DIY Network

Creating Containerscapes with Succulents Plant specialist Hank Jenkins discusses his techniques for creating landscapes in miniature using succulents. From "The Dirt On..." episode DTDO-113

Succulents expert Hank Jenkins with host Ahmed Hassan.

Planting designer Hank Jenkins specializes in creating succulent containerscapes — container plantings that look like miniature landscapes.

Jenkins stopped by The Dirt On to show us how to create these mini-masterpieces, answer some questions and provide information on how to keep your succulents happy and healthy.

advertisement

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

• Q: Why do you design mostly with succulents?

  Hank Jenkins: I have a background in design and architecture so I love the structure and diversity of succulents. There are so many different shapes and sizes that you can really create an endless number of unique designs to match any theme or style. My clients love them because they are easy to take care of and they can look really high end too.
  
  

• Q: How do you put a containerscape together?

  Hank Jenkins: Follow these basic steps —

  1. Pick your pot. This will determine the style of your planting. You can really use anything just as long as you create some drainage for it. Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole (figure A). Succulents don't want to sit in water. They want to take a drink and then they want that water to go away.
     
     
  2. Place a screen over the bottom of the drainage hole. You can buy pre-cut screens at the nursery or you can cut your own from thin gauge wire mesh. This will prevent soil from leaking out of the bottom and it will keep insects from crawling in your pot.

  3. Fill your pot with soil. You can either use a succulent potting mix that you can buy at a nursery or you can mix your own. I make my own mix that contains 60 percent potting soil and 40 percent pumice (figure B). This mix won't hold on to a whole lot of water so it's perfect for these plants.
     
     
  4. Fill it up with succulents. I like to use plants with different heights and textures. You can create any kind of design you like. The great thing about succulents is that you can have any number of them in the same container and they'll all have the same water and exposure requirements so they'll get along nicely together.

  5. Add some decorative mulch, pieces of tumbled glass or flagstone (figure C) to complete your container-scape (figures D and E).

• Q: How can you keep your succulents healthy?

  Hank Jenkins: It's actually really hard to kill a succulent. That's why so many people love them. The one thing that will kill them is over-watering. That's why it's important to have enough drainage holes in your pot and use a well-draining potting soil. You should water them about every 10 days to 2 weeks, which is not very often when you compare it to your other container plants. If you see the leaves starting to wrinkle before the 10 days, that's an indication that you'll need to water it a little more often.
  

• Q: Will the succulents outgrow the container soon?

  Hank Jenkins: You'll only fertilize your container once a year in the spring if it needs it, so they really shouldn't grow too fast. If your succulents are getting too big, it's really easy to take one or two of the succulents out and re-plant them, planting a smaller succulent in that space.

  Some succulent plants produce "babies" (figure F) which you can easily separate and re-plant in a new pot.

  You could also re-plant a cutting from the plant you're removing so you don't have to buy something new. To take a cutting from a succulent, simply snip off a piece with a pair of sharp, clean pruners (figure G). Let this sit over night so it becomes calloused and then stick it into your planting medium. It will root in your new container and grow.

Figure F

Figure G

Here's a small gallery of containerscape creations to give you some ideas:

Go to next article in DIY's "Gardening Specialties" series.