Ideas for Container Gardening With Succulents

Hanging Succulents

• Veer away from the wave petunias that hang from your neighbor's front porch and create a truly unique, hanging masterpiece. Pack your hanging basket full of different succulents using a combination of tender and hardy varieties. A suggested combination for a hanging planter includes painted echeveria, pearl of Nuremberg echeveria, and October Daphne sedum. Use a hanging planter that has good drainage, such as a moss basket that you first line with landscaping fabric to retain the soil while letting the water run through.

Terra Cotta Clusters

• Terra cotta planters are excellent containers for succulents. Not only are they attractive, but terra cotta planters hold water away from the plant, simulating its natural growing environment in sand and silt. Use as many planters as desired, varying in size and style. Pack the planters with a variety of succulent plants. Place planters in clusters, choosing spots of your yard that could use a little pizazz. This eclectic approach allows you to move the planters around your yard as the mood strikes and there is no wrong way to arrange them.

Wooden Trays

• Visit your local flea market or secondhand store to find some vintage wooden trays or unique planters. Use flat trays or trays with some depth, line with landscaping fabric, and fill with cactus soil. Add a variety of greens or intersperse with colors. Pack the tray completely with succulents as they do not spread much throughout the growing season. Combine Aloe striata, Cotyledon octopus, burro's tail (Sedum morganianum), Mexican hens (Echeveria shaviana), watch chain (Crassula lycopodioides), Aloe zanzibarica, ghost plant (Graptopetalum paraguayense), crinkle leaf plant (Adromischus cristatus var. zeyheri), Sedum hybrid, Kalanchoe beharensis, Crassula conjuncta and string of beads (Senecio rowleyanus) into one basket, planting in rows.

Wheel Barrows and Old Shoes

• Do you have old milk crates just lying around? An old wheel barrow that has seen better days? How about a pair of stilettos that were too uncomfortable to wear and now just take up space in your closet? As long as you can punch a hole in the bottom, you can try it for a succulent container. You can fill just about any container you can imagine with cactus soil and, as long as you make holes for drainage, it can be used to plant succulents. Let your imagination run wild. Create a centerpiece for your patio table using a collection of small wooden boxes of varying sizes, fill with a variety of succulents, and place at the center of the table. You can use boxes you already have, an old jewelry box, or unfinished wooden boxes from your local craft store.