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by Lisa

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Succulent Garden

If you are in a region that is often hit by droughts or you live somewhere that practices water-wise landscaping, then a wonderful plant to utilize in your garden is the succulent. They are perfect for smaller gardens and will thrive on patios and decking as well as balconies or other confined areas.

But your drought-resistant garden doesn’t need to be limited to succulents. In this post, you’ll discover some of the best perennial companions to help you create a pretty outdoor succulent garden.

Why Do Succulents Need Companions?

Companion plants add interest and diversity when your succulents are not in bloom. They also highlight the interesting tones and structures of succulents to give the garden more appeal.
What’s more, companion plants bring out the best in your succulents. They offer support, enhance nutrient uptake, and promote water conservation. They also add diversity to your landscape, encouraging a natural eco-system to flourish.

The Best Companion Plants for Succulents

When it comes to choosing companions for succulents, there are a lot of great options to choose from.
Ornamental grasses, annuals, and shrubs all work well within a succulent garden. However, one of the best companions is perennials.

These pretty plants need bright light, little water, optimal drainage and circulation, as well as high temperatures. These conditions match succulents perfectly, so will work well as companions in a drought-resistant garden.

Perennials can be used to great effect to give your garden area of succulent plants some contrast and to give the area some focal points when the succulents are not in bloom.

The following perennials share similar growing conditions to succulents and grow fine in confined spaces, which makes them the perfect companions for your succulents.

Achillea
Valued for its pleasant smell and beautiful feathery foliage it is long-lasting and comes in a range of colours. It is really easy to care for and is also drought resistant.

Coreopsis
Commonly known as tickseed, they have bright flowers and can grow in any type of soil which makes them great, resilient little additions to your garden. They enjoy the same growing conditions as succulents and also make wonderful cut flowers.

Agapanthus
These are flamboyant and extravagant perennials that are beautifully easy to grow and are great for being pest and disease resistant. They grow in clusters of bushy flowers atop long stalks and will compliment ground covering succulents in particular.

Hemerocallis
Known as daylilies they are beautiful lily-like flowering perennials. They come in a whole host of colours and will grow in most soils with minimal maintenance. They are called daylilies because each flower typically only lasts a single day, being replaced by a new one in the next few days.

Mimulus aurantiacus
It is a bushy evergreen shrub with narrow emerald green leaves and trumpet-shaped flowers. Blooming profusely over a long season they come in a range of colours and are incredibly eye-catching. The perfect foil for leafier succulents.

Gazania
Gazania are brightly coloured daisy-like flowers that can add some delightful contrast to a succulent garden. They grow well in most soils and are hardy individuals that compliment succulents.

Lavandula angustifolia
Ideal for garden borders, cooking and even potpourri it creates wonderful purple flowers and emanates a relaxing aroma. These perennials can offer a cooling contrast to flowering succulents.

Dietes iridiodes
Another evergreen perennial with stalked flowers, they are more delicate flowers that last a few weeks at a time amid long sword-like green leaves. The purples and whites can be cooling accompaniments to blooming succulents.

Anigozanthos
These Australian natives are evergreen perennials that sprout with vibrant red and yellow flowers that cluster at the end of long stalks. Equally hardy in arid conditions they are perfect succulent companions.

Your Quick Guide to Planting an Outdoor Succulent Garden

  1. Choose Your Plants
    Although all succulents thrive in dry, warm climates, it’s still best to research each plant variety so you know it’s optimal growing conditions. Some do well in cracked, rocky terrain, whereas others can tolerate slightly dappled areas.
    Choose a variety of shapes and colours to create an interesting garden. Aloe, kalanchoe, and Aeonium are wonderful choices to get started. Next, choose some pretty perennials to place throughout the succulents.
  2. Choose the Location
    Make sure to check the soil condition by digging a hole around a foot deep and filling with water. It needs to drain entirely within 20-30 minutes for the soil to be optimal for succulents and perennial companions.
  3. Placing Your Plants
    Place taller, larger plants in the centre of your garden and spread the smaller plants around this to add ground cover. The larger plant will give some shade to smaller varieties and give some protection.
  4. Finishing Your Garden
    Spread a layer of pebbles or small stones across the surface of the garden. This will help prevent weeds from growing through and act as a barrier.

Tips For Caring For Your Outdoor Succulent Garden

Succulents are perfect in low water level areas, but they will need more water during summer months. Fortunately, an in-ground succulent will only need watering once a week in the height of summer. Container-bound succulents will need twice that but still relatively little.
During the autumn and winter, outdoor succulents and perennials need far less water as sodden soil can make them more susceptible to freeze damage.
If you aren’t sure which succulents or perennials will thrive in your region, buying from a local nursery is the best option. They will be able to give you expert local knowledge on which ones will survive. No matter what plants you’re looking for, it’s vital to know the optimal growing conditions based on your region for the best results.

Get Started Today

Succulents and companion perennials make the perfect outdoor displays in drought-prone areas. These well-matched plants look beautiful together and it’s easy to create an eye-catching display that’s easy to care for.

Author Bio;

Lisa is the founder of sympathink.com where she shares growing guides, planting calendars, and gardening tutorials. Using over 15 years of hands-on experience, she has created an in-depth plant database to make planting and growing easy no matter your region or climate.