Well I have made some progress but I need input form those who have succulents. I have 2 basic designs right now but have a slight conundrum. The designs will have drains for the entire thing so draining water is gonna be easy. The problem is I don't know if I should seperate all the sections or simply use the design as the basic layout. This will hopefully serve as a progress post when I finally get srarted on this thing. As this is a work in progress, I would really like any and all ideas, thoughts and whatever else so I can do this right and not have to rebuild things after I get started. All going to be lit by 2-4 four foot flourescent tubes to provide artificial lighting as it won't be anywhere near a window. 40 watts each of good spectrum bulbs. That brings up another point, how many watts of lighting should be adequate for most succulents? 40-60-80?
Well here my third design for the layout. I like this one best so far. More asthetic looking to me. No one has any comments on the layouts or the idea in general?
I like the first and third designs best Fish as the second one looks way to 'busy' for me. The thing is, with most succulents, especially the low growing ones, they tend to spread out fairly quickly so you'll have to make sure to keep them trimmed well back or your design will become blurred. Could you show us on each of your designs which areas would actually be planted up or are you planting all the areas you have shown us?
Well the idea is to fill in all the sections. But you have given me an idea seeming you agree it is too "busy". I will go through them and figure out something like sections that could have rock type formations for different plants to climb and spread out and other things like that. I am more than open to ideas from the drawing as to what plants to put in, where to put them and what to do with other sections as far as non plant decorations.
I'm with Eileen on the second design. As for the first, I find it too organized for my taste. I much prefer #3. If I should plant it up, I'd probably remove a few of the dividers, since I think it looks a bit full. But of course, that depends entirely on the full size of it. I'm really enjoying your process, even though I haven't got much to contribute. So please keep posting.
I vote for the third, it also gives you a little more leeway for spreading plants. I like your idea for adding rocks. I can't wait to see this, please keep us updated. I am not sure about the wattage, I haven't grown this type of gardening without natural light, I am really eager to see your results.
Overall dimensions will be just under 4 feet long and just under 3 feet wide. Not sure on the final numbers yet but I have a shelving unit that is only 4 feet wide and it has to fit inside it that dimension. I went through and lettered the sections and I will definitely have to figure out something to fill in some sections with raisers, rocks, lattice or something because it would be 22 different type of plants/planting sections (if done evenly) and that is too many. Maybe in the future if I do another larger one but not for starters. I don't mind working hard keeping them but I am not sure I can even find 22 species that stay small enough to fit in the first place let alone 12-15.
The colored areas are where the rock formations, overgrowth places will be. I was thinking about doing it in section 2 also but not sure. I didn't look right colored but that is the limitations of using MS Paint for drawings. Anyone have other ideas for which areas to put as the land formations? I also figured out that it would be better to build this in sections so that I can actually move it!
Mmmmmm now let me think ..... OK if it were up to me I'd balance out the top with the bottom more to give it symmetry. No's one and three on the top row I'd make land formations as well as the other coloured areas. I also think that it might be better to plant in the middle blue section so that there's not too much rock in one area. Of course the choice is ultimately yours and not mine and it all depends on just what planting you are going to put into the different sections. There are some really attractive red, gold, bronze and well as green foliaged plants that you could consider. Make sure before you do plant that you know what colour of flowers each section is going to have as it could ruin your design if all one side turned out to be, say, red and pink and the other side all white and yellow. I'm really looking forward to seeing the whole thing finished. :-D
I didn't even consider flowers. I always forget that a lot of succulents will flower sooner or later. I have had Sedum, crassula and Aloe of and on for a long time and never seen flowers from any of them. Will have to make sure that when I get them I check to see if I can get the same color flowers. I guess I should mention that this is going to be against a wall and the back round/oval ones are there so they have the larger and taller ones and shorter ones will go in front. I agree that if I was doing this as centerpiece I would have a lot more uniformity. I see what you mean though. I need something to balance it out because the back is all plants and it will look to busy compared to the bottom. I thought about number 2 having rocks or something but wanted to leave things for members to give ideas and not make it look too finished. The tallest plant I am thinking of using is the Crassula Buddha's Temple. I know it gets really tall but I can cut it off and make it bush out more. I do like the idea of putting rocks in those roundish areas though as it could provide a really nice mounding look for a nice Crassula Baby necklace or Crassula watch chain. ( I can't find the real name of it but it is the one that looks like links of a bracelet. Now I need some plant ideas. Any and all plants ideas. Simply giving me names of succulents that stay smallish so I can look them up will help a lot. Every search I get gives me the same sites and I like to hear from those who have experience anyway over what a website says. How about making the middle section of the blues the rock area and having 2 sedum or other creeping succulent mixing on top of the rocks? Nice mix of flowers possibly and a good collage of shapes and sizes if they mix well.
I think that will look so wonderful. I plan on doing one outside, in the future. I am going to put a small adobe house and a donkey figure pulling a small cart. Would that be an option for yours, maybe in the top left hand corner, if you could find the figures to fit the scale of your design. I am anxiously awaiting to see the progress and final outcome of your venture. I am sure it will be awesome.
Lots of options to do. I don't know if it will fit in confines of the current location it will go into but future endeavors could be limitless. The space is only a little bigger than the design idea but I could put something in a corner and forgo the plants or maybe put a plant in the decoration. Not too many things that can't be done. It helps too that my parents have a ceramics business so I can pour any mold they have and make anything I want to put in the garden. Might even figure out a way to make the dividers out of ceramic so they hold a little water. Could also make the dividers out of clay so I can make the curves with ease. Clay or ceramic pots in the sizes I need them in. Pretty much limitless options when I have the raw materials so easily accessible.
Oooh, this is getting very exciting! It's going to be very big, and with those dimensions you've really got something to play with. Your succulents list held some very nice species. You don't have to have all different ones, do you?
Not all different, probably have a pretty solid balance in the sections with the same numbers. The main goal is to have a variety of colors but more importantly texture. When you look at it I want it to look like a collage of shapes and designs all uniquely created by the plants themselves. Something that catches they eye and really makes a [person want to see all the patterns and how each plant really interacts. I know I iwll have to move them aorund sooner or later to get the right combinations of texture and color but that will make it even more fun to see if I can create a flow of texture that is smooth yet stark. If that makes any sense.
