seasonal succulents

I have taken a real interest in succulents recently.   There are probably two big reasons for this.  One is that I saw a photo of a succulent garden in a huge conch shell.  I love shells, so the photo immediately caught my interest and got me excited to try and plant some succulents in shells.  Second, a new Home Depot nearby carries a huge selection of succulents.

I actually had a really early love for succulents.  The first plant I ever personally owned as a kid was a cactus plant I bought in Arizona when I visited Phoenix with my grandparents.  My first magazine subscription wasn’t Teen Beat, but rather Arizona Highways because I adored the pages filled with photos of various desert plants across the backdrop of gorgeous sunsets! Although the varieties of succulents available here in New England aren’t the same as out West, Home Depot does have quite a large selection.

I read as much as I could find on the subject of succulent container gardens and also watched some videos on the subject.  The cool thing about succulents is that they can be planted in virtually any type of container.  I decided since it is October, I would try a pumpkin as my first container garden.  Also, because I love the way white pumpkins mix with succulents.

Planting is pretty simple.  The big difference from planting any other type of plant is that succulents require a fast draining soil.  Instructions on creating an appropriate soil are easy to find, but it is actually more cost effective to just buy a prepared soil at Home Depot.

Most succulent container gardens use a top dressing – most often rocks.  I would love to use sea glass in a future garden, but for the pumpkin I decide to use some reindeer moss and also decorate with some Spanish moss.  I will probably use the sea glass idea for a terrarium when the pumpkin starts breaking down and I need to move the plants to a new container.

A photo of succulents planted in a white pumpkin.

Don’t they look great in the white pumpkin?  Small white pumpkins planted with succulents would look great at individual place settings at the Thanksgiving table!

I hope you enjoyed succulent gardening in a white pumpkin!

Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie