Where once a succulent garden was rarely seen, today they are found just about anywhere: indoors patios, office environments, office buildings, by a pool side, front-walk entrances, outdoor patios and even inside homes.
Why their rise in popularity? Well, for one thing, they’re immensely easy to grow and maintain. Frankly speaking, they’re especially attractive to working, career women who have little time to spend on plants, maintaining them and/or regenerating their prized greenery.
Moreover, they are almost impossible to kill. Many people have already named them the “camel” of greenery. Being tolerant of low water levels, they can thrive in dry environments, and they don’t require hardly any water at all. In addition, they are simply beautiful and lend themselves to whatever shape, style or arrangement you may have in mind.
1. Square-Peg Pete
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Especially attractive in a seashore setting, this small and easy to make design is just what you need to accent the mood of the ocean. Adding a few seashells can only make land lovers yearn for the ocean waters when they see this design in your garden setting.
A wooden square piece hung on a wall much as you normally would hang a picture frame is all you need for a backdrop. A good assortment of plants embedded into a moss foundation that’s been glued on the wooden board is all you really need to complete this unique and charming display.
2. Sea Of Glass
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Particularly suited for a medium-sized space in a backyard, this arrangement is great for having several paths leading to glass containers. Although this particular scene has only three glass decanters, more can be easily added to make a perfect “sea of glass.”
Large-sized rounded river stones form one backdrop, and larger sized coral rocks form other backdrops leading to your glass-accented decor. What plants to insert? Well, basically anything in the cactus or succulent family will do. Blue glass jars and blue colored stones enhance the look of a glassy sea.
3. Going Natural
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An old piece from a dried up tree trunk adds the distinctive touch to this rustic-like design. Perfect for display on top of a wooden bench area or pallet, simply fill up the open spaces with specially-formulated cactus soil and insert a succulent plant in each of the openings. Being that the display presentation is rustic in orientation, both a multi-colored approach is used or a simple one-colored theme pattern is appropriate. Crowding your wooden structure with non-thirsty Sedums may be the path to take for many ladies who have little time or water to waste.
4. Blue Strawberry Fields
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If you have a large-sized ceramic or terracotta strawberry jar container, and have it glazed or painted blue, then you’re set to display this enchanting design in your succulent garden. Simply fill each opening in your jar with cactus-formulated soil, and insert one or two succulent plants.
One large one or two tiny ones would be ideal. Using a cascading foliage of Senecio flowing from some openings and a small aloe rising from the top-tier opening, adds that beautiful touch to your blue, strawberry field–without strawberries.
5. Garden of Life
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Wait, don’t throw away that old rusty barbecue grill! Keeping in line with our concept of utilizing almost any piece of old discarded furniture in the yard, put that grill to good use by adding a plethora of ornamental succulent flowers in your grill. Just fill up the grill with a bed of tiny stones for good drainage and a two to three-inch layer of cactus-formulated soil. Then, insert the plants in at your whim. If you also add a giant-size seashell or two or three candles, the effect is now complete for your charming Garden of Life.
6. A Little Bit Of Heaven
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For those with a good size of border space to fill up, an expansive arrangement such as this one is recommended. Simply fill up open, available spaces with various kinds of colorful and less colorful cactus-like plants, and design as if you had a paint brush in your hand. A towering green and white-striped century plant, Agave americana var. medio-picta ‘Alba, is your chosen focal point in this rainbow colored garden setting. Surrounding it with large-size rocks, or small boulders, will give this succulent garden a distinctive border to keep the focal point effect centered.
7. Fin-De-Sie-Cle
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Want a more elegant touch to your garden? No problem. Go all the way with a Grecian birdbath design. Two fully grown rosebud succulents are all that you’ll need to start off your eloquent arrangement. Surround the area with more fat, juicy succulents of every kind and color, and insert other cuttings according to your taste.
Uniquely beautiful, this is a perfect point of interest to have by a coffee table with one or two chairs by the side. Be it a birdbath or fountain dish, decorate to your heart’s content, and forget about watering more than two or three times a month.
8. Meditation Walk
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A lovely path to take to nowhere especially, this walkway will bring out the inspirational side of all who see it. Large, flat stepping stones add to the effect of this path leading to a secret somewhere. Bordered with large, fully grown large petaled succulents, and larger rock formations, remember to space the stepping stones equally and carefully apart from one another. Feel free to insert other greenery between each stepping stone space to give an overall charmed floating effect.
9. Succulence In A Birdcage
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One birdcage, one stand to hang it from and a good assortment of plants will give this display a pleasing appearance in almost anywhere you put it–inside or outside of your home. When planting succulents in this cage arrangement, you may use a dish filled with cactus-formulated soil or simple planting moss. Either way you’ll enjoy this swinging presentation. For even better results, try painting the cage over first or leaving it as is.
10. Framed Heirlooms
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If you have an empty wall or wood fence, then we’ve got the perfect decor for showing off your flat-surfaced vertical space. A quick trip to a yard sale or junk dealer may turn up several good old picture frames that you can use in this design. Clean up the frames and paint them over; now line with peat moss.
Continue by simply gluing in your succulent cuttings or starting plants with your hobby glue gun–now you’re good to go! If you paint the frames with a smart, contrasting color against the color or texture of the wall or wood fence, your design will look all the smarter yet!
11. Neptune’s Vineyard
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Now here’s a unique and smart-looking centerpiece for that garden-by-the-sea look. A large conch-like or seashell-like planter dish is all you’ll need for this one. Bunch together as many succulent flowers as you can inside the planter dish, and augment the arrangement with a few hanging vines. Remember to first line with a generous amount of cactus-formulated soil as this is one display that’ll last you for some time to come. Charming, it’s the perfect piece for a side lamp table or center coffee table. If accompanied by a glass of sherry, you’ve made your day.
12. Skyscrapers In The Sun
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Here’s one display for those of you who simply must have a desert-like theme on your home or business property. With high-rising spiny cacti, a huge rock backdrop, surrounding succulent designs and a few palm-like leaf plants such as arecas, you’ll find that designing a succulent garden is easier than you thought.
This is one setting that’s just right for a side walkway or front way too. The best part of all is how little water you’ll use in choosing these skyscrapers in the sun. Just choose the appropriate ground cover as a border from your stepping stones and garden space, and you’ll be all set!
13. Boots On The Ground
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Three old walking shoes or marching boots are all you’ll need for this particular design. Stuff with soil, your preferred succulent plant and you’ll have a perfect conversation piece for your next garden club tea. This display presentation runs itself because it doesn’t need too much maintenance–if any at all.
Be sure to select succulent cuttings or starting succulents that will snugly fit into your boots or shoes. If you paint the boots beforehand with a bronze-like finish, you may give it an entirely different effect. Simply leave the boots in any space in your garden, and be prepared for the surprised comments.
14. Rack Against A Wall
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If you have an old piece of wooden pallet in your yard, don’t throw it out. It could form the perfect backdrop to help decorate a plain ugly wall or plain wood fence in your back or front yard. Holding it up vertically, line with either wax paper or aluminum paper if need be.
Now fill with cactus-formulated soil, and hang it up against the wall or fence. Decorate away with your preferred succulent choices, and you have a unique, rustic style decor or accessory for your garden space.
15. Your Hole-In-The-Wall
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Continuing with our vertical garden designs, wooden pallets that have previously held wine bottles make an outstanding wall design when planted with various plants of various coloring; moreover, the end result will be a virtual rainbow display.
Simply fill in the hole openings with potting soil specially formulated for cactus plants, and you’ll have an endurable decor for that place in your yard that you’d rather cover up as aesthetically as possible. You’ll need to know how large will your planting selection grow so choose wisely.
16. Vertical Madness
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Regardless of what the neighbors may say, intelligently using your old wooden fence as a nursery of sorts is the way to go for many homeowners and apartment dwellers. Lining from top to bottom, all you need is plenty of wood or metal shelves, plastic containers such as you’d find in a garden supply center and any imaginable succulent species you can get your hands on. Not only will this arrangement look inviting, it’ll also save you space for starting other succulent cuttings and other plants as well.
17. A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream
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Actually, you can use this succulent garden arrangement not only during the warmer months but during winter as well. Using an old fountain dish or birdbath dish, you may or may not decide to use solar-infused energy lights to give this piece an enchanting feel and mood.
Otherwise, you may also opt to place large pearls in the flowery succulent petal buds and choose a blue-based color scheme in selecting your plants. Another delightful effect results from filling in the empty spaces with frosted marbles.
18. My Uncontained Rainbow Container
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As a centerpiece, this container within another container, your garden, serves its purpose well in whatever place you put it in. On a pedestal, on a picnic table or in a corner by itself, this display piece will draw all eyes to it, especially if used as a fountain dish on a pedestal.
Being lined with soil, and using gravel stones as a ground cover of sorts, your succulent collection is bound to last longer than you ever imagined. Really let your imagination go by choosing various colors in your pattern and watering sparingly during the winter months.
19. Out-Of-The Box Garden
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An old or new wooden crate that’s been abandoned and discarded by someone can be easily converted into one master garden. Preferably using cactus potting soil, simply line the bottom of the crate with sheets of aluminum paper or old newspapers.
Then, filling with the specially formulated soil, plant to your heart’s content whatever variety, color or size succulent plant you desire. Not everything inside your box crate has to be a succulent, any plant will do really. This design is excellent for placing on a table, as a garden bed or arranging several of these outside on your garden grounds.
20. Your Faux-Mount Rushmore
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Almost everyone has one, two or more personalities that they admire the most. Which are yours? Is it a former President of the United States? Perhaps a sports celebrity or motion picture star? Whomever it may be, you can easily fashion a clay and moss mixture made in your most celebrated person’s image.
Now, depending on your likes and dislikes, plant your favorite succulent plants in the mixture and exhibit on the top of the head; you’ll easily have a distinctive conversation piece if there ever was one. Place the figures on a flat garden bed, and listen for the comments of those who view your faux-Mount Rushmore display.
Succulent Gardens: Latest Trends in Outdoor Garden Arrangements
Actually, a succulent is so well suited for dry climates and accompanying high temperatures that they’ve become the norm for regions that experience little rainfall. Many people today commonly call them the “camel” of the botanical world as they so readily thrive in coastal regions that have short rainy seasons.
If you’re a career woman, or even a stay-at-home mom with little time to waste during the day, think succulent! They take little effort to grow, and use up little water. Moreover, since they are drought-resistant and have such a grand variety of colors, shapes and sizes, they are the plant of choice for people everywhere.
As they are easily contained in garden beds, planters, vertical gardens and especially in containers of any kind, their growing popularity has now put them on the same level as miniature fairy gardens. Sizes can vary from small rosettes to up to three feet in height. Coming in eye-catching flowery shapes, other varieties of the succulent species can grow to a height resembling a small tree. Which ever size buyers select, there is a size, shape and color best suited for you.