Broken Treasures

In my garden, broken flower pots are never thrown away. I use the shards to cover drainage holes in flower pots to prevent soil from washing out. They are incorporated in the  planting medium I use for repotting orchids. Most of all, I have a fondness for succulents displayed in broken pots. I like the organic and rustic feel of succuelnts spilling over and out of pots.

I woke up with that thought in my mind and excitedly headed into my garden to do just that. Luckily for me, I found two small pots that were broken when they were either toppled over by strong winds or knocked over by my dog, Frasier or the landscapers. Strange how one can regard finding broken pot as lucky! No precious plants were damaged when those pots were broken.... In fact, the plants that were originally in the pots, spilled out and rooted themself in the ground, leaving me with the perfect containers for my succulent garden.

The fun part is deciding which succulents to include in the display. I made use of smaller specimens that I started a few months ago together with bigger cuttings from existing display plants. I chose a balance of sizes and colors for each of the two pots. The pot at the back was intact enough to be planted vertically with aloes "Red Riding Hood" and Oscularia Deltoids drapping over the sides. The pot in front had to be laid on its side to be planted. It was planted with Sempervinum Arachnoidem (cobweb in center) and Echeveria "Doris Taylor" (red tip with fine white hair)  of various sizes. The trick is to fill the pots enough plants of the right size to be attractive but leave enough space for the specimens to grow. The plants will grow larger and have pups, filling in the broken pots until the broken edges are conceal.

Continously propogate the succulents so that you will always have specimens to use when an inspiration strikes you as it did that morning. Check out post on my spring time propogating.