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Blue Fox Farm
 

Containers for Succulents

can range from the unique to the common. No matter what planter, pot or container you choose, the more rustic and unusual the better. Your succulents will look fabulous on your deck or patio in groups as an accent, or in a fantastic huge container as a focal point.

Imagine a rustic moss covered urn planted with a mixture of gorgeous succulents spilling over the side placed at the top of some stone steps.

Think outside the box when choosing your containers, keeping in mind a few key points such as drainage, soil type and sun exposure.

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.

If your container is to be displayed in full sun, metal isn't a good choice as it even gets too hot for the roots of heat loving succulent plants so display those containers where they'll only get morning sun. 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.

Sempervivum in a recycled satellite dish 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, 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. Strawberry pot filled with succulents 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 as I've done here, a sacrificial basket collected from the recycle center at the local landfill.

Hypertufa pot Hypertufa can also make great trough gardens.

Keep your eyes peeled at garage sales, flea markets or thrift stores for treasures to plant your succulents in...

Shoes and boots

...and if all else fails, use your recycling to make containers.

tin cans for succulent containers

I always watch out for twigs with a twist to use for handles on old tool boxes, 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.

more tin cans

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.

Most succulents are happier in a group planting for the summer, and in the fall you can take it apart to put the tender ones inside for the winter.

Succulents in an old wheelbarrow

Please note: Hardy Sedum and Sempervivum are not happy inside 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..



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