Project Succulent

Aeonium

On Its Own

Plant

One 1-gallon Aeonium

Container and Materials

Glazed pot, 6 inches in diameter and 7 inches tall, with a drainage hole and a flat back drilled for mounting on a wall

One 1-inch square of screen

1 to 3 cups cactus mix

1. Choose a plant size that is close to the size of the decorative pot and complements its color. Set the plant next to the pot; it should be the same height and width. If not, you'll need to make adjustments in step 3. Line the bottom of the pot with the screen and add the cactus mix.

2. Unpot the plant and gently massage the roots to remove any extra soil.

3. Replant the aeonium in the decorative pot, making adjustments to the soil so that the plant sits at the rim of the pot, tipped toward the front. Gently tamp down the soil.

4. Mount the pot on a fence or wall. To water, remove the pot from the wall and water the plant in a sink, allowing the excess to drip through before remounting the pot. Make sure to let the soil dry between waterings.

Aeonium

A Miniature Landscape

Plants

One 2-inch dwarf tree aeonium (Aeonium arboreum 'Tip Top' is a nice choice)

One 2-inch Mexican snowball (Echeveria elegans)

One 2-inch crassula, in bloom (try Crassula pubescens ssp. radicans)

Two 2-inch bear's paws (Cotyledon ladismithiensis)

One 2-inch aloe (Aloe 'Christmas Carol' is a good choice)

Container and Materials

Recycled glass vase, 4 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall

1 cup decorative gravel

2 cups cactus mix

1. Pour a thin layer of the gravel into the vase (this will help you see any extra water, which you can then pour out by delicately tipping the vase). Add 2 inches of the cactus mix. Unpot the plants from their grow pots and massage the roots to remove extra soil.

2. Plant the aeonium first and then the other plants around its base.

3. Use a spoon to spread the remaining gravel on top of the exposed soil. Let the arrangement dry between waterings, and water until the soil is slightly damp. This arrangement should last between 6 and 12 months.

Aeonium

Woodland Arrangement

Plants

One large aeonium with at least three rosettes (Aeonium 'Sunburst')

One 6-inch hellebore (Helleborus)

One 6-inch rabbit's foot fern (Humata tyermanii)

Container and Materials

Porcelain bowl inches in diameter and 8 inches tall

3 cups potting mix

Skewers (if needed)

Coated wire or florist tape (if needed)

1. Select the large aeonium and snip off three rosettes with at least a 3-inch stem. Let the stems dry out (scab over) for a few days.

2. Place the potting mix in the bowl, then unpot the hellebore and set it in the center. If its crown is too low, create a mound with the potting mix.

3. Unpot the rabbit's foot fern and insert it into the open space to the right of the hellebore. Angle it so that it leans over the rim of the bowl.

4. If the stems of the aeoniums are too short, attach a skewer with coated wire or florist tape, or go ahead and skewer the thick stem.