An Outdoor Succulent Garden: Succulent garden design is suitable for warm, temperate and cool-season locations. In colder climates, it’s not always possible to have a succulent garden outside, but you can grow them in containers. Learn a little about how to plan an outdoor succulent garden and how to bring some fun shapes and textures into your landscape.
Succulent Garden Design Succulents are generally drought tolerant plants that have thick leaves that store moisture. Although succulents are very tolerant of dry conditions, water is required, especially during the growing season.
Succulent garden design should consider location, soil type, structure, moisture level and types of plants. Some succulents are more drought tolerant than others. Before starting an outdoor succulent garden, do a little research on a variety of succulent shapes and sizes. 0 seconds 0 seconds Volume 0% This ad ends on 19 For example, cactuses are succulents and hold water in their stems and bark.
Other types of succulents are not spiny, but have swollen leaves with numerous growth habits.
- There are spreading or hanging varieties such as
- Burrow’s tail;
- sharp, broadleaf plants such as agave; or
- tall, Columnar types such as elder cactus
Plan the design with enough space to fill in the plants as they grow. Succulent Outdoor Plants Growing an outdoor succulent garden starts with plant selection. If you are a beginner, start with easy and foolproof plants.
Sedum and sempervivum are easy to grow and suitable for bright, sunny locations or slightly drier areas. No matter what type of plant you choose, succulents need well-drained soil. They thrive in cracks and crevices, rockeries, and sandy or coarse soil.
Cool-season succulents do best in containers brought indoors for the winter. Try some Kalanchoe, cactus, echeveria and aeonium. Enjoy the unique sizes, shapes and textures of these plants. Use succulent outdoor plants as part of a xeriscape area of the garden to conserve water and provide interest and color.
The stonecrop succulent comes in a variety of colors from bright green and pink to silver and blue. There are two main types of sedums- tall sedums and creeping sedums. The tall sedums have long stems that grow to be between one and three feet tall
How to Plan an Outdoor Succulent Garden
When you’re ready to select and plant your plants, you need to know how to plan an outdoor succulent garden. Choose a sunny spot and plan the space you want to fill.
Check soil condition and drainage by digging a hole at least 1 foot (0.5 m) deep and filling it with water. If the water drains within half an hour, the soil is sufficiently porous. Otherwise, mix in 3 inches (7.5 cm) of sand or other firm material to increase texture and drainage.
Use as a dotted landscape between tall specimens in the center of the area and spreading species or larger plants at the edges.
Top the area with a layer of pebbles or small rocks to act as mulch. This will help prevent weeds and conserve moisture while allowing excess water to evaporate.
Care of Succulent Garden Plants
Succulents tolerate periods of drought but should receive regular water during the growing season. When the soil is two inches (5 cm) dry, water deeply, then let the soil dry out again between waterings.
The most common problem with succulents is rot. Keeping the stems out of the soil and providing drying periods between waterings can help prevent this. Also, water from the base of the plant to keep the leaves dry.
Watch for insect pests and combat them with water sprays and horticultural soap sprays.
Remove dead stems and offsets when maintaining succulent garden plants. An offset is easy to start as a completely new plant. Place the offsets in well-drained potting mix and nurture them until the roots are full and healthy, then plant them in a new area of the garden.
Top 10 types of Succulent Plants
- Burro’s Tail
- Flaming Katy
- Crown of Thorns
- Aloe Vera
- Jade Plant
- Pincushion Cactus
- Panda Plant
- Snake Plant
- Roseum
- Zebra Plant
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