Succulents come in many shapes and sizes and they’ll provide a stylish display with lots of impact when they’re grouped together.
The The period of time when an individual plant is in active growth. This will depend on the local climate and light levels, and can vary between different plants, although it is broadly from spring to autumn.
A group of plants that have thick, fleshy leaves or stems that are able to store water. This allows them to survive in arid habitats with low moisture.
Watering requirements
Where you put your plants and how fast they dry out will determine how often you need to water them. If we have continual wet summer days, outdoor-grown succulents will need to dry out fully – they won’t stay happy for long if they’re soggy.
Growing well
All succulents prefer gritty soil. We use John Innes No.2 and horticultural grit mixed in a 60:40 ratio. You could also add Perlite is a naturally occurring volcanic rock which, when heated to high temperatures, expands to produce lightweight, micro-porous granules. It was traditionally added to compost to aid drainage and aeration, however, its manufacture, packaging and distribution has a big environmental impact, so locally-sourced grit or gravel is now preferred.
Spring is the perfect time to re-pot your plants. Taking cuttings, dividing and re-potting at this time of year will give them the best start to the summer season. If you’re not ready to re-pot your plants make sure you feed them. At the nursery we use low nitrogen fertiliser, which has the correct balance of To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key plant nutrients usually derived from soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are absorbed from the air. Other vital soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough nutrients to promote healthy plant growth.
You’ll need to protect your plants from the cold and wet in autumn and winter – we keep ours in a dry and frost-free greenhouse.
Summer succulent bowl
Have fun displaying your succulents in free-draining bowls. The image below shows our ‘Picture of Summer’ display, that you can be enjoyed all the way through until September.
Ottershaw Cacti
