Have you always wanted the accent piece to wow your guests, and use as a conversation starter? Look no further! Here are a few tips on how make an easy, gorgeous bowl of succulents out of a Crescent Garden Montana Bowl.
SELECTING PLANTS
The first step to succulent gardening is to select your succulents. Just as you would with flowering plants, you can apply the concept of ‘thriller’, ‘filler’, and ‘spiller’. The ‘thriller’ or centerpiece plant, is the main highlight, or the focal point of the planter. It is often taller, with a unique texture and color to make it stand out from the rest of the plants. The ‘filler’ section is the area of plants, medium sized, that represent the bulk of the planter. Without the filler, the planter would look barren. The last section is the spiller, which falls over the edge of the pot. By creating three tiers, you can add another element of intrigue to your planter. If your selection of plants is still looking monotonous, try using different types of plants with large varieties of textures and colors. Remember that not every succulent garden needs to have a desert feel to it. Some can be tropical inspired.
TIPS AND TRICKS AS YOU BUILD YOUR CONTAINER
Clear Roots, Add fresh soil, Provide Adequate Drainage with a drier potting mix
Once you are ready to pot your plants up, you will first want to clean up your bowl and make sure that you have a good working space with fresh dirt. If you are reusing an old planter that has been potted before, make sure that you have cleared out any old root systems, and that you have a new layer of dirt that can provide adequate drainage. Succulents require much drier soil than other plants to ensure proper drainage. Therefore, purchase a mix specific for succulent gardening or if you are making your own be sure you add a good portion of sand mixed in with regular potting mix. Next, fill your planter with your potting mix until it reaches about 1 or 2 inches below the top of the planter. Dig a hole in the middle of the planter and place your centerpiece plant in your planter, securing it with the surrounding potting mix. Afterwards, add in your filler plants, with larger plants towards the back and smaller ones facing towards the front of the planter.
When digging the hole to place your plants in, keep in mind that cacti have very small root systems, which means that they should only be placed in shallow holes to make sure that they don’t end up getting buried. Try tilting your plants toward the edge of the pot so that you are not just seeing the sides, but also the inner parts of the plants, since many of them have unique textures or colors on the inner edges. However, taller, more upright plants do not need to be planted at an angle. When taking your plant out of the growing container, slide it out carefully and loosen the roots before placing it in the hole for better root growth. If there are any brown leaves at the bottom, you can remove them at this point. Continue the process of potting all of your succulents until your planter is filled and arranged to your satisfaction. On the inner parts of the planter, it is best to use symmetry, while on the outer parts it is more eye grabbing if the plants are sporadically arranged.
THE FINAL TOUCHES
Use moss, pebbles or even sand to decorate.
Once you are done potting up all of your plants, here are a few tips on how to finish off the succulent gardening process. Using dried moss, pebbles, or even sand in between plants or simply on the edge of your container can make your planter more nicely finished, by covering up some of the dirt at the edges and bringing another element of texture to your container. Use a paint brush to clean up any dirt around the leaves and edges of your planter. This will make your container look perfect and ready for guests.
