Composition of succulents: principles of creation, selection of plants

Accurate and original composition of cacti and succulents will become a real decoration of the room. Plants that make up it, as a rule, are already unusual and decorative in themselves. When joint planting in the original bowl or vessel, the effect is amplified many times. To make such a composition is possible for everyone, the main thing is to show a little patience, imagination and allocate time for preparation and landing. We will tell you what to look for, what plants to choose, how to arrange them, and how to maintain a mini garden in the proper way.

The right dishes

One of the main advantages of selected plants is a small root system and a low growth rate. This allows you to create spectacular small compositions of succulents with your own hands, which will not take up too much room space. Best for these purposes are suitable wide and low pots, which can be in several tiers, with decorative elements. In terms of color, preference should be given to neutral shades that visually will not distract from plants, but only to emphasize the bright green. Remember one rule: the height of the plate should be about 1/3 of the whole composition. The material of the dishes can be anything: plastic, ceramics, glass and even wood, but necessarily with a drainage layer and holes at the bottom for draining excess moisture during irrigation.

Use decorative powder

It is not only beautiful, but also beneficial to plants. Since the composition of succulents and cacti is located in a small container, the moisture evaporates faster, the roots can become bare. Powdering with fine stone crumbs, glass decorative elements, fine expanded clay, etc., these processes will slow down and protect the root system from overheating. The latter is likely due to the fact that similar mini-gardens require direct sunlight, the only way they will maintain maximum decorative and not stretch, do not grow pale.

Carefully select cacti and succulents of the composition

A master class is the best that can help you in this matter. Especially if you had no previous experience with plants, their systematics. Refer for help to specialists, study the subject literature, as the modern variety of succulent species is very large. From general recommendations it should be noted that plants should be selected as closely as possible in terms of care (irrigation, transplantation, growth rate, lighting, etc.). The proximity of cacti and succulents in this respect is not entirely true, but it looks spectacular. To somehow neutralize the imbalance, choose the most enduring species: mammillaria, rebusia, echinopsis.

Very beautiful looks composition of succulents and cactuses of the same genus. They are in harmony and unity, but meanwhile they differ from one another in form and color. For example, lithopses, or living stones. Amazing plants that look like a hoof grow very slowly, so you do not have to transplant them for a long time.

Do not overdo it with variety. In a small pot with a diameter of 15-20 cm is best to plant 5-7 species, no more. Otherwise, the composition will be overloaded, and the plants will develop in cramped conditions.

Arrange accents

Mini-garden, in which each plant "screams" about its uniqueness, brightness and unusualness, looks strange. Let all of them be amazing, but only a few species should come to the fore, and the rest should harmoniously emphasize them. If your composition is from succulents, then bring to the background a tree-like plant, for example, rosula, euphorbia, stapelia, colonoid cacti. The middle tier should be slightly lower, and the lower one in general can be made from ground cover species, which gradually will hanging over the edge effectively (it is worthwhile to think about the pot on the stem in the form of a glass).

Timely care - half the success

After the selected plants are seated in the right order, the question arises as to how to preserve this unique mini-garden. In fact, there is nothing complicated, and the process of care consists of several main points. First, the removal of excess growth, which begins to interfere with neighboring plants and spoils decorativeness. If the composition of succulents is done correctly, then the need for a transplant will not arise for at least 2 years. Secondly, watering. It should be regular (in the case of cacti do not forget about the rest period in winter) and neat. Direct the water jet to the largest leaves or stones, so that it gradually reaches the surface of the soil. You can use a drip system. To drain excess moisture should be drainage holes and a tray.

The best views for creating a mini garden

Before you make a composition of succulents yourself, we recommend that you pay attention to the following plants. This collection of the most interesting from the point of view of decorativeness and simplicity in terms of leaving succulents:

• Crassula, or thick-skinned, is a beautiful plant with fleshy, leathery leaves. It grows slowly enough, care is minimal.
• Aloe - a home "healer", known to everyone, can be useful in landscaping. Effective elongated dense leaves with spines will be an ornament of any composition.
• Echeveria is a rosette plant that forms a green rose from small leaves. The shade ranges from saturated emerald to bluish or lilac. In room conditions can bloom unusually and brightly.
• The purification is a succulent with drooping shoots, forming dense green cushions in the open ground, and in pot culture it will elegantly emphasize cacti and lithopses. Shades and forms of leaves are very diverse.
• Stapelia will enjoy not only the spectacular view of the tree, but also with large stellate flowers up to 5-7 cm in diameter.