CONTAINER GARDENS
This driftwood arrangement is perfect for indoors or outdoors and will last much longer than typical flower arrangements. (I have had my succulents for more than six months with minimal care and water in San Diego.) If the succulents grow too big for the driftwood, you can take them out and plant them in the ground. This driftwood arrangement is also great for garden parties, host and housewarming gifts, birthday parties, hanging gardens, container gardens, vertical gardens and upcycled home and garden projects.
Choose pots that are large enough to make an impact — bright colors don't hurt, either — and add plants that complement the container as well as the surrounding garden area. Choose colorful and textural succulents like sedums, euphorbias, aeoniums and kalanchoes for easy-care color, or a mix of annuals like petunias, sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) and creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) for seasonal impact.
Colorful succulents tucked into a pretty piece of driftwood make for a long-lasting centerpiece that brings the beauty of nature indoors. To make this piece, I planted exotic succulents and tillandsias in a piece of driftwood I found on the beach in Washington. See how I did it and how you can create your own mini driftwood garden below. — jspann
Colorful succulents tucked into a pretty piece of driftwood make for a long-lasting centerpiece that brings the beauty of nature indoors. To make this piece, I planted exotic succulents and tillandsias in a piece of driftwood I found on the beach in Washington. See how I did it and how you can create your own mini driftwood garden below. — jspann
Aeonium (Aeonium spp) I think Aeonium has to be the winner when it comes to aesthetic diversity — with leaves ranging from pure black to colorful variegations, there’s an Aeonium for every taste. Its rounded leaves create a softer look than some of the other desert natives shown here. Aeoniums are native to the Canary Islands, and what they lack in cold hardiness, they make up for in soil and moisture tolerance. Aeoniums require a little more water than most succulents do, though they are still very drought tolerant. Consider interplanting them with other Mediterranean natives or grasses.
Feed sparingly. Some gardeners never feed succulents, but the occasional feed can improve their growth and looks considerably. With potted succulents especially, rain will leach out the nutrients in container mixes, and these need to be replaced. Use a cactus and succulent fertilizer — or a quarter to half the recommended amount of an all-purpose fertilizer — three to four times a year, but not during the succulent’s winter dormancy.
3. Design With Restraint One of the easiest ways to plant a mixed container is to place something tall in the middle and surround it with just one or two different companion plants. This sunny yellow bowl plays off the color of the variegated agave (Agave americana 'Variegata,' zones 8b to 11). Paler hued echeverias, zones 8 to 11, interspersed with deeper-toned pachyveria (X Pachyveria glauca 'Little Jewel,' zones 10a to 11) form a simple collar, adding interest while maintaining a pared-down simplicity.
This gorgeous glossy green container looks as though it has been dyed to match the yellow jade plant (Crassula ovata 'Hummel's Sunset'). The olive green tone is repeated, but the plant also has some subtle yellow and orange highlights for interest. When designing with unique succulents like this, select a size that will completely fill the pot. Adding other plants would be a distraction.
Deciduous magnolias. Known for oversize flowers, from purest white to deepest purple, on bare branches, these include big shrubs and trees such as Magnolia soulangeana, M. kobus and M. liliiflora. There are hundreds of choices, including this unidentified species along with an unidentified bird. Some are hardy to USDA climate zone 5 and colder but also do well in mild California. Most deserve a prominent spot in a garden — even on a lawn.
TERRARIUM IDEAS
Organic, something I woul want to touch. Succulents are not fussy in the right spot.
Q