succulents
deco mag 10
Super succulents Succulents were the height of bohemian chic in the ‘70s and they’re enjoying a resurgence thanks to a focus on easy-care plants and the need to improve our indoor air quality. Grower Fiona Weymss of Kent-based Blueleaf Plants gives us the lowdown on these adorable little creatures
Succulents are (as everyone knows..) easy to look after. They need a sunny spot, though some plants can tolerate partial shade, and infrequent watering. This means that they can be grown in places that other plants can’t - hot conservatories for example. Above: Echeveria rosettes are beguiling
Succulent. It’s a word that conjures up juicy deliciousness and there’s an obvious reason why certain family of plants are called succulents...their leaves are fat with water. Which means you don’t need to water them very much at all. And that makes them a hit with growing numbers of homeowners who want plants indoors, but only ones that won’t peg out on them. Because keeping house plants alive is something many people find quite a challenge. Keeping succulents alive, on the other hand, isn’t hard to do. And once you get the collecting bug, you will find you start becoming quite artistic in your displays because succulents lend themselves to groupwork... one on its own doesn’t make much impact, but have a few together and they have an uplifting green presence in your home. And garden too
because they can be used outside in rock gardens, for example, or on green roofs. Succulents aren’t pretty in the way flowers are, but they are handsome plants and I love their versatility. Put them in terrariums or arrange them in pots on shelves. Or plant them in teacups or glasses. And they’re wonderful to use as table decorations at big events such as weddings.
is to ensure drainage or be very careful not to waterlog your plants. Indoor air quality Keeping succulents indoors is good for air quality as plants absorb CO2. I like to have a Below: use little plants such as echeveria to make charming displays
handful of plants in our bedroom because I like to think of them absorbing the carbon dioxide we breathe out while we sleep. Succulents have a modified photo-synthetic process that has been adapted through living in arid conditions. This is known as the Crassulacean acid metabolism, or CAM process. CAM plants don’t generally transpire during the day (ie open their stomata to release water vapour) as this means in hot climates they would lose too much water. Instead they keep stomata closed during the day and
Small is beautiful Many succulents are small and therefore don’t take up a lot of room. This means you can build up collections of your favourite plants and put them on windowsills, and they remain manageable. Choose from a huge selection of shapes, colours and textures, and most containers can be adapted to house them from colourful tins and teacups to shells and jars. The key thing to remember
deco mag 10