The terrestrial flora is rich and diverse. Among the usual trees, shrubs, herbs growing in certain natural areas, there are special plants that differ in appearance and in the way of survival in dry times. This group of evergreen fleshy centenarians was called succulents, which means the ability to accumulate moisture in their tissues. A sufficiently developed shell and a slowed-down process of evaporation in the daytime ensure the preservation of water in swollen leaves and stems.
Succulents - Outdoor Perennials
Only plants with special tissues that can store water can survive in regions with difficult arid climatic conditions. People have learned to grow succulents in a comfortable home environment. Succulents on the street are still used as an exotic decoration. Bright flowers of cacti and their fleshy leaves unusual in appearance decorate and revitalize sunny gardens. Unusual pottery compositions, skillfully composed of different types of succulents, began to appear on the streets more often.
Potted compositions on the street
Levy
Among the succulents, a low bush, covered with large, bulb-like inflorescences, occupies a special place. This is levisia. The plant is characterized by similarity with a living bouquet. The combination of numerous colors and shades converged in a small drought-resistant bush.
Young
The young flower is an ideal succulent for creating alpine slides, their lower tier. During flowering, it is especially similar to a cactus without thorns, accidentally caught in the middle lane. It is not difficult to grow young, to breed an exotic plant, it is able to take root in any soil, even without roots.
Bacopa
The ampelo grown in hanging baskets looks originally in the street design of the bacopa. Its unusualness is expressed in small leaves and flowers of different colors (blue, white, pink). These creeping succulents are able to form a root system at any place where its shoots come into contact with the soil. A wonderful combination of flowers and shapes is obtained in the neighborhood with other flower plants. Here you can experiment as much as you like.
Dorotheantus
For this miniature South African plant, the decoration of the gardens became a characteristic feature. Succulents in the garden in the form of this bush transform the territory with bright flowers and shoots of an unusual appearance. Many flower growers have chosen this look, similar to the usual daisies, which begins to bloom in June and ends in mid-autumn. Such a long flowering period is possible with proper care. Green with shimmer leaves, covered with shining villi, multi-colored and even two-tone buds emphasize the unusual stems.
Appenia
The South African and South American continents gave another evergreen plant called aptenia. The peculiarity is expressed in the name, which in Greek means that aptenia blooms at noon. The name is true. Fleshy leaves of bright green color wedge-shaped with smooth edges have the opposite location. Small round flowers bloom in their sinuses, highlighting with all shades of purple.
For your information! When the succulents in the country finish flowering, seed buns appear in their place.
Delosperm
It stands out among succulents by the appearance of unusual salt crystals on a green surface, which resembles an ice sheet on leaves. Low shrubs are covered at the time of flowering with bright multi-colored scattering of petals. At home, they grow as perennial succulents, only some species manage to survive the winter in summer garden plantings.
Delosperma - representative of a succulent genus
Euphorbia myrtifolia
Gardeners fell in love with euphorbia (Euphorbia) for its beauty and undemanding conditions. Varieties of annuals and perennials, bushes of evergreen and tree-like frost-resistant plantings are known. Euphorbia its decorative and originality contributes to the design of borders, flower beds. It is used in garden or park areas when creating a rocky hill or rock garden. Different plants are planted there along with milkweed.
Ragwort
The number of flowering varieties is large, the genus Krestovnik, with about 1200 species, is considered the most numerous among them. Some of them attract with unusual silver-colored foliage, another part has bright flowers, similar to familiar daisies, and the third part best decorates, for example, the coastline of a country pond. Herbs stand out from the species diversity. Known tree-like crosses (African species), shrubs, creepers.
For your information! Some similarities to watercress gave the name of the plant in the Russian manner.
Variety of species
Ground cover or creeping succulents
Gardeners, landscape designers are known for plants, which are called ground cover species. Their essence is that these undersized, and sometimes creeping seedlings are actively distributed over the area, capturing the territory in a special way. It turns out a kind of carpet of creeping succulents.
Stonecrop
This flowering beautiful plant fell into the middle latitudes, like other succulents, from dry American, African, Eurasian regions.
Note! In addition to decorative features, stonecrop (another name - sedum) is known as a medicinal painkiller that heals burns and injuries. Extracts from stonecrop juice are widely used in the manufacture of medicines, as well as for culinary purposes.
It survives drought due to its natural ability to absorb and retain water in the leaves. The stems of the sedum are erect up to 80 cm high with inflorescences of different shades and shapes.
Succulents in the flowerbed
Nature has not deprived exotic vegetation of an arid climate. It was there that perennials with fleshy thick leaves took root. People learned to grow them at home a long time ago, succulents began to appear in flower beds, although this is a rare phenomenon so far. But the sunny garden is suitable for cultivation. You can try to plant in a small area in the form of annuals.
Landscaping will only benefit from the presence of voluminous flowerpots with rare plants on the street.
Succulents in the flowerbed
How to create a garden of succulents with your own hands in the country
By inexperience, from the noblest motives of mono from a beautiful flowerbed to get a flower mess. Here, decisions resulting from an emotional outburst are unacceptable. Garden succulents will be lost in this turmoil, all their charm will become an unsightly spot.
As in any serious business, here you need to plan, carefully think through everything, how to break up the site, what seedlings to prepare.
- It is necessary to prepare for planting several identical copies, an odd amount of each is preferable.
- Schematically depict in which places, which color spots will be placed.
- Keeping symmetry, distribute a repeating color cycle, that is, you need to draw a flower garden.
- Pay attention to the arrangement of plants with silver color to give harmony, completeness to the design plan.
Important! In the case of using flower containers, their large dimensions should be noted.
Self-grown Succulents Garden
Alpine hill succulents
For example, in the Moscow Region you can improve your garden by arranging a man-made rock garden. This action is bold, every lover of flower business is able to originalize on his site. For this purpose, street succulents are used. An ideal place would be a well-lit part of the garden. In the background is the facade of the building.
However, before designing, proceeding with the design of the garden, it will not hurt to work with special literature and enrich knowledge about the plant world.
Succulents in the garden: planting and care
Unusually beautiful and unpretentious in leaving - so are characterized by succulents. In any region: in Siberia, the Urals and the western regions, the requirements are the same. They need large quantities of light, a convenient container or pot for growth, and minimal care for the grower.
Housing design, public institutions benefit from the cultivation of unpretentious peduncles.
Succulents in the open ground: how to winter
Wintering of succulents in temperate regions became possible thanks to passion, resourcefulness of gardeners and florists. It was through the efforts of enthusiasts that cacti and other southern representatives of the plant world entered the open ground. There were succulents for the garden, even wintering, developed agrotechnical methods of cultivating them in open space.
What soil to plant
Oddly enough it sounds, but you need to grow succulents in open ground in loose, poor, clay and even stony soil. Such conditions allow moisture and air to freely penetrate to the roots. Regarding clay soil, experts have the opinion that this mineral substrate meets the basic requirements:
- inertia;
- chemical neutrality;
- ability to retain water;
- aeration
- strength.
Note! As soil disintegrants, river sand, fine gravel, activated, but not medical coal, can be used.
It is not worth overfeeding succulents, because of this they bloom less often, the color of flowers fades, needles do not develop enough, plants lose their survival during the wintering period.
Alpine slide in the yard
Fertilizer
Florists should not often be watered, fed with chernozem, and succulents heated in winter. Winter is the time when it is better to leave the plants alone, not to fertilize. Excess fertilizer provokes the growth of multiple thin, weak shoots.
In spring, top dressing is carried out no more than 1 time per month with fertilizers of low concentration. Special mineral supplements can be purchased at flower shops.
Diseases and pests of succulents
Beautiful undemanding plants have earned popularity due to the bizarre form and ease of care. But they can get sick from improper care, damage by insects or fungi, rot.
Therefore, it is necessary:
- observe the regime of watering, recharge;
- provide the bottom of the landing fossa with a drainage mixture;
- there should be a hole at the bottom of the vase;
- propagate in a vegetative way in spring and summer with the exposure of the cuttings before planting for several days in the air, thereby protecting against the penetration of parasites into the slice.
Distribution in gardens, parks of succulents is justified. Originality, originality of natural creation create a good mood, ennobling the territory. The main thing is to choose the right plant species and provide them with proper care.
