A Collection of New Succulents
Starting small here, acquiring new plant material for this eco project to reduce my consumption of energy and water. I’ve begun collecting some common succulent plants like Sedum, Echeveria, Aeonium and Jade. They require very little water or attention, truly economical and efficient. My current garden is luxurious and demanding and not sustainable with by any stretch of the imagination. Plenty of time and resources go into maintaining it. I need to change things in my garden, to make it more contemporary.
These plants have an attitude I want to embrace; simplicity, beauty and grace.
Rob – there’s a big issue looming and words like “collecting plants” send up a profound red flag for me. This is a good time to stop buying, borrowing, propagating plants and get your self to consider whether there is a particular vision or style that you intend to pursue. There are so many directions to go as you start your eco-conversion, but style does not have to be sacrificed.
A garden randomly thrown together from plants whose initial attraction was “this doesn’t need much water” can either be a thing of beauty, or a chaotic “design by committee” effect.
I suggest that you immerse yourself in images, try to reverse engineer “the look” using basic design principles (read anything by John Brookes, but especially his Garden Design book) and figure out how to create the look you desire, with plants that also meet the inherent cultural conditions dictated by your soil. solar, pH, proximity to sea air, etc.
This is just a word to the wise. I’d love to have you get your cake and eat it too!
By: Billy Goodnick on July 8, 2008
at 3:55 am
Billy,
Thanks for this valuable input. Indeed I may be going down an unnecessary road. My simplistic approach was to isolate plants with high water & maintenance demands and replace them with specimens that require less effort and water. This is by no means a holistic approach but rather piecemeal. I run the risk of creating a landscape that looks fragmented. While I generally trust my design sense, it is best to discuss the overall look and feel with my partner Kristin before we start ripping out existing plants replacing them with new ones.
Your clarion call has been heard loud and clear and I am slapping a restraining order on the purchase of any new plants pending a cohesive plan.
Thank you for the expert advise.
Robert
By: mondomuse on July 9, 2008
at 11:03 pm