Trying to decide what to plant- plant succulents and sedum!
Why? Why not! Succulents and sedum look wonderful together. The combinations are endless. Succulents come in a variety of colors, shapes, textures, and sizes and sedum is an excellent low to semi-low compliment to most any succulent combination. Sedum is grown both as a groundcover and a filler, but for the purposes of this article, I will be referring to its habit in a container.
Succulents are an excellent choice for bright colorful cheery container plantings. There are several varieties to choose from ranging from the multitude of Echeveria, Kalanchoe, and Euphorbias to name a few. They are popular as they require little to no water and attention. Keep in mind that most all will need protection in freezing temperatures. Here in Austin, a few layers of protection are generally sufficient though to be safe, bring the containers inside.
It can be intimidating at first to start collecting and assembling a container, but the easiest way to get started is to just start! Find one or two that you like and go from there. Easily matched and combined, the combos are endless. The sedum is a perfect way to fill in along the bottom of the pot as most sedum crawls/grows and fills in nicely. You can get creative and go showy and full of color or more subdued and classic looking. You really can’t go wrong with any of the combinations.
We recently made a YouTube video Plant Succulents! In this video, we demonstrate how to pair succulents. We address different combos, soil, and ideas.
Have fun! Mix and match! Get creative!
Pair succulents and sedum with Aloes, Cactus, Yuccas as well Agaves. Don’t feel you have to stick to just succulents. However, you do need to be mindful of the water requirements. The important thing is to make sure your pot has a hole for drainage, pot in well-drained soil, and make sure it gets sunlight. Kept indoors, which people do but I don’t recommend, as a result, they tend to be a little duller in color and will stretch toward the sunlight.
My favorite planting to date is one which my niece planted last summer when visiting. It was her first time experimenting with succulents and I think she did an amazing job. I love how she paired the aloe, kalanchoe, sedum, and echeveria together.
Succulent planter my niece made.
In conclusion, succulents and sedum are a wonderful combination for pots by the front door, by the pool, on tables and really just anywhere you need that pop of color. Plant individually or in groups – grab a few and give them a try!
In addition, if you want to see other examples, read The Citrus are Turning. It is an article I did previously and has additional photos and information you might find useful. In the bottoms of the citrus tree plantings, we assemble for display, and for customers, we often plant succulents and sedum as fillers and thrillers. It turns out beautifully, adding interest, texture as well as color.
