Do you want to create a perfect succulent arrangement that will add life to your garden or indoor spaces? If so, then there are a few things you need to know about pairing these sun-loving plants. Most succulents already look fabulous on their own, but they can look even better when they are arranged together. The primary goal is to know which succulents can be grown together to save your time and effort in caring for the plants.
So, what succulents go well together in a succulent arrangement? The truth is that there are many types of succulents, and if you want to arrange these plants, a general rule is to choose those with similar needs. If you pair succulents with similar needs, they will grow in harmony and maintain a beautiful appearance throughout their time together. Mixing plants with different needs will not do you any good. For instance, Graptosedum California Sunset is a wild summer grower, while Crassula is a winter grower. So, planting these two together wouldn’t be a good idea at all.
This article discusses critical things you need to evaluate when determining which succulents go well together to avoid losing some of the plants. Read on to learn more.
Which Succulents Can Be Paired Together?
Almost all kinds of succulents can be paired together, but you still need to consider a few things to ensure your pairing and arrangement will survive over the long term.
When choosing which succulents to plant together, the most critical considerations are the conditions for maintenance and the general growth period. Basically, you want to combine succulents with similar care requirements and grow the same season.
Their watering needs, temperatures requirements, light requirements, humidity requirements, and even fertilizer requirements should be similar.
You should also pay attention to other things such as their form, color, and texture, which are crucial to developing a visually-appealing succulent arrangement.
So, what criteria should you follow when determining which succulents can go well together in your succulent arrangement? Let us find out.
1. General Care Requirements
Most succulents are generally easy-care plants. They all can store water in different parts (roots, stems, and leaves) and are drought-resistant.
However, you need to remember that some succulent species require more water than others. Some prefer exposure to full sunlight, while others thrive under shade. Some succulents are winter-dormant, while others are summer-dormant.
Hardy succulents can easily withstand freezing temperatures and frost, but the tender species are less tolerant to extremely harsh weather conditions.
Therefore, when planting succulents together, consider their general care needs such as water requirements, growth season, temperature, and light requirements.
Generally, succulents with thin leaves usually require more water than their thick-leaved counterparts. So, if you mix thin-leaved and thick-leaved succulents and supply them with the same amount of water, you risk losing one of them due to either underwatering or overwatering.
If you must plant them together, then you will be forced to give the thin-leaved succulents a “direct dose” of water while trying to leave the other succulents dry. This alone can turn out to be a lot of work which you can avoid if you choose your succulent pairings carefully.
2. Height
Besides the growth needs, it is also good to consider the height of your succulents while planting them together. Generally, your succulent arrangement should have a thriller, filler, and spiller.
Choose the tallest succulent you can lay your hands on as the thriller because its primary job is to make the entire arrangement look outstanding. Relatively shorter succulents can be used around the thriller as fillers.
You also need to find some trailing or cascading succulents to serve as spillers to make your succulent arrangement complete.
Some of the tall-growing succulents you can use as thrillers include Sansevieria and Aeonium. Short growing succulents that serve as great fillers include Sempervivum, and Echeveria while some examples of cascading/trailing varieties include String of Pearls, String of Hearts, Sedum, and Senecio.
Keep in mind that these are only a few examples, but there are numerous options for each category that you cannot exhaust. Feel free to apply your own ideas and go with something that looks good to your eyes.
3. Color
Generally, choosing a good theme for your succulent home arrangement is relatively easy. Whether you want it to be monochromatic or colorful, there are many different kinds of succulents that can make your combination look great.
There are three main ways to combine colors in your succulent arrangement; analogous, monochromatic, and complementary.
For a monochromatic arrangement, you need to combine succulents with the same colors but with different shades. For instance, the typical green succulents come in various hues. Therefore, you can easily make more textured succulent arrangements using different shades of the same color.
In an analogous arrangement, your primary goal is to combine succulents with colors sitting next to each other in the primary color wheel. For instance, yellow, yellow-green, and green are excellent analogous arrangements that provide you with different options when picking succulents.
A complementary arrangement calls for the use of colors found on opposite sides of the color wheel. For instance, you can use green and red in your arrangement.
4. Shape and Texture
You can easily achieve an interesting succulent arrangement by using various plants with different shapes, textures, heights and other special features such as hairs.
You can always choose among the relatively tall and upward growing succulents such as Aeonium or Sansevieria or go with rosette-forming succulents such as Echeveria and Sempervivum.
Your options are truly endless when it comes to choosing succulent shapes and textures. As long as the plants you choose have similar care requirements, you are good to go.
You can also play with succulents with varying heights to achieve something more interesting. Some gardeners prefer to create a relatively uniform design using succulents of the same height but different colors and textures.
Some succulents such as Aloe Vera, Haworthia, and Gasteria usually provide a fantastic texture with their unique white markings. Any type of cacti will also add wonderful texture to your arrangement with their spines and unique stems.
Although most succulents are popular for their unique stems and chubby leaves, some of them produce stunning flowers during the flowering season.
So, if you include a flowering succulent in your arrangement, you can be sure of enjoying a beautiful floral display during the blooming season.
5. Pots and Containers
Pots and containers also play a critical role in determining which succulents can grow together in a succulent arrangement. Choosing the right container and experimenting with its shape, scale, texture, and even color can be as fun as arranging your succulents.
When choosing a growing pot to use in your succulent arrangement, go for one with color, texture, and shape that will either complement your succulents or offer a fascinating contrast. Don’t choose a growing pot just for the sake of it.
Gardening experts with plenty of experience in succulent arrangement say that choosing a pot carefully can make a significant difference since there are different forms of top dressing, such as broken blocks or pebbles, that will only look good in specific types of containers.
Can You Combine Succulents with Other Plants?
The simple answer is “yes.” Although we have been talking about succulent arrangements exclusively, it doesn’t mean that you cannot combine succulents with other types of plants to achieve a truly mesmerizing arrangement.
Combining succulents with herbs usually works best because most herbs are used to survive in the kitchen. It means they have developed some level of drought resistance and love bright light. Furthermore, they usually don’t require a lot of care and maintenance to thrive.
It means that herbs resemble most succulents in their growth and general care needs. Additionally, herbs tend to add a range of colors and textures to your succulent arrangement. They even have unique fragrances that give a new dimension to your succulent garden.
Some of the herbs that can be grown together with succulents include Oregano, Curry, Savory, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Sage, and Lavender.
The most important thing you need to pay close attention to when growing herbs and succulents together is how you water your plants. This is because most herbs are used to growing in-ground and are usually provided with slightly more moisture than succulents.
Therefore, if you combine herbs and succulents in your succulent arrangement, you need to give your herbs slightly more water than succulents. You can still use regular succulent soil in your container but find a way of watering the herbs slightly more than your succulents.
Final Thoughts
Combining several succulents in one pot helps to accentuate their beauty. You can even pair succulents with non-succulents and play around with your design to see what you can achieve.
However, if you decide to pair succulents and non-succulents, ensure the potting mix you use is specially formulated for succulent plants.
The truth is that there is no limit to your succulent arrangement possibilities, and everything is 100% possible. So, don’t be afraid to take your chances and experiment until you find something that works perfectly for you!
Last update on 2023-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
