Photo by Laura Arsie
A guide to succulents
With their stunning rosettes in a variety of juicy colours, tender succulents are perfect for pots—and easy-care, too
Toronto gardener Barry Parker has a weakness for succulents—those intriguing plants with fleshy leaves, odd blooms and sculptural shapes. “They appeal to me visually,” he explains, “I like rosette forms and a lot of them do grow that way.” His love of these beauties—from hardy varieties such as hens and chicks (*Sempervivum*) to tender specimens such as echeveria—has resulted in a vast collection 20 years in the making.
His many tender succulents include varieties of *Aeonium*, *Echeveria*, *Senecio* and *Pachyphytum*, but his favourites are the agaves (*Agave*). He has about 25 different ones and loves their spiky rosettes because “they are structurally fierce and strong.”
Adapted to windy, mountainous or desert conditions, succulents are the camels of the plant world. By conserving water in their thick, fleshy leaves and plump stems, they can survive the driest of conditions, making them an excellent choice for oft-neglected containers. When Parker plants up a succulent container, he likes to really pack them in tightly. “They are pretty tough and will fit in a small space very easily,” he says. For soil, use a cactus mix or create one with equal portions of coarse sand, potting soil and perlite. Good drainage is the most important thing to keep in mind—over-watering is the number-one cause of succulent death. “Give them good soil and water them thoroughly when completely dry and you’ll be rewarded with robust and happy plants,” says Parker.
The other main requirement for these desert transplants is light. Parker’s pots are set outside during the summer to drink up the sun. Over winter, the larger ones sit in a south-facing window and the smaller ones are under lights in his basement. In spring, they are brought out in gradual stages to acclimatize them to the stronger outdoor sun. Apart from that, according to Parker, the best thing to do with succulents is simply “look at them and enjoy them.”
**Learn more about these unique green treasures and how they can be the perfect addition to your container garden**
**A SUCCULENT SELECTION**
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