Succulent garden

8 years ago

I recently just started planting a succulent garden, I would love to link up with anyone that has knowledge of best planting and care tips that’s close to my neighborhood! I live in north Encanto Park. I want a very green vibrant garden and need some expert help!!

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Marco

8 years ago

I moved to Tucson from Maine. In gardening terms, it was like moving to Mars. I was determined to have a green garden comprised of desert-suited plants. So I did a lot of reading, and learned about plants from the Sonoran, Mohave, Chihuahuan deserts, and also from adjacent dry regions like California, Baja, New Mexico, Texas. Also read about plants from deserts of Australia, and South Africa. I also looked into Mediterranean natives.

It took me more than a few failures. Not a lot of the world's plants can withstand our annual cycles of frost, furnace heat, blistering drought and drenching monsoons.

Everything benefits from a bit of dribble irrigation during the spring and fall dry seasons. It can be scaled way back during winter dormancy and summer monsoons (lest stuff rot).

One of my goals was to have no thorns, which I eventually gave up on, as succulents, especially cacti, give handsome sculptural effects to what was otherwise becoming kind of brushy and dull.

Almost all desert plants benefit from afternoon summer shade. So have included an acacia farnesiana, an australian willow acacia (so messy I wouldn't plant it again if I were starting over), and a cascolate tree. I inherited a pomegranate tree which in the fall turns gold then sheds, and in spring has pretty orange flowers.

I decided to isolate all my mediterranean plants in a separate side garden, where I can have them all on a like irrigation schedule.

By now, someone has probably told you that succulents sunburn if you accidentally rotate them when planting; most reputable places will have a dot of paint on the rim of the pot, but you need to ask them if their dot represents the north or the south side).

If plants do not all have the same water needs, you'll have to lay in parallel but separate main lines and keep track of which is which (not easy to distinguish when you dig down with a trowel to add a new dribbler).

BTW, October, November, and even early December are good times to plant native perennials (other than cacti, palms, succulents, which prefer to go into warm soil in spring).

In my ignorance, I over-planted, but I love where I am ten years later. Have fun and roll with the successes and laugh at your disasters.

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Comments (9)

MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
ummm, move to Missouri? Honestly Chris, you are living in the desert. Maintaining a "green vibrant garden" will require hours of work every week, plus a certain amount of daily care. You can do this if you create a micro-climate in your yard with a pond, fountains, lots of water. Keeping all those water features free of algae requires lots of work. Hopefully you are independently wealthy and do not have to work a real job every day.

You'd be better off trying an exotic cactus garden. Good luck. Someone here may shoot me down but that is my own opinion. You're not in Missouri/Ohio/Oregon/Maine - pick a state with lots of rain, anymore.
iandyaz
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I agree with Mary that it isn't easy and a lot of work, but it is possible. I have a pretty green back yard with lots of non-native plants and I have a regular job. I just use lots of automatic watering and proper shade. I did lose a very non-native tree that I liked due to the watering hose getting moved without me noticing it for a few weeks, so you have to be ready for the losses that come with it.

The other bigger problem with it, and I don't know if it's really from the plants I've used, but I now have mosquitoes in my back yard which I never had before. I don't use ponds or fountains, but I do have lots of very water hungry plants and that's what I think attracts them. I've been removing certain water hungry plants, trying to figure out which ones are attracting them so much. It makes me kinda sad to dig up a perfectly fine plant that I worked hard to get to the point it is, but I'm quite tired of the little vampires.
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MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
8 years ago
Andy, I've had really good experience with a garlic spray for mosquitos. I think it's called Garlic Barrier. Then, when you are relaxing on the patio it smells like an Italian restaurant!! Try it, it works good.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
The OP indicated she has started a succulent garden - succulents and cacti are extremley xeric plants for the most part and well suited to much of Arizona. It is also possble to have a very lush and green looking succulent garden and with very low water usage.
iandyaz
8 years ago
Thanks Mary, I'll give that stuff a try.
chriswilsonhasmail
Original Author
8 years ago
Hey Gardengal48! Who is the OP lady? Is there a chance I could get in contact with her and come see her garden and chat?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
LOL!! The OP refers to the original poster (you!) or the orginal post. The photos I included were just pulled from Google images under the search criteria "Arizona succulent garden"
chriswilsonhasmail
Original Author
8 years ago
Ohhhh! I’m new to this whole thing so I don’t know all the lingo. Well if anyone knows anyone is Arizona who can help me out hands on please let me know!!