Learn how to care for, display, and find the right succulent for your home and climate.
The drought in California hasn't let up. It's worse, in fact. This past month most residents received letters detailing fines for wasting water. One of the offenses includes hosing down your driveway. Washing a car using a hose without a shutoff valve and watering the lawn more than twice per week is also prohibited. The fine is $500 per day.
Now, more than ever, homeowners are looking for ways to reduce their water usage. Gardens and lawns, as lovely as they are, require an enormous amount of water. If we want beautiful yards that can survive extreme drought conditions, it's time we become familiar with succulent gardening. I've been doing a ton of research since my luck with succulents hasn't been great. Here's what I've learned so far.
Succulents became popular in design circles about seven years ago, but I have friends who have collected them for more than 15 years. They're plants with a highly specialized anatomy that allows them to withstand prolonged drought conditions. They're the camels of the plant world and, like camels, they store water for later use. If you see a plant with fleshy stems, roots, or leaves, it's most likely a succulent.
The type of succulent stores large amounts of water in their stems, which are usually round, columnar, or sword-like. This includes Stapelia lepida, shown above.
Some succulents store their water underground in large tuberous roots. They look almost like potatoes! One example of a root succulent is Haworthia "Green Rose" (above).
This is probably the succulent most everyone can recognize. Examples include aloe, agave, and jade. The picture above is a variegated jade I bought recently.
All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. This means some succulents like dry heat, and others do best in moist shade of the jungle. It's a myth that cacti and succulents require little to no care. Truth be told, they are the one plant I struggle with, but I think that has a lot to do with my shady property. I don't know that I can keep succulents inside the house successfully unless they're near a window or under my skylight, like the jade above.
Those succulents that prefer warm heat do best outdoors in full sun, while the jungle succulents love life under a shady tree or patio. All succulents and cacti require feeding during the growing season, just like every other plant. They need to be pruned or split when they grow too big. There is a succulent for almost every region of the world, even areas with snow, so don't worry that there isn't one you can grow in your area.
Succulents do very well in containers, so if you have limited space or live in an apartment with a small balcony, you're in luck! Terracotta containers are ideal for tall plants. The weight of the terracotta balances top-heavy plants, which means you won't come home to a toppled succulent.
Line a woven basket with plastic or an old dish and you have the perfect vessel for spiny and smooth skinned succulents. I would have never thought about doing this, by the way! Thank you, 14 books from the library.
Milky white succulents—or plants with white spines—look nice in metal containers. Just make sure the container is made of a metal that won't corrode. Stainless steel is a good option.
Don't limit yourself to traditional containers. These plants are perfect to plant in unique found objects.
I once heard a design "expert" call succulent garden dull and ugly. I don't agree! This garden above is lively, colorful, dynamic, and inviting.
Here is my friend Rachel's succulent container garden. Gorgeous, but can you do something similar at home? YES. Notice that she plants her succulents in found items or inexpensive purchases from estate sales (her favorite). She keeps a variety and when they outgrow their pots, she cuts them and plants the cuttings into a new pot. She makes it look so easy, and I can't wait to replicate something similar in my own home.
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