by Teri
(Corona, California)
Succulent Mosaic
I am interested in making a living wall, mostly succulents, it will be rather large aprox 3ft by 6ft. I was wondering if you would advise on types best suited. The wall where it will hang will get sun all day.
Drought Smart Plants reply:
Boy, where you are in California you’ll be spoiled for choice! If the area where you garden is frost free, many Echeveria, Pachyveria and tender Sedum species are a great choice.
If you do run the risk of the occasional frost, keep in mind that plants not planted in ground are more inclined to damage. The roots are more delicate than the top growth in many cases.
Here’s some ideas for this type of situation: Any of the hardy Sedum, such as Sedum spurium varieties, and Sedum ‘Angelina’ are great for a textural punch, keep in mind that they will trail, so plant those at the bottom of the vertical garden. Use any of the Sempervivum species such as Sempervivum arachnoideum, those great little cobweb types, and any other that don’t get to be too big. Any of the flat growing types will work as they form a cluster.
Some varieties I recommend are Sempervivum ‘Sprite’, ‘Blue Boy’, ‘Magical’, ‘Crebben’ and ‘Gypsy’, but there are many more to choose from, all more gorgeous than the last.
Plant your vertical garden lying flat, and once the plants are rooted, then you can hang it up. I’ve had varying degrees of success using mesh to hold everything in place – the best product is black deer fence made out of plastic.
Good luck with your project!
Jacki
See these pages for more:
(the Sempervivum Picture Gallery is four pages in total, all linked at the bottom of each page)
