then forgotten for a week or two.
Whether they are planted indoors or outside; whether planted in a container such as an old boot, or as an accent flower bed near you patio; succulent plants offer variety in texture, color and size.  Today there are many interesting plants from various parts of the world. You can explore the world of succulents by wondering through your local nursery or online garden shops, along with Face book groups and You Tube videos.
The key to succulent gardening is providing good drainage with a drain hole in the container and proper soil, a prepared mix for cacti or mixing potting soil with perlite and vermiculite.  Remember, succulents like to dry out, watering, as needed, once a week or less.
Some succulents are winter hardy in Idaho while others are not. Know what your plants can tolerate and their water needs, when mixing plants to create your garden. For fun, top dressing can include sea shells, rocks, sand or drift wood.
                                                  
I was introduced to succulents many years ago when I gathered “Hens and Chicks”, from a friend in Portland.  I brought them to Idaho in a shoe box and forgot about them in the garage for a year. When I found them I put them out in the yard, just in case there was life left in them.  They grew and reproduced and they are still with me, three moves later. “Hen’s and Chicks” are in the Echeveria family and today I realize that there are many varieties.  It is a whole new world to explore.  Pictured here are just four different varieties.
Many succulents are very easy to propagate. Simply remove a healthy leaf from the stem. Let the end dry for a couple of days then let it lay on lightly damp soil for a while, could be a couple of weeks or months.  Roots will form and new growth will appear on top of the leaf at the cut. This is another fun part of succulent gardening.  
Enjoy the fun of creating beauty.
Sources for information are:
Books:
By Debra Lee Baldwin
-Succulent Container Gardens
-Succulents