Succulents are increasingly popular as low-maintenance houseplants and landscape plants. Their sculptural shapes and textures make them great design elements. But can you incorporate succulents into plantings with other types of plants? The answer is yes, absolutely! Mixing succulents with complementary plants creates dynamic gardens.
Benefits of Mixing Succulents with Other Plants
There are several advantages to combining succulents with other plants:
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Adds visual interest – Mixing heights, shapes, colors and textures prevents monotony.
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Provides blooms – Many succulents don’t flower, so adding flowering plants gives seasonal color.
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Attracts pollinators – Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit for the nectar.
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Offers shade options – Some plants provide afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch
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Reduces maintenance – Companion plants help suppress weeds and retain soil moisture.
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Improves growing conditions – The right plants enhance the soil over time as they mature.
Companion Plants That Thrive with Succulents
A lot of plants, like succulents, like sun, soil that drains well, and not much water. Top choices include:
Ornamental Grasses
Grasses add movement and elegant shapes. Varieties like Muhly grass or Mexican feather grass work well with succulents.
Herbs
Herbs like thyme, oregano, lavender and rosemary need limited water once established. They offer flowers, fragrance and culinary uses.
Low-Growing Perennials
Stonecrop, soapwort, blanket flower, yarrow and coreopsis are perennial flowers that spread around succulents.
Shrubs
You can add shrubs like Texas ranger, blue mist spirea, dwarf oleander, rockrose, and dwarf sage to give your garden height and shape.
Annuals
Use annuals like zinnias, cosmos, California poppies, cosmos, and ornamental peppers for pops of color.
Ground Covers
Low-growing perennials like sedum, ajuga, snow-in-summer, and creeping phlox make great ground covers with succulents.
Tips for Combining Succulents and Other Plants
Follow these tips for successfully incorporating succulents into plantings:
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Choose companions suited for the location. Match plants to sun, soil type, and other factors.
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Mix heights and growth habits. Combine upright, mounding, and trailing plants.
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Repeat some plants. Repeat certain companions throughout for unity.
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Add accent plants. Use contrasting textures, colors or features as focal points.
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Allow room to grow. Space plants to prevent overcrowding as they mature.
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Group similar needs. Cluster plants with similar water and maintenance needs.
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Watch proportions. Don’t let companions overwhelm or hide the succulents.
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Consider contrasts. Juxtapose fine and broad leaves for dramatic contrasts.
10 Great Companion Plant Combinations
Here are ten pleasing plant pairings that highlight succulents:
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Sedum and Ornamental Grasses. Grasses contrast the carpet of sedum.
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Hens-and-Chicks and Creeping Thyme. Thyme backdrops rosettes of hens-and-chicks.
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Agave and Blanket Flower. Soft daisies complement bold agave forms.
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Aloe and Yarrow. Yarrow’s flower clusters stand out against spiky aloe leaves.
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Echeveria and Trailing Lantana. Lantana’s trailing blooms pop against echeveria leaves.
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Barrel Cactus and Zinnias. Barrel cactus displays vibrant zinnias.
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Jade Plant and Dwarf Sage. Rounded jade leaves contrast fine sage texture.
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Hens-and-Chicks and Creeping Phlox. Phlox’s bright blooms complement subtle hens-and-chicks colors.
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Prickly Pear Cactus and Cosmos. Cosmos daisy flowers stand out on prickly pear paddles.
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Burro’s Tail and Sweet Alyssum. The stems of a burro’s tail hang over the carpet of alyssum flowers.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Avoid these common errors when combining succulents with other plants:
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Don’t crowd plants. Allow enough space for growth between plants.
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Avoid pairing succulents with frequent water needs. This leads to rot.
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Don’t mix shade lovers and sun worshippers. Stick to compatible light needs.
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Prevent taller plants from shading out lower succulents.
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Don’t mix aggressive spreaders that will overtake succulents. Give them space.
The Last Word on Succulent Companion Planting
Creative companion planting brings out the best in succulents and makes them easier to take care of. Just make sure you choose the right plants to go with your succulents. Thoughtful pairings result in beautiful, balanced succulent gardens.
Which Succulents Can be Planted Together?
There are so many succulents’ varieties. If you want to arrange the succulents, pick ones that need similar care. They will live in harmony and maintain the appearance of the whole set for a long time.
For example, Crassula (Jades) is a winter grower while Graptosedum California Sunset is a summer grower. Therefore it would not be a good idea to plant them together. When putting succulents together, you should think about when they should be planted, how much water they need, how much light they need, and what kind of soil they like.
Some winter dormant succulents that look great together are Agave, Echeveria and Sempervivum. Aeonium, Aloe, Graptopetalum, and Kalanchoe are some summer succulents that do not grow together but can be put together if you want to.
Besides the nature of the succulents, it is also essential to consider the height and the color to put them in harmony. Your arrangement should have the thriller, filler, and spiller.
Use tall succulents for the thriller, making the entire appearance outstanding. Use shorter succulents as the filler around them. And finally, put some “spiller” trailing succulents to finish the arrangement. The recipe is simple, and you can always put your own twist to it until it looks good in your eyes.
It is easy to choose a theme for your succulent arrangement. Whether you want it to be colorful or monochromatic, there are many succulents that can make your succulents combinations look great.
There are 3 main ways to combine colors – monochromatic, analogous, and complementary.
For monochromatic arrangement, you will need to put the succulents with the same colors but with different shades together.
With analogous setting, you will group those with the colors sitting next to each other in the color wheel (orange, yellow, and green).
Complementary schemes call for colors that are opposite to each other on the color wheel (red and green).
|| DON’T MIX SUCCULENTS WITH OTHER PLANTS ||
FAQ
Can succulents be mixed with other plants?
A wide range of companion plants will bring out the best qualities of your succulents and share their space with a serene balance. These companion plants will provide contrast and add interest. Whether ornamental grasses, perennials, annuals, or shrubs, these companion plants should have the same cultural requirements.
Do succulents like to be crowded?
While succulents can tolerate being crowded, especially when young, they don’t necessarily “like” it and it can lead to issues like stunted growth and pest problems if they become too densely packed.
What not to do with succulents?
Seven things you should not do with your new succulents:
• Repot them too soon
• Put them in direct sunlight
• Water them without checking the soil Plant Division. Put the new plant next to existing ones. Moving your succulents too much. Fertilizing your succulents right away.
Can you mix succulents and flowers?
You can also mix succulents with other types; just make sure there are enough connections. The common Buxus balls, which are often seen with soft wildflowers, give much-needed structure. Their solid look is the perfect balance to more delicate growth.