When an amateur florist already has sufficient experience in growing succulents and cacti and knows the features of caring for these plants, then you can try your hand at creativity. We are talking about creating compact mini-gardens from the large and diverse world of desert flora. This is very exciting process. And even if everything doesn’t work out right away, you will get great pleasure. Everything is not so difficult if you listen to the advice of experienced flower growers.

Some potted succulents sometimes look dull and lonely. And in combination with other plants that are suitable for care and maintenance conditions, they will show themselves in all their glory.

Selection of capacity

First you need to roughly imagine what kind of picture you would like to create - something like a landscape or a composition reminiscent of an extravagant bouquet. The type of container in which the plants will be planted depends on this. Sometimes compositions are created spontaneously, when the gardener accumulates a lot of children, trimmings after the formation of a crown or bush, they are put together into a single picture.

Aquarium: In round aquariums it is quite difficult to create a large composition. But everything is possible if there is a desire. First you need to disinfect the container. This can be done either with alcohol (just wipe) or with a chlorhexidine solution. At the bottom you need to pour crushed charcoal, preferably birch.

Coal absorbs organic residues and prevents mold from developing. Then we add drainage (usually expanded clay) and an appropriate soil substrate in an even layer. Since the aquarium is transparent, for beauty you can alternate the soil with layers of colored sand. Then we plant succulents and cacti depending on the plan.

Clay vase - flowerpot: better use decorative vases with uneven, asymmetrical edges. There should be holes at the bottom for water drainage. The pallet must match the color and size of the pot. Pay attention to the color - it should match the plants. Clay is a hygroscopic material, so it is best suited for succulents. Pots with broken edges and giant shells can also be used as a container for a mini-garden.

Glass vase: There are large glasses for chips on sale, as well as flowerpots with legs. They are dealt with in the same way as aquariums. But it’s very beautiful if you plant plants that hang like vines from the edge of the flowerpot. In all cases, wherever an exotic garden is arranged, it is necessary to add decorative details: colored glass pebbles, small fortresses (these are placed in an aquarium for fish), artificial moss and others.

Wooden box or pot made from a piece of solid wood: This method is for true connoisseurs of eco-flower culture. The material is quite difficult to care for and requires careful watering techniques (such a pot should not be wetted too much). If you decide to make a wooden container yourself, be sure to coat it with water-repellent varnish or wood impregnation before planting. Such a pot will look amazing in any interior, delighting you and your guests!

Florariums: Recently, it has become very popular to plant succulents and cacti in florariums. Nowadays, you can easily purchase a variety of geometric containers in online stores, and even florariums with ready-made compositions. Succulents grow well in florariums, this is due to the protection of the plant from drafts and temperature changes.

Video interview about mini-kindergartens and their care

There are more economical option- find a suitable glass vessel at home and fill it according to your taste and desire.

What plants can be used

Center of composition should be either in the center or on the edge. For the center, tree-like types of succulents are used. Can be used:

• Aeonium arboretum;
• Dorstenia;
• Sedum dendrodium tree (Sedum dendrodium);
• Pedilanthus tithymaloides (variety - low) (Pedilanthus tithymaloides v. Nanus);
• Adenia spinosa (spinosa).

Then you need to place two or three large succulents or cacti. Of the succulents, some types of aeoniums (tiered, layered) look very beautiful, Dinteranthus microspermus - a plant similar in appearance to gray stones, blooms yellow flower. You can also plant the hardiest cacti:

• Mammillaria;
• Echinopsis (Echinopsis);
• Rebutia aureiflora rubriflora;
• Chamaecereus silvestry.

It is desirable, and even it is necessary to leave space in the foreground for small plants, especially if, as they grow, they hang in small vines along the edge of the container. The more varieties there are, the more interesting the composition will become. Here you can place some of the plants such as:

• Weinberg's Sedum (Sedum weinbergii);
• Siebold's Sedum (Sedum sieboldii);
• Other types of sedum (Sedum).

Proper planting of composition plants - step-by-step instructions

For correct landing you need to purchase special tools: bamboo tweezers, small spatulas, an artist’s trowel is perfect, even a teaspoon is useful for filling small containers with soil.

• We prepare the soil or substrate components. We took some of the ready-made soil for cacti and succulents, drainage, sand and charcoal. All components were purchased in the store. If you take materials from the street, be sure to heat the sand and stones in the oven, or heat them in a frying pan.

• Select a container for planting and plants.

• Fill the prepared vessel (aquarium, glass vase, ceramic flat pot or deep dish) with drainage to at least ¼ of the height. In transparent containers, you can separate it with a layer of colored sand.

• Next, carefully pour in the mixed soil mixture. Leaving 1 cm from the top of the pot, we make depressions in the soil, marking where the plants will be planted.

• Carefully straighten the roots of the plants (for cacti, they must be carefully examined and old and rotten or dried roots must be cut out). Make sure that the root collar of the plant is not covered. This is important, if you deepen the neck, then accumulation of moisture and rot may occur.

• Finally, you can decorate the bare areas with colored pebbles, artificial moss, shells and decorative elements. You can buy small ceramic gnomes, and if the composition is being prepared for a New Year's gift, then put figurines of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden.

Care

Watering

The most difficult and careful action in caring for a mini-kindergarten. Therefore, it is so important to select plants with the same water needs. All succulents love heat and good light, but watering should be scanty enough to just moisten the soil. If a plant is planted that loves abundant but infrequent watering (there are tropical succulents), then it is watered pointwise, under the ground near the root. In summer, the composition is watered as the soil dries, which is easiest to check directly with your hands. In winter, once every 2-3 weeks, it’s not worth it more often. All plants are in the resting stage.

When a succulent lacks moisture, it begins to grow roots and release aerial roots. If you water too often or too much, the plants may rot and die. Explain to your family not to water the plants, even if they think it’s time to water. Set a rule that only you do this. Otherwise, compassionate relatives will feel so sorry for the poor flowers that you will have to start all over again.

Do not water mini-gardens cold water, it's better if you use water room temperature. This is especially true for small seedlings and watering winter period. It is convenient to use a syringe for watering.

Lighting

Select light-loving plants - this includes all succulents and cacti. Therefore, they need to be placed in a well-lit place - a loggia, balcony. But this is in the summer, when the night temperature is quite high. You also need to take into account the attitude towards direct sunlight, cacti love it, but some succulents can get burned. To prevent this from happening, use mesh shading.

They also need sunlight in winter, so you need to place the pot close to the window to get as much light as possible. But lighting is necessary if there is a catastrophic lack of light: if the windows are on the first floor and because of the trees, the sun’s rays cannot get through to your window sill. Due to lack of light, plants stretch out, become lethargic, lose all their attractiveness and even change color. Without light, no succulent will grow well!

In summer, with scanty watering, the colors of succulents become brighter; they become especially beautiful if they are left on a balcony or loggia on dry, sunny autumn days. Coolness has a stimulating effect on succulents, they become brighter, the leaves either shine more, or, on the contrary, the edges on the plants increase.

Temperature

Mini compositions feel great in temperature conditions In our city apartments, in the summer the temperature is 20-25 degrees, with regular ventilation, such compositions simply have resort conditions. You can put them on the loggia, on the balcony, on the terrace country house.

In winter, in our apartments, succulents and cacti suffer from lack of lighting, but the temperature should be about 10-15 degrees. This can be done by isolating the window sill from the heat that comes from the batteries central heating. At low temperatures succulents freeze and during this period you can not water them at all, they do not need extra moisture. Then you will avoid pulling the flower.

Humidity

All succulents and cacti come from hot, dry places, so they don't need humid air. They love dry air and ventilation. You can’t just put compositions in a draft. Although the plants are not delicate, and can tolerate short-term inconvenience, constant exposure to a draft threatens deformation of the stems and loss of leaves. High humidity has a depressing effect not only on succulents, but also on cacti. Especially during the flowering period.

The soil

There are many options for making soil mixtures. Ready mix, bought at a flower shop. For a novice amateur gardener, one well-tested substrate composition scheme is enough:

• The soil for the compositions is made on the basis of peat. It is better to buy a ready-made peat mixture (preferably made in Germany), taking a certain amount of peat - you need to check it, remove sticks and other debris;
• Then add perlite, about one third of the peat mixture. It gives the substrate looseness and water permeability;
• It is imperative to add fine expanded clay (3-5 mm in diameter) to the mixture. It is put in the same amount as you put in perlite. Expanded clay is needed by the roots, as they must cling to support;
• Add charcoal and sand. Coal protects the roots from rotting, and sand helps pass moisture through the soil. Some gardeners plant succulents in sand alone, adding expanded clay and coal to the bottom of the vessel, without using soil or peat.

Transfer

Replanting plants in a mini-garden rarely happens, but if you suddenly decide to replace one plant with another, more extravagant one, you need to carefully use a flat wooden stick to free the roots from the soil and the roots of other succulents. Often the roots are intertwined quite tightly, you can try to slowly pull the plant out.

If you decide to transplant the entire composition into a larger pot or a more beautiful vase, then this should be done using the transshipment method. Try to free all the plant roots from the remnants of the old soil and, when planting in a new container, distribute them evenly over the entire area. At this point, you can add new plants if you consider this addition necessary.

Fertilizer

You can fertilize succulents from March to November, once a month, with special fertilizers with a low nitrogen content. Dividing according to instructions. The photo shows how much dry fertilizer you need to take per 0.5 liter of water.

Useful video

Photo ideas for creating succulent gardens

If you still have questions, you can ask them in the comments to the article! Thank you for reading us, good luck in your creative flower growing business!

A bright, cheerful and summer-like groovy cactus has found its place in designer interiors. We give tips on the most interesting purchases of this summer.

It would seem that it is impossible to divide interiors into winter and summer, but we associate some prints with the three hot months of vacation (it’s a pity that adults don’t have them!). For example, pineapples, flamingos, cacti - what could be more summery? The beauty of things with such prints is that they are relevant all year round: in the heat they look appropriate, as if it should be so, and in the winter cold they remind you of what happens in our country warm times. Today we have dedicated a selection to cacti, and, to be honest, we fell in love with most of the things! We hope that you will also be imbued with the delight that the designers experienced when creating these interior items.

Furniture

Buying themed furniture is a big step. And furniture in the shape of cacti can only be afforded by a person with a sense of humor who is not afraid. The chair by Mexican designer Valentina Glez Wohlers is famous for combining a traditional French shape and an unusual back with one of the symbols of Mexico - the cactus. Such a chair can be made to order by writing to the designer.

The headboard of the bed also allows you to experiment. We already showed you once, here is another bright and cheerful one - Watercolor Cactus.

Don't like banal things? Then this cactus-shaped hanger will definitely suit your taste. Surprisingly, it comes in five different colors.

It seems that for natural prints there is no best place than the terrace of a country house. When we saw these relaxed chairs with a colorful base, we thought, “Just the thing!”

Wallpaper

Textile

Throwing new pillows on a sofa or bed is always nice, and if they also have an unusual print, then it’s doubly nice. We have selected the most ironic options presented on the Internet.

Adorable twins: green and gray.

Bedding that won't prick you.

Vases and figurines

Do you think a bouquet of roses would look weird in a cactus-shaped vase? It seems to us that a combination of incongruous things can look very stylish.

An absolutely crazy art object in the form of a huge cactus (about seventy meters in height) was designed by Drocco & Mello and costs £3,835. It is available in red and black colors.

The same cactus with eggs (look at the photo and understand that this is its official name) costs twice as much - £6,160.

Succulents are a real boon for compositions and creativity; they can be planted not only in shells, driftwood, coconut shells, cups, cracks on the walls, but also in anything your imagination suggests. Of course, we would not like to limit it, so here we will present only what will really be useful and will help you create your own unique composition with your own hands. The article is mostly a selection of photos, but there are also several universal master classes that will allow you to quickly master the main rules for designing compositions from succulents.

Let's start with the assortment

Let's describe the groups suitable plants and some specific "heroes". Of course, the entire set of cultures cannot be covered in one article:

1. Cacti. But not all of them are suitable for compositions.
2. Aloe, various forms.
3. Lithops (they are rarely used in compositions with other plants, because the agricultural technology of these plants is very peculiar). As a rule, they compose different kinds lithops in one pot, without other plants.

The most popular plants in compositions:

1. Sedums.
2. Rejuvenated.
3. Aeoniums.
4. Echeveria.

Sedums are a huge group of plants. In the photo below on the left there is a prominent sedum - plants 30-40 cm high, with bright decorative flowers, on the right - blue sedum - its height does not exceed 5-10 cm:

Rejuvenated - well known under the name " stone rose"also includes a lot of hybrids:

Aeoniums are plants 25-30 cm high. There are many varieties and varieties:

Aeonium Arborium ‘Schwarzkopf’

Aeonium Haworthii Variegta

Echeverias are very popular for creating continuous surfaces, especially flowing effects:

There are many varieties of echeveria. They are actively used for wall planters:

Miniature finestraria with cone-shaped leaves are good for tabletop compositions. Their agricultural technology is similar to that of Lithops: complete absence watering in winter, careful and meager watering in summer, well-lit place.

Fenestraria Rhopalophylla

Finestraria with lithops.

Ampelous succulents

Rowley's ragwort - original ball leaves. Unpretentious.

Morgan's sedum is a fairly powerful plant with long stems densely covered with leaves. Hanging shoots resemble thick sausages.

Of course, the plant is highly decorative and solo, but it is also actively used in compositions. True, in the photo below there is a Burito sedum very similar to it:

Sedum Burrito:

It’s also worth looking at other members of the family Crassulaceae: cotyledons, pachyphytums, Kalanchoe, sedums, Crassulas, graptopetalums. From other families the following are suitable: euphorbia, peperomia, senecio, some types of agaves, haworthia, gasteria, representatives of families Mesembryanthemums and Lastovnevas. Perhaps some plants from the family will be suitable Euphorbiaceae.

It makes sense to try your hand at arranging individually planted plants first:

Compositions, ideas, techniques

Sequence of composition creation

Regardless of the size and shape of the composition, there is general rules their creation:

Now you know how to make almost any composition from succulents. Of course, this is a very simplified scheme, because such important things as the thickness of the soil layer, the mixing of the earth mixture, the selection of moss and decor, that is, in fact, everything that creates conditions for plant roots, are selected individually for each composition - one might say , "approximately". However, the aim is formed quite accurately with experience in growing succulents. If you have been seriously studying them for at least a year, feel their needs, know how to grow a healthy plant, where to put it, what to plant it in, how to water it, then there will be no problems with creating your own masterpiece mix.

Container selection

We decided not to waste printed signs, but simply show you as many different containers as possible. It is noteworthy that succulents can get by with a small amount of soil, so even the smallest objects can act as a container.

You can implement any image using:

Shells

Or their imitation from gypsum or cement:

The photo shows a cement sink made specifically for the composition.

Treated wood

It is better, of course, to use wooden containers as flowerpots, and plant the plants in a container that is less exposed to moisture.

Stumps and snags

A charming and very skillfully executed composition with shells.

Toys

Old pots and vases

And the more holey, the better:

Everything you can find in the kitchen

Cups, spoons, scoops for bulk products, baking dishes, beautifully decorated old tin cans, cups, out of order teapots, sardine cans, picnic baskets, candy dishes and dessert dishes:

Vintage old tin cans, watering cans, plastic bottles, as in some of the photos above, is a separate process, no less interesting than creating compositions from succulents. It is noteworthy that none of the domestic craftswomen has yet mastered such processing of junk. Many of the arrangements pictured above in recycled vintage containers are commercial arrangements intended for sale. However, they are not much different from amateur ones made by hand, except that on the fly you can hone and simplify the details.

Chairs

There is something nostalgic in such compositions, where succulents tightly cover the chair and it’s not even about the style of the piece of furniture itself. The very fact that the furniture is completely overgrown with plants evokes associations with an abandoned garden and the romance of antiquity.

And even wine corks or eggshells

And in general - any items

Images

This is also purely a matter of imagination, so below are some photos for inspiration.

Landscapes with mountains and rocks

Below we will talk more about landscapes, only more complex. Recreation of mountains, rocks, islands lost in white foam sea ​​waves, is relatively easy to achieve. Use decorative stone chips, marbles, stones, driftwood, cobblestones, and their plaster imitations.

Stream or waterfall

The technique is quite popular - plants or stones imitate spilling water. This technique is often used in open ground flower beds, using ground cover flowers(, ageratum, soapwort, aubrieta, arabis). Succulents will successfully cope with the same task. Blue-gray echeverias are ideal.

However, nothing prevents the spilled “waves” from being of a different shade:

Succulents can be an excellent addition to a stone stream:

Animals

Ball and other three-dimensional hanging figures

This is a more difficult task. Ready-made succulent balls cost about 50 Euros on Etsy.

A ball is made from wire with a diameter of..., wrapped with the same mesh, but not completely, a little space should be left so that you can work with the inner surface of the ball. to lay out the surface with a very thick layer of moss and coconut fiber, then fill it with soil suitable for succulents, perhaps looser; a small diameter foam ball can be inserted into the center to prevent dampness and not make the composition too heavy. Close the grid. You can start planting plants.

Trees are created using the same principle.

Panels, paintings and other wall compositions

For Valentine's Day:

Inscriptions and signs

The price of such an original pointer is about $30.

Nothing prevents you from posting any inscription using the same principle.

Wreaths on the door

They are not very popular here, although I must admit that a wreath, including one made of succulents, on a door or on a fence, looks attractive.

Panel from Ikea table

A quite popular online master class on making a composition from a table purchased at Ikea. It is worth noting that the idea is indeed successful and looks stylish.

Imitation of landscapes and landscapes

The use of houses, stones imitating rocks, and miniature bridges makes compositions with succulents charming, but you should not take on such a composition without experience - trial options can be so far from the desired image that disappointment cannot be avoided. In addition to a carefully thought-out composition, preferably in advance and on paper, you will need to spend money on high-quality decor, or find natural materials for him, in addition, you should be well acquainted with the selected succulents.

Simpler in terms of planting are houses with overgrown roofs:

Just below, in a picnic basket, is a village landscape made by a Japanese craftswoman for sale. You can see how finely the details are worked out:

Aquariums and gardens in a bank

Succulents and cacti are great for glass arrangements, despite the criticism. Should Special attention pay attention to good drainage, because in a glass container for succulents it will be too humid, and the lighting - even ordinary glass absorbs light.

Caring for a garden in a jar means periodic spraying, and, of course, you should make sure that the room where it stands is clean Fresh air no dust.

And one more important point– the vessel should not be closed.

Petr Lapshin, curator of the collection of succulents at the Institute of Fracture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, harshly criticizes florariums and notes that succulents are completely unsuitable for growing in glass vessels. Let us not allow ourselves to agree with him on everything. Closed glass containers are really not suitable for succulents. However, now there are many vessels that are no less spectacular than closed ones, allowing you to provide succulents with suitable conditions for them, namely:

1. Mandatory periodic drying of the soil.
2. Good lighting.

In addition, it is worth noting that such compositions are designed to provide pleasure, and it does not have to be long-lasting. This composition is good way self-expression, a great gift or temporary interior decor. In a few months, plants, even succulents and even in conditions suitable for them, grow and the composition loses its appearance - it has fulfilled its functions, the plants can be planted in other containers, and a new composition can be created in the vessel.

You can use decorative sand

This sand is sold, for example, in the Fix Price network, or in stores for florists.

Options with sand are simple, they do not require a complex arrangement of plants, but in general, compositions “behind glass” are quite complex from a compositional point of view.

How to arrange beautiful succulents, how to combine them? There is a class of people who are able to beautifully compose any form without special training; if you are not one of them, then it makes sense to turn to literature. It is impossible to outline the basics of composition within the framework of this article, so we will simply recommend what to read:

• David Hession: everything about flower arranging - inexpensive and accessible. The book is focused specifically on arranging cut flowers and dried flowers, but general principles the arrangement of shapes and lines can be mastered.
• From foreign ones exactly on the topic are books by Deborah Lee Baldwin. All about compositions made from succulents. However, they have not been translated into Russian.

Examples of beautiful compositional solutions

Many of them can be created based on the principles of arranging dried flowers and cut flowers. Consider: shape, color, size. Start creating a composition by varying only one parameter (for example, plants of the same shape and color, but different sizes), and then move on to the rest (plants of different shapes, colors, sizes). The photo shows compositions from simple to complex:

Using marbles.

Living colors

For those who have achieved mastery in both growing succulents and cacti and arranging them, enormous opportunities open up for using these plants as paints. The color and shape of the plant are like brush strokes. Also, some of these compositions resemble knitting using the freeform technique.

Compositions in a minimalist style

Some of the compositions above may well be called “collective farm”, but rusticity, straightforwardness and childish fun, like figurines, are purely a matter of taste. Ultimately, the overall impression is more influenced by the quality of workmanship. The video below is about creating compositions in a natural style - from the Raritetplants channel.

Friends, in this material we will talk about a garden in a pot. Sometimes it happens that a person would be happy to have indoor flowers, but due to his occupation he often leaves and is afraid that without him they will dry out. There are often very busy people who, when asked why they don’t start growing indoor flowers, answer - who will take care of them?

It’s as if there is a genus specifically for these people indoor plants, which are not very demanding on care, replanting or watering - these are cacti and succulents. It’s this kind of mini garden in a pot that I want to talk about, and it doesn’t matter that it looks quite small - we can talk about it for a long time.

Garden in a pot - composition with cacti

Beautiful compositions of cacti and succulents can form the basis your mini garden in a pot, they will not dry out during your long absence and will delight you when you return alive and healthy.

Garden in a pot that does not require watering

The word "succulent" means "juice" in Latin. They are called so because they accumulate moisture in the form of sap in their leaves and stems, and it is this property that allows them to survive in dry desert conditions.

DIY potted garden made from cacti

Some people think that growing cacti and succulents is boring, and there is even an opinion that they are “ugly plants.” I would like to dispel this opinion by imagining how you can decorate your interior with them.

The sight of a lonely cactus in a nondescript pot can really make anyone sad. But what if you try to create a composition out of them?

A composition of these plants in a wide bowl or any other container, including an aquarium, can become what is called the “highlight” of the interior.

Using decorative pebbles and powder, colored sand, glass decor for an aquarium - all this will decorate your composition of living plants and fill it with color and attractiveness.

Mini garden in a pot - which plants to choose

Mini garden in a bowl will greatly decorate your home floral ensemble. The composition in a bowl has its own canons. To ensure that all plants are harmoniously combined, let's look at the main points.

Potted Garden - Foreground

And first, let's choose tall plant, which sets the tone for the entire composition. It's the easiest one to choose. You can use palm trees, ficus, cordyline, philodendron and monstera.

Medium shot

Now let's select the middle ground plant. Bright, colorful plants are suitable here. They are also called decorative foliage. These include yellow scindapsus, variegated ivy, variegated codiaum, begonia, and coleus.

For miniature garden You only need a little space! But it will accommodate an impromptu pond and a mini-landscape with elves.

Now let’s pay a little attention to succulents

Miniature succulent gardens- the most common. This is understandable. After all, they require much less care compared to deciduous mini-gardens in bowls. Succulents are generally not very demanding when it comes to watering; it is recommended to water them no more than twice a month.

Tree-like succulents such as Pachyphytum and Crassula , placed either in the background or in the center of the future composition

In a succulent mini garden you can also plant rosette, bush-like or hanging plants with different colors and appearance. Suitable for this haworthia, echeveria, sedum, faucaria . Cacti can also be included in the composition. For lovers of these prickly creatures, you can even create mini cactus gardens in a bowl.

How to properly replant a cactus or succulent?

It is necessary to maintain cleanliness when replanting - wash the pots, drainage and stones should also be washed and scalded with boiling water. It is advisable to calcinate the sand.

Very important to know- when replanting, you should not accidentally fill the root collar of a succulent or cactus with soil, this can slow down its development.

The cactus must be removed from the pot before planting., remove damaged roots and dry it root system within 3-4 days. Carefully inspect the root system for pests - if there is any suspicion, you should treat the roots with an insecticidal agent.

Preparing substrate for cacti

The composition is as follows: leaf humus is required (about half the total volume), the same amount of sand and a little expanded clay and charcoal(about 10%). If you decide to buy a substrate in the store, then it is still worth improving it by adding a little coarse sand and charcoal.

What pots are suitable for cacti

The most important rule is what size the roots are, the kind of pot you need. This rule applies to both the diameter of the pot and its depth.

The best material is definitely clay. It partially absorbs moisture and then releases it gradually, which is exactly what is needed for unpretentious succulents.

Plastic pots can also be used for young cacti, but it is still not recommended to use them for a long time.

The shape of the cactus pot is preferably spherical, but classic bucket-type pots are quite acceptable. Be sure to have a hole at the bottom of the pot for drainage. Water should not stagnate below. The soil must be sprinkled onto a layer of expanded clay to ensure that water is separated from the roots. It is better for cacti to drink less than to drink too much.

Sequence of actions when landing

Place drainage at the bottom of the pot- expanded clay, coarse sand, no more than 25% of the volume of the bowl.

When planting in an aquarium or transparent container, you can next make a decorative layer of small pebbles, colored sand, etc.

After this, add dry substrate and plant plants in it (without watering), carefully distributing the root system and not filling the root collar with soil (this is important!).

At the end you can sprinkle decorative powder and decorate the garden with large stones, shells, and miniature figures.

For the first 3-4 days, such a garden should not be watered., after this time you can water from the tray.

Potted garden of cacti and succulents

Garden in a pot - Laws of style

When creating a composition from cacti, you need to observe the laws of harmony, It is better to combine plants of different sizes and textures in one bowl. When adding pebbles, sand, shells to the composition, we must not forget that living plants should become the center of the composition. And the rest should serve as a background for them.

You can add some cute detail to the composition- a ceramic figurine or a netsuke made of wood - it depends only on your individuality and imagination.

A beautiful idea for decorating a room with live plants is to plant a composition of succulents in a small vase. They are unpretentious, undemanding to watering, but love direct sunlight.

DIY garden composition ideas in a pot

To get inspired, here is a selection of photographs of small compositions and entire “gardens” of cacti.

A somewhat ambiguous composition, the cactus grower turned out to be a joker!

A real work of art - a garden in a ceramic pot.

By the way, you can put bowls in a rack for pots and thus decorate the room with succulents.

See blooming cactus- very rare. But you and I managed to do it!

A very nice, in my opinion, composition - a garden in a bowl!

Video master class - do-it-yourself garden in a pot

I hope you have enough material and will be happy to start designing your own cactus garden!

A neat and original composition of cacti and succulents will become a real decoration of the room. The plants that make it up, as a rule, are already unusual and decorative in themselves. At joint landing in the original bowl or vessel the effect is enhanced many times over. Anyone can make such a composition; the main thing is to show a little patience, imagination and set aside time for preparation and planting. We will tell you what to look for, what plants to choose, how to arrange them and how to maintain a mini-garden in proper form.

The right dishes

One of the main advantages of the selected plants is their small root system and low growth rate. This allows you to create spectacular small arrangements of succulents with your own hands, which will not take up too much room space. Wide and low bowls, which can be in several tiers, are best suited for these purposes. decorative elements. In terms of color, preference should be given to neutral shades, which will not visually distract from the plants, but will only emphasize the bright greenery. Remember one rule: the height of the bowl should be about 1/3 of the entire composition. The material of the dishes can be any: plastic, ceramics, glass and even wood, but it must have a drainage layer and holes in the bottom to drain excess moisture when watering.

Use decorative powder

It is not only beautiful, but also benefits the plants. Since the composition of succulents and cacti is located in a small container, the moisture evaporates faster and the roots may be exposed. Sprinkling with fine stone chips, glass decorative elements, small expanded clay, etc. will slow down these processes and protect the root system from overheating. The latter is likely due to the fact that such mini-gardens require direct sun rays, this is the only way they will maintain maximum decorativeness and not stretch out or fade.

Choose your cacti and succulent compositions carefully

A master class is the best thing that can help you in this matter. Especially if you had no previous experience working with plants or their taxonomy. Seek help from specialists, study relevant literature, as the modern diversity is very great. From general recommendations It should be noted that plants should be selected as similar as possible in terms of care (watering, replanting, growth rate, lighting, etc.). The juxtaposition of cacti and succulents in this regard is not entirely correct, but it looks impressive. To somehow neutralize the imbalance, choose the hardiest species: mammillaria, rebutia, echinopsis.

A composition of succulents and cacti of the same genus looks very beautiful. They are in harmony and unity, but at the same time they differ from each other in shape and color. For example, lithops, or living stones. resembling a hoof, they grow very slowly, so you won’t have to replant them for a long time.

Don't go overboard with variety. In a low pot with a diameter of 15-20 cm, it is best to plant 5-7 species, no more. Otherwise, the composition will be overloaded, and the plants will develop in cramped conditions.

Place accents

A mini-garden, in which each plant “screams” about its uniqueness, brightness and unusualness, looks strange. Let them all be amazing, but only a few types should come to the fore, and the rest should harmoniously emphasize them. If your composition is made of succulents, then place a tree-like plant in the background, for example Crassula, euphorbia, stapelia, columnar cacti. The middle tier should be slightly lower, and the lower one can generally be made up of ground cover species that will gradually effectively hang over the edge (it’s worth thinking about a glass-shaped pot with a stem).

Timely care is half the success

After the selected plants are planted in the desired order, the question arises of how to preserve this unique mini-garden. In fact, there is nothing complicated, and the care process consists of several main points. Firstly, removing excess growth, which begins to interfere with neighboring plants and spoils the decorative effect. If the composition of succulents is made correctly, then the need for replanting will not arise for at least 2 years. Secondly, watering. It should be regular (in the case of cacti, do not forget about the dormant period in winter) and neat. Direct the water jet towards the most large leaves or stones so that it gradually reaches the soil surface. You can use a drip system. There must be drainage holes and a tray to remove excess moisture.

The best types for creating a mini-garden

Before you make a composition of succulents yourself, we recommend that you pay attention to the plants listed below. This selection is one of the most interesting succulents in terms of decorativeness and ease of care:

• Crassula, or Crassula, - beautiful plant with fleshy leathery leaves. It grows quite slowly and requires minimal care.
• Aloe is a home “healer”, known to everyone, and can also be useful in landscaping. Spectacular elongated dense leaves with thorns will decorate any composition.
• Echeveria is a rosette plant that forms a green rose from small leaves. The shade ranges from rich emerald to bluish or lilac. IN room conditions can bloom unusually and brightly.
• Sedum is a succulent with drooping shoots that forms dense green cushions in open ground, and in potted culture it will elegantly highlight cacti and lithops. The shades are very varied.
• Stapelia will delight you not only with its spectacular but also with large star-shaped flowers up to 5-7 cm in diameter.