Time to add a taste of the tropics

WHETHER in bowls, troughs or even picture frames, succulents can add a touch of the tropical to a garden, in a display of multicoloured rosettes or in a dry bed among cacti.

“A great feature is the indoor outdoor nature of the plant – it can be a house plant, but it can also be a patio plant, so your imagination can run wild,” enthuses gardening influencer Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek.

SO, HOW BEST CAN WE DISPLAY SUCCULENTS?

Create a ‘xeriscape’ filled with drought-tolerant plants

“Xeriscaping is growing without the use of water – and succulents such as sedum pair super nicely with things like verbena, which have a totally different look to them,” says Perry.

This might involve creating a gravel garden or scree bed, adding droughttolerant plants to achieve your goals. Xeriscapes are the perfect home for succulents like semponiums.

MAKE USE OF SUCCULENTS’ COLOUR

The rosettes of houseleeks (sempervivum) vary from deep plum colours to acid green, pink and cream, but none shines as brightly as the ‘Chick Charms Gold Nugget’ (available on amazon.co.uk), which produces rosettes of waxy, bright yellow leaves tipped with red, changing to bright green in the summer before reverting to their fiery colour in the winter. Plant them in free-draining soil in full sun and protect them from winter wet and you shouldn’t go far wrong.

Some succulents are super hardy in really free-draining soils or in gravel gardens. These include the Sedum ‘Sunsparkler’ series (Thompson & Morgan; thompson-morgan.com), showy little stonecrops with terrific leaf colour, neat growth habit and showy flowerheads.

CAREFULLY CHOOSE THE RIGHT POTS FOR YOUR SUCCULENTS

“The pot needs to fit in with its surroundings,” advises Sam Everiss, horticulturist at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, which is hosting a cactus and succulent show on June 18 and 19. “It depends on the type of property you have.”

Another factor is the size of the plant and she says: “Sempervivums and echeverias, above, would pair well in a shallow pot, whereas aeoniums would need a bigger pot because they are a bigger plant. Even some small aloes would go in a shallow pan.”

Pack them close together for a quick, impressive display.

PAIR SUCCULENTS TO CREATE STRIKING EFFECTS

“The Aeonium ‘Schwarzkopf’ makes a good pairing with a tender bedding plant such as Dichondra ‘Silver

Falls’. You can also use kalanchoe (outside in summer) and Pelargonium sidoides as a trailer,” says Everiss. “I like to group aeoniums together in contrasting colours, but keep them in separate pots because they have different growth habits.

“Containers offer a nice showcase for the plants – pair semponium with dramatic silver of Senecio ‘Angel Wings or the fun filler calocephalus.”

SELECT THE RIGHT GROWING MEDIUM FOR YOUR SUCCULENTS

“I’ve found that what works well for us is Melcourt peat-free compost which is very lightweight – 50% woodchip, 50% coir, mixed with perlite. You want a really freedraining soil,” says Everiss.

LOOK AFTER YOUR SUCCULENTS ONCE SUMMER IS OVER

Succulents have varying needs in wintertime. Everiss says: “We have shallow troughs full of sempervivums and sedums, which have lasted through the winters for around five years, but they need to be sheltered from rain because they don’t like winter wet.

“But different succulents have different watering requirements.”