TOP TIPS FOR A SUCCULENT GARDEN

Wendy divulges her personal approach to creating and maintaining a masterful cacti garden brimming with year-round interest

‘Cacti, succulents and aloes have an abundant variety of shape, texture and colour and make for wonderfully dramatic planting combinations. There are varieties suited to almost every application, with the added bonus of being drought-tolerant, low-maintenance and attracting a large number of sunbirds,’ says Wendy.

Select a sunny, open area that is relatively protected from the harsh winds – tall aloes and cacti can easily break off in strong winds Plant in sandy, well-draining soil Add silica sand to heavier soils to increase drainage

Do not irrigate and do not mulch Dead-head spent flowers and remove fallen leaves and soil with a long-handled artist’s paintbrush – it will allow you to easily reach between the closely packed leaves and spikes of the plants

Prune back plants from encroaching on each other – succulents multiply and spread surprisingly fast