How To Grow Succulents That Survive
Looking for a great way to create more color in your gardens with little effort? Outdoor succulent gardens can be an easy way to bring a bold statement to wherever it is needed around your home. Succulents thrive on patios, decks and balconies as well as in your garden. They brighten up pool-side hangouts, bring life to front-door walkways and add intrigue and variety to your gardening life. Succulents can be grown outside in almost all climates and are relatively low-maintenance. They do well in the ground as well as in planters that can be moved indoors and outdoors depending on the weather and the season.
What Do Garden Succulents Need?
If you are thinking about growing succulents outside, there are three major things that you will need to take into consideration. These three things are essential to know before you choose the types of succulents you want to plant as well as where in your garden you choose to plant in order to successfully grow succulents outside.
First, you will need to know what the temperature range is for your area during both the summer and winter. Secondly, you will need to look at how much rainfall your area gets and for how long. Lastly, it’s important to know how intense sunlight is in each area that you wish to plant outdoor succulents—how long and from where the sunlight comes. You might think that all succulents can handle direct sun, and while all succulents like several hours of daylight, some will burn or fade if left in direct sunlight for too long. Similarly, it’s sort of a misconception that succulents can tolerate dry conditions for long periods of time. While some varieties can, most benefit from regular watering during their active growing season. Others will easily contract root rot if watered too often. Like all other plants, succulents are most successful when thoughtfully planted and taken care of, though, they can take more neglect than more fragile plant types.
How To Plant Succulents Outdoors
Again, the most important thing you can do when planting succulents outdoors is to make sure that you are planting the right kinds for the conditions most common to your garden or area you want the plants to live. Most succulents will need more drainage than other kinds of plants. Native soils and container soils will need to be augmented with other materials like coarse sand, pumice or small rocks to increase water drainage during rainy seasons. Make sure to only water as needed to avoid overwatering. Water a maximum of once a week in the summer. You don’t need to completely soak the soil as you might do with other plants and do not water if it has rained recently. Always provide shade to those succulent plants that do not like full sun to prevent burning or browning.
