How to make a succulent arrangement visually beautiful

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Text and photos: This girl is a bit sweet

Making a succulent arrangement is a very interesting thing, and also one of the gardening steps that many succulent lovers are most passionate about. Just imagining putting your favorite succulents into one pot is satisfying~

Pairing succulents with one another

Birds of a feather flock together, and the same goes for pairing succulents. Although they are all succulent plants, they can actually be divided into two categories: winter-growing types and summer-growing types.

The optimal growing temperature for winter-growing types is 10°C-20°C. Below 5°C or above 30°C they go dormant, and watering is stopped during dormancy. The commonly seen Crassulaceae, Liliaceae and Aizoaceae mostly belong to the winter-growing types. The optimal growing temperature for summer-growing types is above 15°C. Cactaceae and Euphorbiaceae belong to the summer-growing types.

When considering pairings between succulents, you should choose varieties of the same type to make care easier. Because if a summer-growing type in its optimal growing period and a winter-growing type in its dormant period are kept in the same pot, too much water will drown the dormant succulent, while too little water may dry out the summer-growing type that is in its growing period. However, sometimes winter-growing and summer-growing are only relative concepts. Because many succulents will have their habits change as the environment changes, but to be safe, it is still best not to put winter-growing and summer-growing types together~

Columnar succulents used as the main feature should not be placed right in the middle

In pairing succulents, besides looking at the type, you also need to pay attention to the pairing of forms. Common succulents can roughly be divided into columnar and rosette forms. Columnar ones are represented by the genus Crassula; rosette ones are familiar to everyone, such as Echeveria, Aeonium, Sempervivum and Pachyphytum, all belonging to this category.

Making a succulent arrangement is actually the same approach as designing a bonsai or flower arrangement. First, you need to conceive a picture and achieve a well-balanced arrangement of heights. The ways of achieving a well-balanced arrangement can usually be further divided into the following types:

If you only want to create a "one-sided view," then you only need to create the landscape on the side facing your line of sight; if you want to create a "four-sided view," then you need to consider three-dimensional landscaping.

Second, when landscaping, you can refer to two different staggered principles: high, medium, low, and low, high, low. However, special attention should be paid to the fact that the columnar succulent serving as the main feature had best not be placed right in the middle of the pot. It can be placed at the edge of the pot, about 2/3 of the way to the left or right. An overly symmetrical layout, for a succulent bonsai, loses a lot of interest, and the picture appears too rigid and conventional.

Succulents of the same color family should not be paired too close together

In addition to paying attention to diversity in form, color matching is also a profound art in arrangements, and color is even more intuitive than form. Moreover, color also changes with changes in light. Therefore, when pairing succulents, you must also consider the harmony and contrast of colors.

Generally speaking, the colors of succulents are mainly yellow, red, purple, white, black and blue. When pairing, you need to consider the changes in shade. It is best not to group succulents of the same color family together, though gradient color schemes are also very popular now.

In addition, for the succulent serving as the main feature, note that its color should be brighter than the succulents serving as accents, so as to highlight its leading role. If you want to pair succulents of the same color family together, they should not be too concentrated, and you can appropriately add a little companion grass, such as the easy-to-grow golden sedum.

Pairing succulents with containers

Whether a succulent arrangement looks good and cute depends greatly on the choice of container! However, TheNaturePlanet especially reminds you that when choosing a container for succulents, you cannot rely entirely on appearance.

Because succulents are actually very picky about containers. Common containers on the market mainly include plastic pots, terracotta pots, purple clay pots, Korean-style coarse ceramic pots and white porcelain pots. Plastic pots have the best cost-performance ratio, while terracotta pots, purple clay pots and Korean-style coarse ceramic pots have relatively good breathability. All of these pots can be used as containers for growing succulents. Although white porcelain pots are good-looking, their breathability is too poor, and using them to grow succulents can easily cause root rot, so it is best not to choose them.

Rosette-form succulents are suitable for round-mouthed pots

Rosette-form succulents are each plump and round, and are super cute succulents in many people's hearts. With a compact petal-like shape, jelly-like luster, and colorful leaf tips, they are as charming as can be. For this kind of adorable succulent, planting them in a cute round-mouthed pot can add extra points to their charm.

Clustering succulents are suitable for wide-mouthed pots

Clustering succulents, as the name suggests, are succulents that like to grow in clusters. For this type of succulent, planting one leaf can eventually grow into a whole "forest of succulents." Therefore, when choosing a container, the most important thing is to reserve enough space for it to multiply. A large wide-mouthed pot is the best.

Trailing succulents must use tall pots

The posture of trailing succulents is like that of morning glories and pothos, emphasizing graceful, swaying form. Therefore, they must be paired with a taller pot so that the succulents can hang over the pot wall, like hanging grapes, making people's appetites rise.

Columnar succulents are suitable for tapered pots

The legendary "Black Prince" is an advanced variety among succulents, and its price is relatively expensive. However, this type of columnar succulent has a downside: after it grows taller, the leaves below will wither. For this kind of succulent, if you want to show off its tall figure while hiding its withered parts, remember to choose a medium-height pot with a narrowed upper opening. Especially for various old-stem Aeonium, this kind of pot is most suitable~

Create unique containers for growing succulents

Where do these personalized flower pots that make so many succulent lovers envious come from? The personalized pots in the picture are DIY. For example, a broken rice cooker inner pot with a bamboo woven frame added becomes a very stylish flower pot; dried gourds can also be used to grow succulents; and stones with a hollow dug into them are also very unique when planted with succulents.

Besides reusing waste materials, Song Xiaowei also often hunts for treasures at second-hand markets. "Some building materials markets have many ceramic handicrafts with very unique shapes, and the clearance prices are very cheap. They not only have good breathability, but their shapes also have an industrial style. Creating a unique home for them is also a kind of fun~

Negative space design

Use the golden ratio method. Plant the main succulents at a position offset from the center of the pot, and leave the rest of the area unplanted or planted with small plants. By leaving overall negative space, the visual focus will gather on the main succulents.

Quantity design

Generally speaking, an odd number of succulents in an arrangement looks better visually, such as one, three, five, seven or nine. This distribution method is not fixed either; some double-headed succulents also look very good when used directly.

Primary and secondary design

When designing an arrangement, choose one main succulent as the focal point. Design around this main succulent. This kind of design can better highlight the center and play a finishing touch role. The chosen succulent should preferably also be larger in form than the other plants.

Scene design

Use small props to create scenes. Commonly used props include Totoro, farm props and so on. Adding some small props can give the whole scene more room for imagination and a strong sense of immersion.

In addition, a single succulent, such as an old-stem one. Because of its unique form, even in a pot by itself it can present an astonishing beauty.

Succulent care

The editor reminds you that most succulents prefer an environment with plenty of sunlight. If there is insufficient light, it will cause etiolation, making the plant stretch out and the tips become pointed. To avoid this phenomenon, besides letting it receive as much light as possible, you can also plant several pots and place them in rotation. Do not water too much normally, to prevent root rot caused by waterlogged soil, and in severe cases the whole plant may even rot. But do not let it stay dry for a long time either, otherwise the plant will wilt, lack vitality and lose its ornamental value.

Beginner succulent lovers should not fertilize easily. Do not seek too fast a growth rate; it is best to keep the form perfect. For succulents grown mainly for foliage, pay attention to promptly removing dry and rotten leaves. When the plant grows too large and affects the viewing effect, you can repot it at an appropriate time. The method is to carefully take the plant out of the pot, or change to a larger pot and replant it in a new layout. When planting, pay attention to cutting off rotten roots and use loose, breathable, well-drained soil for planting.

Hurry and use your imagination and creativity to create your own one-of-a-kind cute succulent arrangement~

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