Succulent Tips
Succulent plants are wonderful plants with lots of character, especially for a Southwestern garden. They do well in hot, dry climates, and they fit into the look of many Southwestern-style buildings that have stucco walls and Spanish Mission-style tiles. Although succulent plants are hardy and easy-to-care-for, keep the following tips in mind.
Some tips to remember for keeping succulents is to provide a sandy, well-draining potting soil, avoid overwatering and to give it as much sun as possible. One great thing about succulent plants is that they don't need a lot of root space, so a wide, shallow plant container is great for a mixture of succulents (or the interesting rock container pictured on the right). Wide, shallow planters are different from the plant containers we usually use, so it adds visual interest and uniqueness to your garden. A succulent garden is beautiful, hardy and easy to keep. These container plants don't fit the style or theme of every garden (they fit well in a Southwest garden themes), but if you can find a place for succulent plants, they are great additions to the balcony container garden. It's practically impossible to kill a succulent! (Even if it looks dead, it will often bounce back.) Some great container succulents include moon cactus, aloe vera and tree aeonium.
SUCCULENT VS. CACTUS: Have you wondered what the difference is between a cactus and a succulent? It would make sense that any spiky plant is a cactus, right? Wrong! Cacti have clusters of spines that grow out of spine cushions, while succulents (if they have spikes) will have more random spiky growths than a cactus would.
A succulent is any plant that stores water in its stems or leaves, so that means that all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti!
