Containers for SucculentsIdeas, Inspiration and ImaginationContainers for succulents can range from the unique to the common, rustic to classic.Search out rustic salvage to use as fun and funky planters. Your succulents will look fabulous on your deck or patio in groups as an accent, or in a fantastic huge concrete or faux stone urn as a focal point. Imagine how this would look; a rustic moss covered urn planted with a mixture of gorgeous succulents spilling over the side placed at the top of some stone steps, or a unique root planter filled with Sempervivum or rare hardy Orostachys. Think outside the box when gardening in containers, keeping in mind a few key points such as drainage, soil type and sun exposure. Succulent Container Tip:Always make sure your container or pot has good drainage - your succulents can't survive in waterlogged soil, so a drain hole in the bottom is important.However, one cool and unique planting idea that I repeat as a motif in my garden is recycled satellite dishes painted my signature 'Blue Fox' blue. They make perfect shallow dishes for Sempervivum. Be aware of how top heavy large succulents can be, especially when allowed to dry out between waterings, as I recommend. Some of my favorite containers for succulents are terracotta clay pots and hypertufa pots and trough gardens, as they're heavy enough to counterbalance the weight of the top growth. Nothing is worse than coming home after a wind storm to find your whole collection in tatters on the deck. If real hypertufa is too much for you, try making a Styrofoam trough instead. Hypertufa pots are made from a mixture of concrete, peat moss and sand and formed using cardboard or plywood boxes, a piece of plastic draped in a depression in a sand pile to make a free form pot or even a sacrificial basket collected from the recycle center at the local landfill. Newsflash! The Best Succulent Containers Contest 2012 is officially open - enter now! Click on the thumbnails below for more great ideas and inspiration: Keep your eyes peeled at garage sales, flea markets or thrift stores for treasures to plant your succulents in......and if all else fails, use your recycling to make containers. I always watch out for twigs with a twist to use for handles on old tool boxes, twig handled trugs, tin can planters and so on. Find these at the curb when someone has trimmed an old fruit tree, as they'll have interesting shapes. Above all, have fun, and don't hesitate to take any idea you see and run with it. Unsure which plants will do well in containers? I mix and match, sometimes keeping tender succulents together, but quite often a combination of Sedum, Sempervivum and tender succulents looks great in unique planters like these succulents in a wheelbarrow or succulents in enamel ware. The beauty of succulents is their willingness to adapt to any conditions (except excess wetness) and if the planting gets overcrowded, simply take it apart, and start again; fresh soil and a trim will do wonders for an overgrown container of succulents.
For more ideas, see the entries in the Best Succulent Containers Contest 2011, or add your favorite Container for Succulents in the gallery below. Please note: Hardy Sedum and Sempervivum are not happy inside your house in the winter, so leave them in the garden instead. I write this from a zone 5 (Canadian Ministry of Agriculture) perspective, so use your own judgment...
Succulent Planter GalleryHow do you contain your succulents? Share it! Do you have a crafty way to display your collection of succulent plants, Sedum, Sempervivum or other gorgeous Drought Smart Plants? Add your favorite planter to the Gallery for inspiration and ideas. See other Succulent Planter ideas below......click on the links to see the stories by other visitors. Succulent Flower Arranging Succulents aren't just for planting - you can also use them for making incredible flower arrangements - in some cases, these displays can last for weeks ... Driftwood and Old Roots I love using found objects for planters - the funkier the better. Nature provides the most unique and wonderful things to plant into, like this gorgeous ... Succulents in a Glass Fish Tank It's been said that you can't grow succulent plants successfully in a container without a drainage hole - I beg to differ! Here's a way you can plant ... Backyard Succulent Gardener I love succulents!! So this summer I decided to do a succulent tray using up a bunch of small eclectic pots to feature a variety.
Hypertufa Basket
Finding lots of old baskets in the thrift store and garage sales left me trying to find a use for them.
Rustic Salvaged Art
I'm notorious for making really cool planters and other garden art out of pretty much anything that other people see as trash. Succulents in a Pottery Dish I have a collection of plants in a pottery dish and if you can tell me what they are, I promise I'll give them the right kind of care. Antique Wicker Window Box This is actually a very old wicker window box, it's been in my family for three generations. I wondered if I can find out what the plants are, now that ...
Rustic Tool Box
I've always loved antiques, and just plain old salvaged junk to make into unique and different planters for succulents.
What's in this gorgeous succulent planter - I want one!
This is a picture that I've seen several times on the internet, and I think it's one of Thomas Hobbs fabulous planters. Hens and Chicks in a Rusty Kettle I love old rusty funky stuff, and this kettle just begged to be planted with hens and chicks - some people call them houseleeks, or sempervivums - whatever ...
Kiss this frog!
My husband bought me this really ugly green ceramic frog for my birthday one year, and I didn't have the heart to tell him how much I disliked it. Burnt Metal with Sempervivum I found a little odd metal basket in the thrift store, which although it was painted black was really not quite my style. I routinely check to find rustic ...
Rancho Reubidoux Coil Pots
The potters art is highly underrated for planting succulents in - look at these gorgeous coil pots that make the best planters for succulent plants. Succulents in a Rustic Birdcage I've had this little metal birdcage for a long time - originally it had a tea light candle in it, but I decided to burn the paint off it in the bonfire,... Rustic Bicycle Filled with Sedum I was given this old bicycle with a newspaper rack on the front, and filled it with about eight different kinds of Sedum . It gets no special care, and ...
Bonsai succulents
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