We purchased these plastic containers designed to plant and hang on the wall.

We didn’t have a suitable wall so we thought using posts with the trees as a backdrop would let us view them from our back porch and place them in enough light to make them thrive.

Much of my inspiration comes from 2 books by Debra Lee Baldwin that you too might enjoy.

I rooted the succulents directly in this container in April for this early June hanging.

With the rainy season starting we are more worried about too much water than too little. We considered a drip system for the dry season to water them. Succulents need little so little water and can go for weeks without it. I think we will determine if drip irrigation is needed before we install it. There are plenty of succulent varieties to make your own vertical garden project. Using succulents would mean the wall container doesn’t need to be very elaborate. I  think you could hang pots close together and create some interesting effects.

The Spanish Moss hides the posts and blends in well with the moss covered plant stand holding the bromeliad planter. They are attached with 2 screws so I can take them down if we get a frost in the winter. It will be fun to watch them grow.

Below is an inspiring video of vertical garden images to get you thinking if this is something that will help you decorate your own space.

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There is always something special happening at Fairchild. Last spring I took these images. I always get ideas of how to use Florida Friendly Plants when I visit the gardens. New species and hybrids on display in unique combinations get my design mind in gear. They display plants in colorful arrangements that are interesting to the viewer at all levels. Groundcovers and foreground plants draw your eyes forward and down the path. There is a picture of a new vignette with every few steps you take so don’t go without your camera. I wonder what new plants I will find on my visit at the end of March? Look for them here or plan your own trip.

Go through these Power Points to see some flowering trees at Fairchild Gardens and some new and interesting plants that will be coming to a Florida nursery near you soon.

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Debra Lee Baldwin demonstrates how to make a beautiful container garden with succulents. Watch how she selects the component plants using what Debra Lee says are the most important design features - contrast and repetition. You are sure to enjoy her books Designing with Succulents and her latest book, Succulent Container Gardens. Check out her sites Debra Lee Baldwin and Succulent Chic where you can get information about her books and much more inspiration. Visit Debra Lee’s blog, Gardening Gone Wild, for updates on what she is doing and her thoughts on garden design.

In most Florida Home Depot stores you will find an assortment of succulents and all the materials to begin a creative adventure in succulent gardening. Remember to ensure you have a well drained site and add perlite to your containers for success. Succulents are long lived and they multiply and propagate easily making them the ideal plants to share with friends.

See also Succulent Success part 1 and part 2

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Over the last 3 weeks I have traveled around the state and met with 600 Home Depot garden associates spreading news and knowledge about great Florida Friendly Plants. This excited team is chomping at the bit for good weather after all the freezes we have had. We did have a little sleet and snow on January 10th in parts of Florida. What an El Nino winter this has been! With climate change we know winter and summer precipitation will be greater as there will be much more water vapor in the atmosphere as the planet warms yet droughts in drought prone areas are worsening. Poor Australia! We gardeners will just have to take what mother nature sends our way.

A good percentage of associates are Florida Certified Horticulture Professionals (FCHP). Much of what I shared with the long time Home Depot garden associates (some as much as 20 year vets) is in the post  Successful Gardening in 2010.

New shipments of Florida Friendly Plants are arriving daily at most

Florida Home Depot garden centers.

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Succulents are easy to grow in Florida and make especially beautiful arrangements for a sunny patio. Succulents require little water and can survive on rainfall alone. One important key is a well drained soil so the container does not become soggy when we do get a lot of rain. Use your standard potting soil and add 25% perlite to the mix so it drains quickly and you don’t ant to buy cactus and succulent soil which also is ideal.

Succulents are the perfect plant to give and share. They last a long time so your friends can be successful even if they do not remember to water. Classic Creation Succulent 9 packs are exclusively available at most Florida Home Depot garden centers.

Low bowls are ideal for making mixed arrangements of succulents.

Strawberry jars are ideal for sedum and succulent collections.

Sedum Florida Friendly Gold is the hardiest Florida sedum available for outstanding performance throughout the state in containers and in the landscape. It is heat, rain, humidity and freeze tolerant and available at most Florida Home Depots in Gallon Florida Friendly Perennial pots and in an economical 9 count Classic Selection tray.

Flickr Hive Mind, almost certainly the best search engine for photography on the web that can display targeted images like these Container,Succulents and you can mouse over for text and tags.

You can make your own Hypertufa Container. For a classy way to display a succulent garden and you will enjoy this set of Hypertufi.

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