Health & Fitness
June: All About Succulents
Succulents (In Latin, succos translates to sap or juice) are uniquely, designed plants that store water in their leaves, stems and roots. They have adapted to an arid environment by being able to live in climates that are too dry for most other plants. Through evolution, hundreds of unusual and dramatic shapes, textures and colors have emerged. Since these plants don’t require as much attention (watering, pruning or deadheading), they make perfect container plants for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. (You can even take a summer vacation without begging a neighbor to water your plants!) Succulents offer many design possibilities for pots, wreaths, rock gardens, vertical gardens for gates or fences and even rooftop gardens for birdhouses. Planting a succulent container can also become a fun and low-maintenance project—perfect for kids and busy adults. Just let your imagination be your guide.
To begin the process of creating an outdoor container... 1. First, choose a pot with excellent drainage. 2. Select your plants. To create a tapestry of color and texture, pair contrasting colors such as icy blue, crimson, chartreuse, lavender and sea-glass green with spiraling shapes and different heights. To create balance and stability in your design, plant in odd numbers, shapes or colors. If the pot is to be viewed on all sides, a pyramidal design works well—tall plants in the center and and low-growing ones around the sides.3. When arranging plants, place them close together. When the roots are confined, the plants will not outgrow their container as quickly.
Caring for Succulents
Drainage: Succulents need soil with good drainage or their roots will rot. Water is stored in the leaves or stems and accounts for their thicker shapes.
Light: Indoors, they need bright light (south-facing window) but outdoors they can grow in sun to partial sun, or filtered light. All are very tolerant of heat.
Water: Water when first planted. After that, allow the soil to dry out between watering. Most plants die because of rot from over-watering—not as a result of drought.
Fertilize: For most succulents, provide a dose of nourishment once in the summer with a balanced, 10-10-10 fertilizer.
Flowers: The succulents’ unusual leaves are the main focus. However, many plants such as Sempervivum or Echeveria will surprise gardeners with star-shaped flowers on tall, over-arching stems. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana will bloom in clusters of pink, red, orange, yellow or white flowers.
Plant palette to ponder:
Hens-and-chicks (Echeveria elegans): Echeveria leaves form flat, rosettes with rounded edges. They flower in arching, bell-shaped blooms every year. They are native to Mexico and Central America but not hardy in the Midwest.
Hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum tectorum): Sempervivum foliage also forms into rosettes, but each leaf tends to be flatter and more pointed. Both varieties of hens-and-chicks produce young plants or ‘chicks’ that surround the mother ‘hen’ plant. The ‘hen’ plant will flower with pink, star-shaped blooms and die after flowering. The young ones will continue this cycle. In Latin, sempervivum means "ever living." These plants are perennials in our area.
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata): This classic and long-lived South African native has thick, green and glossy leaves that tint with red in bright light. The stems will get bark-like and the plant resembles a small tree as it matures. Jade plants are not hardy in our zone.
Flapjacks, Paddle plant (Kalanchoe luciae): Broad, paddle-shaped leaves are blue-green, sometimes tinted with a blush of red in cooler temperatures. Bring inside when temperatures go below 45 to 50 degrees.
Aeonium (Aeonium): This succulent resembles a larger version of hens-and-chicks except the rosette of leaves sit on top of a thick, stalk-like stem. It is native to the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean area of North Africa. They like bright, filtered light in summer and cannot take temperatures below 45 degrees. Most Aeonium display green leaved, rosettes’ but some boast cream, red or purple coloring. However, the black-purple Aeonium ‘Schwartzkopf ‘is a real showstopper. (It needs brighter light to keep its deep color.)
Stonecrop (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’): Feathery, chartreuse foliage forms a low-growing mat. It blooms with yellow flowers from June to August in zones 5-8. Leaves turn a reddish-orange in autumn. This succulent thrives in full sun and tolerates light shade as a groundcover or a trailing and mounding, container plant.
Burro’s Tail (Sedum morganianum): This unusual, trailing succulent can mature to three feet long. The delicate, gray-green leaves on this Mexican native thrive in medium to high light in a shaded location. If you are lucky, pink or red flowers might appear at the end of the summer. It is not winter hardy in our area.
Panda Plant (Kalanchoe tomentosa): This variety of Kalanchoe is a native of Madagascar. Soft, silvery hairs cover thick, green leaves and give them a blue-gray and furry appearance. The margins on the leaves have markings of brown or rust tones. The Panda plant prefers medium to bright, filtered light and must be moved indoors when temperatures drop.
See more at: http://www.pasquesi.com/expert-advice/maintenance-tips/797-june-all-about-succulents.html#sthash.BbX...
Caring for Succulents
Drainage: Succulents need soil with good drainage or their roots will rot. Water is stored in the leaves or stems and accounts for their thicker shapes.
Light: Indoors, they need bright light (south-facing window) but outdoors they can grow in sun to partial sun, or filtered light. All are very tolerant of heat.
Water: Water when first planted. After that, allow the soil to dry out between watering. Most plants die because of rot from over-watering—not as a result of drought.
Fertilize: For most succulents, provide a dose of nourishment once in the summer with a balanced, 10-10-10 fertilizer.
Flowers: The succulents’ unusual leaves are the main focus. However, many plants such as Sempervivum or Echeveria will surprise gardeners with star-shaped flowers on tall, over-arching stems. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana will bloom in clusters of pink, red, orange, yellow or white flowers.
Plant palette to ponder:
Hens-and-chicks (Echeveria elegans): Echeveria leaves form flat, rosettes with rounded edges. They flower in arching, bell-shaped blooms every year. They are native to Mexico and Central America but not hardy in the Midwest.
Hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum tectorum): Sempervivum foliage also forms into rosettes, but each leaf tends to be flatter and more pointed. Both varieties of hens-and-chicks produce young plants or ‘chicks’ that surround the mother ‘hen’ plant. The ‘hen’ plant will flower with pink, star-shaped blooms and die after flowering. The young ones will continue this cycle. In Latin, sempervivum means "ever living." These plants are perennials in our area.
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata): This classic and long-lived South African native has thick, green and glossy leaves that tint with red in bright light. The stems will get bark-like and the plant resembles a small tree as it matures. Jade plants are not hardy in our zone.
Flapjacks, Paddle plant (Kalanchoe luciae): Broad, paddle-shaped leaves are blue-green, sometimes tinted with a blush of red in cooler temperatures. Bring inside when temperatures go below 45 to 50 degrees.
Aeonium (Aeonium): This succulent resembles a larger version of hens-and-chicks except the rosette of leaves sit on top of a thick, stalk-like stem. It is native to the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean area of North Africa. They like bright, filtered light in summer and cannot take temperatures below 45 degrees. Most Aeonium display green leaved, rosettes’ but some boast cream, red or purple coloring. However, the black-purple Aeonium ‘Schwartzkopf ‘is a real showstopper. (It needs brighter light to keep its deep color.)
Stonecrop (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’): Feathery, chartreuse foliage forms a low-growing mat. It blooms with yellow flowers from June to August in zones 5-8. Leaves turn a reddish-orange in autumn. This succulent thrives in full sun and tolerates light shade as a groundcover or a trailing and mounding, container plant.
Burro’s Tail (Sedum morganianum): This unusual, trailing succulent can mature to three feet long. The delicate, gray-green leaves on this Mexican native thrive in medium to high light in a shaded location. If you are lucky, pink or red flowers might appear at the end of the summer. It is not winter hardy in our area.
Panda Plant (Kalanchoe tomentosa): This variety of Kalanchoe is a native of Madagascar. Soft, silvery hairs cover thick, green leaves and give them a blue-gray and furry appearance. The margins on the leaves have markings of brown or rust tones. The Panda plant prefers medium to bright, filtered light and must be moved indoors when temperatures drop.
See more at: http://www.pasquesi.com/expert-advice/maintenance-tips/797-june-all-about-succulents.html#sthash.BbX...
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