Modern Garden succulent
Letter From the Editor | 1
Letter from the editor I have always loved the idea of being surrounded by nature and its calming qualities. Many plants have excellent benefits when kept indoors such as helping the air quality, increasing focus, and helping people breathe better. I love using plants to decorate and have found it easiest to grow succulents and cacti inside, thus this issue of Modern Garden will revolve around succulent care and usage indoors and outdoors. Succulents help rid toxins in the home and I just love the way they look. There are many different types that are crazily distinct from one another, which is one of the main reasons I became interested in growing them in the first place. DIY projects and crafts have also always been a huge part of my life as well so why not combine that with plants in this issue! You will find some DIY succulent projects to do that can enhance your home and give you some creative relief, enjoy! -Carrie
Table of contents succulent care
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9 DIY
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Table of Contents | 3
11 propagating
12 14 decorating
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4 | Publisher’s Page
Contributors Creative Director Carrie Lee
Photographers Aclore Interiors Homeguides Darby Smart
Publisher
Shelby Biermann
Writers
Shop Terrain Martha Stewart Darby Smart Needles + Leaves
Succulent Care | 5
Watering Succulents Succulents are marvels of nature that store extra water in their leaves, stems, or roots. Because they have the reputation for growing in arid conditions, many people fail to realize that when we bring them into our home and garden environments, they do need to be watered regularly. We share what you need to know on how to water succulents and keep them thriving.
How to Water Succulents Indoors
Rather than giving your succulents sips of water here and there, give them a good soaking — to the point the water runs out the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Be sure to empty the water that runs into the saucer beneath the plant pot. Then let the soil dry out completely before watering again. Horticulturist Bryce Lane with North Carolina State University recommends checking the soil a week after watering; if it’s still moist, wait another week. Succulents also include cacti, which, generally, may need less water than other succulents. Succulents like well-drained soil. According to Lane, a good quality potting soil mixed with either a material such as perlite or PermaTill will help ensure good drainage. He recommends two parts soil to one part drainage material. In addition to quality potting media, make sure your containers have drainage holes, because too much moisture can result in rotten roots. Succulents require more water in the early spring when the plant is growing. Water needs may lessen in the summer and even more
so during the winter. When the light decreases during the winter months and most succulents are in a dormant period, their water requirements also decrease. During winter, water your succulents when the soil is dry. This could be as infrequently as once per month but will depend on your conditions. The frequency of watering will also depend on the light and growing conditions in your area, as well as the size of the container. The larger the container, the more moisture it can hold. Small, shallow pots may need to be watered more frequently.
are grown in shallow containers, may need water every few days.
How to Water Succulents in the Ground
Succulents, particularly sedums, grow quite well in the ground. They, too, may need to be watered weekly, depending on conditions. Established plants will have a stronger root system and tolerate dry conditions much better than new plants. Whether you grow hardy or annual succulents, they need to be in well-drained soil. “Standing water is a prescription for disaster,” Lane says. As with houseplants, soil conditions and water needs go hand-in-hand. Lane recommends replacing existing soil and making sure the subsoil drains well. Or, perhaps an easier approach is to raise the bed or mound the soil in the areas where you plant succulents.
“Good soil, a good soaking, and good drainage equals happy plants.” How to Water Succulents in Outdoor Containers
Summer is a good time to move potted succulents outdoors. Though they love sun, give them a chance to acclimate to outdoor conditions by placing them in a partially shaded area before moving to a sunnier location. Keep them out of intense sunlight from late morning to midafternoon. Outdoor plants generally require more water than indoor plants. Again, your conditions will dictate how often succulents will need water. Start by checking on a weekly basis, paying attention to the condition of the potting media and whether it’s bone dry or moist. Succulents, including cacti, which
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Guide to Succulents Succulents are the perfect plant — exotically shaped and so easy to care for! Here are important facts about succulents and how to grow them in your garden or on your patio, including tips on succulent soil and watering.
What is a succulent? Succulents are plants that come from arid areas that are able to retain water in their thick and fleshy leaves and stems. Succulents come in a seemingly endless selection of sizes, shapes, and colors, and can adapt to many different types of growing conditions.
When is a succulent not a succulent? Sometimes, in the world of gardening, terminology can be a little messy. For example, any plant, usually from an arid
climate, that has fleshy leaves and stems to store water is considered a succulent. This includes cacti, sedum, aloe, agave, echeveria, sempervivum, crassula, kalanchoe, and hundreds of other species. However, most gardeners use the term succulent to only include species with fleshy leaves. Any plant with spines is called a cactus, even though all of these plants fall under the succulent umbrella.
Succulent Soil and Watering Unlike some other perennials, soil and watering requirements for suc-
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culents are less stringent. In fact, succulents thrive on a bit of neglect. Water: Succulents will not thrive if water-logged. Your best bet is to pot them in a container that offers good drainage, or pick a good spot in the garden that never gets wet. Water succulents about once a week during the growing season, but let them dry out completely between waterings and never get the soil soggy. If you live in a climate where the succulents go dormant during cooler weather, you can increase the amount of time between waterings. However, if your plants are indoors, you may need to maintain a consistent
watering schedule. Succulent soil: Whether you make your own succulent soil or buy pre-mixed versions, remember: Succulents need moisture but hate oversaturation. Choose a potting mix created specifically for succulents; if you don’t have one, mix existing potting soil with sand or a handful of small pebbles or stones to create a more porous growing medium for your succulents.
How to Grow Succulents In addition to proper succulent soil and good watering practices,
succulents require two more things to survive: sun and fertilizer. Sun: Succulents require at least 6–8 hours of full sun a day. Fertilizer: Give succulents fertilizer in spring. Use a balanced fertilizer with equal proportions of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Once established, most succulents require almost no care, but a few taller varieties, such as ‘Autumn Joy’, need to be trimmed back in the fall or early spring.
Hardy vs. Tropical Succulents Check the plant label before
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you add any succulents to your landscape. Some succulents are rock-solid landscape performers in northern gardens, while others prefer a warmer climate. Use tender succulents in frost-free regions or as houseplants during the winter.
Where to Use Succulents Succulents attract gardener types because of their quirky good looks and flexibility in the garden. Succulents woo decorator types
because of their interesting shapes, colors, and textures. Succulents are attractive to first time gardeners, too, because they are so easy to care for and look great with very little attention. Containers: Succulents can live happily in the contained world of a low bowl or pot. The only requirement is that there are drainage holes in the container so water can drain away from the roots of these plants. Pack a variety of succulents together to make a mosaic of color. Gardens: Succulents can solve problems in many landscapes. Use low-growing types such as ‘Dragon’s Blood’ as a ground cover in sunny open areas. Some sedums can even take a little shade. See easy-care sedums for your garden beds and borders. Specialty Gardens: Small specimens can be used to make wreaths and are ideal for vertical gardens and green roofs.
A
beautiful plant is like having a
friend around the house. -Beth Ditto
DIY
DIY | 9
Succulent Terrarium SUPPLIES NEEDED: •Clear vessel with wide mouth (Even a fish bowl will do.) •Pea gravel •Cactus and succulent soil mix •Succulents •Decorative gravel and rock •Other decorations
For those who are busy, forgetful or truly hopeless in the garden, Michele Weymouth of Ashburn points to succulent terrariums. Lasting longer than cut flowers, succulents are especially welcome in winter, when everything outside is dead, dormant or covered with snow. And building a terrarium around them gives you a chance to create a living little world in your home. Weymouth, who sells her terrariums through her business Living Mi-Wey, was first drawn to them for their `calming nature more than their ease. Weymouth crafts terrariums in all kinds of vessels, from simple glass cylinders to typewriters. She says that succulents are perfect for people who are busy, who live in small spaces or who often forget to water. “They are a desert plant. Their leaves are nice and thick and cellulose, helping them to hold water, and that’s what helps them survive long periods of time without watering.” Weymouth gave us a step-by-step to create your own in as little as an hour.
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Add a layer of pea gravel
Put a thick base down in the vessel for drainage. And make sure to start with a clean vessel, so there’s no bacteria in the little ecosystem you’re about to create.
Layer cactus and succulent soil, and add layers of decorative gravel
Make sure when you’re storing your soil to keep the bag tightly sealed to keep out mold and bugs.
Plan out the arrangement
“Use your eye and just have fun with it,” Weymouth says. “You’ll know if it doesn’t look right, and if it doesn’t, just change it.”
Plant the succulents and decorate
Make little holes, then position the plants well into the holes, as succulents don’t have huge root systems.
DIY Succulent Wall Art
SUPPLIES NEEDED: •Four 12in lengths of 2x2 lumber •Nails/Staples •Hardware wire mesh •1ft square of plywood •Soil •Succulent cuttings
We’ve all gone wild for those dramatic “living walls” of succulents. Here, grower Robin Stockwell shows you how you can make your own. Instead of framing a picture, why not a whole garden? Cuttings of assorted succulents knit together to create colorful, textural living tapestries. Tips: Break the small “pups” from succulents you already have growing in your garden (the stems should be at least 1/4 inch long). Set the cuttings aside in a cool area for a few days to allow their stem ends to dry and callus over. (You’ll want about 60 for a 6- by 12-inch frame.) Don’t have any succulents growing in your garden? Buy a kit that includes a frame assembly, cactus mix, and succulent cuttings starting at $65 from sgplants.com.
Build the succulent frame:
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• Cut four 12-inch lengths of 2x2 lumber. Nail the corners together for a frame 2 inches deep. • Staple or nail ½-inch hardware wire mesh to one side of the open frame. • Staple or nail a 1-foot square of plywood onto the open back of the frame.
Add soil
Set the frame mesh side up on a flat surface; fill it with moist cactus mix, working the mix through the mesh with your fingers. The mesh and a wood backing holds the soil in place.
Plant succulent cuttings
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Poke the cuttings’ stem ends through the mesh and into the soil. Leave the frame lying flat in a cool, bright location while plants take root, about 7 to 10 days after planting, then begin watering. Once plants are securely rooted―this takes between 4 and 12 weeks―display the frames upright in an area that gets morning or filtered sun.
Propagating | 11
Propagation Techniques
What could we love more than a succulent? A whole garden of succulents, of course! Lucky for us, it’s easy to grow a collection of these hardy, colorful plants at home via propagation. There are several, simple ways to propagate succulents; we’re especially excited to try out these techniques with our new collection of aeoniums. We can’t wait to see them sprouting in containers around the house and garden all year long. Propagating by Division: This technique, in which new succulents sprout from cuttings, works best with plants that have grown too leggy. To begin, carefully remove any leaves on the stem below the rosette-- wiggle them gently from side to side and make sure to keep the base of the leaf intact. Once all the leaves have been removed, use shears to snip the rosette, leaving a short stem attached. Allow the cuttings to dry for a few days in an empty tray until the raw ends
have calloused. Next, the cuttings can be rooted in soil or water. Soil: Once the stems have calloused, fill a shallow tray with well-draining cactus/succulent soil and place the cuttings on top. Within a few weeks, roots and tiny plants will begin to grow from the base of the cuttings. Water minimally until the roots appear, then approximately once a week; be careful to avoid overwatering. Eventually, the “parent” leaf will wither-- remove it carefully, being sure to not damage the new roots. Allow your propagated succulents to take root, then they can be replanted as desired. Avoid placing them in direct sun until the plants are established. Water: Once the stem has calloused, rest a cutting on the rim of a glass or jar of water, with the end of the stem just above the surface of the water. Choose a sunny spot for your glass. Over time, the cutting will sprout roots that reach
toward the water. Once roots have developed, your new succulent can continue to live in the water (as shown above) or be replanted in succulent potting soil. Propagating with Offsets: Many species of succulents— including aloe, hens and chicks, and some cacti— will produce offsets, or small plants that grow at the base of the main specimen. Once an offset has grown for 2-3 weeks, check for root development and remove it from the main stem with a sharp knife or snips, or by twisting gently. Be careful to avoid damaging any roots that have already emerged. Follow the steps above for propagating in soil or water, allowing the offsets to dry, form a callous over any open areas, and develop roots before repotting. As a bonus, removing offsets also improves the health of your existing succulents, returning energy to the growth of the main plant.
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Propagating succulents If you have a plant that is starting to become leggy like this one, have no fear! This is the perfect time to propagate!
Although this plant still looks gorgeous from the top, the lower leaves will begin to wither and fall off and soon we’ll be left with a rosette high above the soil on a long bare stem. So before the leaves start to die, let’s pull them off and propagate them to make more plants. Succulent propagation is easy, fun, and free!
We’ll start by removing the lower leaves first. Be really careful when you remove the leaves from the stem. I hold the leaf firmly and wiggle it from side to side until I feel a little snap. You want to be sure you get the entire leaf. If you rip the leaf, leaving the base still attached to the stem, it will not be able to grow roots or a new plant. This is what the leaves will look like if they are properly pulled from the stem remaining fully intact.
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After you have successfully removed the lower leaves you will be left with a small rosette on a long bare stem. I like to call the next step decapitation propagation. Not sure if that’s the technical term, but it rhymes and we’re going to cut its head off so… I use a pair of craft scissors, but a sharp knife would work great as well. We now have a bunch of leaves, a stump and a cute little plant with a short stem.
Now we wait. Before we can place our leaves on soil to begin growing new plants we must let the ends dry out and callous over. In addition to letting the leaves callous over, we must also let the end of the stem on the rosette dry out as well. This could take anywhere from a few days to a week or so. Once you feel like the ends are dry enough, you can place them on top of some well-draining cactus or succulent soil. After a few weeks you will see little pink roots sprouting from the ends of the leaves and then teeny tiny baby plants will begin to grow. I water the leaves very rarely until I start to see roots or babies appearing. I let my baby plants grow in rows like this until I start to notice the “mother leaf” starting to wither. At that point I will carefully remove the leaf in the same fashion I removed it from the original stem, and then place the baby plant in its own pot. This can be tricky as you don’t want to accidentally remove the roots with the leaf, so you may want to play it safe and let the leaf fall off on its own. Keep in mind, not every leaf will grow a new plant. Some leaves just wither away, some will take root while never growing a new plant, and some might even grow a plant, but never root.
Now back to our original plant, the reason we did all this! Once the stem has dried out and calloused over, simply place your plant back in a pot with well-draining cactus or succulent soil and it will grow roots again and continue to flourish! Isn’t succulent propagation amazing?
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Using succulents at your wedding 1 IN THE MIX
If you want to think beyond flowers at your wedding, consider succulents. The fleshy plants, which include cacti, can be just as romantic as their botanical counterparts, and work beautifully on their own or mixed together. For this bridal bouquet, Chicago florist Fleur did just that, pairing succulents with charm peonies, poppies, ranunculus, scabiosa, and dusty miller.
2 ON A LAPEL
The lapel of this groom’s Mads Nørgaard suit was gussied up with a mint-green succulent and silvery brunia wrapped in pale pink ribbon, which pulled in the shades of his floral bow tie by Tux and Tulle.
3 DESSERT DISPLAY
For this centerpiece, succulents,
lotus pods, air plants, and moss created a foundation of green, purple, and gray shades. Lighter hellebore, fritillary, and lady-slipper orchids punctuated it.
4 ROMANCING THE ROSES
In an arrangement that evoked an English garden, succulents and curly fiddleheads contrasted with roses and flowering oregano in mauve tones.
5 SWEETLY INTERTWINED
This decorative wreath combined succulents, branches, air plants, vines, and fresh blooms.
6 BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS
This large arrangement of succulents, Queen Anne’s lace, and dusty miller anchored the bar at a California wedding.
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A PERSONAL TOUCH For a wedding in Texas, the bride’s friend, Leah Proctor of Zinnia and Co., gathered together succulents, delphinium, craspedia, yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, seeded eucalyptus, wax flower, thistle, wheat, herbs, and assorted grasses for the bouquet.
8 CLASSIC CONFECTION
This cake featured sugar succulents on a snowy fondant canvas.
9 BY THE NUMBERS
Succulents, craspedia, and vintage metal numbers from Etsy vendor Junk Genius sat atop wood blocks to create a rustic centerpiece at a wedding in the southern California desert.
Decorating | 15
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10 LEAFY DECOR
“We both love greenery,” said a groom, who made these wreaths of succulents, umbrella ferns, asparagus ferns, passion vine, and tillandsia to grace the doors of the church in Upstate New York, where he was getting married. “It suited us more than the usual flowers.”
11 SIGNATURE STYLE
To enliven a wedding space in Palm Springs, glass jars stenciled with the couple’s initials and filled with succulents were placed on tables. Metal jars potted with greenery and flowering plants also added a special touch.
12 VINTAGE ARRANGEMENT
Succulents, thistle, scabiosa, millet, baby’s breath, and garden roses made up this stunning centerpiece.
13 TO-GO TREAT
Sarah and Jordan wanted to give their 41 guests something living to take home. “I thought
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17 succulents would be perfect,” the bride explained. She and the groom spent the months leading up to the wedding collecting glass containers. Their florist, Lisa Anderson of Sweet Pea Flowers, filled them with the small plants just a couple of days before.
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SWEET SURPRISE Succulents, peonies, and a topper passed down through the family decorated this cake at a Texas barn wedding.
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MODERN RUSTIC Window-box-like centerpieces at a ranch wedding in California brimmed with prickly pear cactus, echeveria, Aeoniums, garden roses, and Spanish moss.
18 ECO-FRIENDLY FAVORS
These take-home escort cards were made from empty dog-food cans that held various succulents. Small tags with table numbers and guests’ names were attached with miniature clothespins.
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19 GREEN TABLESCAPE
16 NATURAL BEAUTY
20 TAKE-HOME TERRARIUMS
At this wedding, a tiny succulent awaited guests at place settings. It sat atop a napkin decorated with hand-dyed silk ribbon and a calligraphed favor box. Succulents, fresh millet, and bay laurel filled a bouquet for a bride getting married in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Succulents, an abundance of eucalyptus, and glowing mercury glass votives decorated long wooden reception tables at a San Francisco wedding. These mini terrariums were assembled weeks in advance of the ceremony by nesting succulents and air plants in white sand within bud vases.
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How to decorate with succulents For those lacking a green thumb or simply time, succulents make for interesting live decor. Their unique range of shapes, colors and textures is a designer’s dream, and their ease of care and relative low-cost also appeal to the budget-savvy home decorator.
Outdoor Ideas Cluster potted succulents along a walkway, on a porch or by your door to add color in an easyto-maintain container garden or hang them in baskets. Use low-lying pots and mix a variety of succulents in each one for a full, visually stunning effect. Base plant choices on the colors of your home, using succulents in shades that complement or match the exterior. Cut several 3-inch pieces off of mature succulents and leave these sitting out for four to five days, or until the cut portion becomes hard. Obtain a plant wreath, available at larger garden centers, and plant the cuts in the planting medium, spacing them to give them room to grow. Wait a few weeks for roots to develop and then hang the wreath on your door or over your garage for a bright, earthy burst of color that transitions through all seasons. Alternate small pots holding single succulents with lights or candles along a walkway. During the day, the succulents will add color, and during the night, the lights will illuminate the space.
Indoor Ideas Arrange potted succulents in the center of a dining, coffee or end table as a small centerpiece. Use several small pots with one or two to three varieties in each one or create one large center piece using a bigger pot and a wide selection of plants. Succulents are the perfect live plant for this type of decor because they are typically low-lying enough to not interrupt the line of sight across a table. Collect pots that fit inside the openings of a pot rack without falling through. Plant succulents in these pots, arrange them in the rack, and hang them from the ceiling for a bright decorative alternative to an overhead light fixture or to liven up a sunroom. Make a terrarium by planting succulents in decorative, clear glass containers. Place these throughout your home for a no-fuss means of bring the outdoor in. As a general rule, live plants go with any type of decor and can make even the simplest space feel more “done.�