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What is a succulent? Succulents and cacti are low-maintenance plants from deserts and semi-deserts. Thanks to their thick, fleshy stems and leaves, they can survive without water for several weeks. Moreover, they come in countless varieties of shapes and colors, making them ideal for creating miniature landscapes.

What You Need to Create a Miniature Landscape

As a base, you naturally need a container for growing and succulent plants or their seeds. You can create succulent arrangements in various containers - you can use ordinary shallow pots, hollowed-out tree trunks, or even stones with hollows that are often brought back from seaside holidays.

The bowls and hollows don't need to be large or deep - succulent species actually prefer shallow containers and pots that dry out quickly.

It's a great advantage if the container has drainage holes, as it's very easy to overwater succulents. In stones and wood, you can create hollows and drainage artificially.

The pot can be modified similarly to the picture - from broken roof tiles or pieces of pots, we can create different levels.

Another necessity is the plants we'll be planting. There are red-leaved or pink varieties, bright green ones, trailing or tall types. We can also choose according to leaf size or growth habit.

When selecting plants, make sure they have similar requirements for light and moisture. Although most succulents and cacti can be grown together without worry, there are exceptions, such as shade-loving species.

The last necessary item is soil. The best and easiest option is to buy specially mixed substrate for cacti and succulents. It's prepared to not retain excessive water, to be light, and not contain too many nutrients. An excess of certain elements (mainly nitrogen) doesn't affect succulents well - they lose their coloration and become too leggy. As an alternative to special substrate, you can use ordinary soil mixed with sand.

How to Plant Succulents

Once we have the container, plants, and substrate ready, we can start creating. First, remove the plants from their pots and shake off excess soil. Pour a small amount of substrate into the bottom of the container.

Try arranging individual succulents and cacti in the container so that the final effect pleases you most. Try different combinations, remember that you don't have to use all the plants - sometimes less is more. A beautiful landscape can be created from just one taller plant (such as crassula) combined with an interesting element.

If you're creating a landscape from different species, it's nice to combine taller succulents with small ones, occasionally brightening up the green with red or purple. The final effect is definitely worth it. You can display this beautiful landscape even in your room, and that's what indoor succulents are for.

A nicely shaped stone, smooth driftwood, a water container imitating a pond, or the substrate surface sprinkled with white or black sand or small pebbles can also become a complement to the landscape.

Once we're satisfied with the arrangement of the succulents, carefully cover the roots with substrate and press down gently. It's possible that some taller plants won't stand upright initially or will fall over - in that case, provide them with support for a few weeks (a simple wooden stick or support with a stone will do). Once the succulent takes root in the new substrate, it won't need support anymore.

Caring for Your Succulent Landscape

Succulents are truly undemanding plants when it comes to care and moisture, but they do require plenty of light. If your plants have just been transplanted, it's good to give them about a week to recover away from direct sunlight, but after that they'll definitely appreciate a sunny location.

Especially varieties with red or purple coloring, or those with light hairs and a waxy surface, will grow better the more light you give them. In colored varieties, the pigment may fade in insufficient light and they'll turn green. Cacti also require direct sunlight. Don't be afraid to place them even on a south-facing window.

If the succulents are rather dark, blue-green, or without a glossy surface, they'll probably prefer lower light intensity. An east or west-facing window will be perfect for them.

Watering succulents is usually sufficient once a week, depending on the shallowness of the dish, the number of plants planted in it, and the intensity of sunlight. Varieties without a waxy surface need to be watered more frequently. If you've used a regular pot for planting and fewer plants are planted, you can water even just once every two weeks.

For small landscapes, it's often more suitable to use a spray bottle for watering. This is also useful if the substrate surface is masked with sand, which could wash away with conventional watering.

Fertilizing succulents is done only during the growing season, meaning in spring and summer. Liquid fertilizer for cacti and succulents is suitable, where you can regulate the amount (fertilize more in spring, less towards the end of the growing season). These fertilizers contain little nitrogen and large amounts of micronutrients that succulent plants need for their health.

Overwintering and summering: Succulents are capable of year-round growth in indoor conditions if they have enough light. However, if you have the opportunity to put them outside during summer, you will see how they thrive. They can tolerate even direct midday sun. If you summer them outdoors, they will require somewhat more frequent watering.

Overwintering is also not necessary, but your plants will reward you with vigorous growth and possibly even flowers. Cacti especially look magnificent when they bloom. The temperature for overwintering ranges between 5-10°C, cacti usually tolerate drops close to zero as well. During overwintering, we water very sparingly, only if the plants start to shrivel.

Pruning: If you have chosen a smaller container for growing, it will likely soon become too small for your plants. In that case, you can trim some succulents (for example, Senecio) - they will be shorter and will also branch out.

If the succulents are not suitable for pruning, it is usually better to disassemble the arrangement, remove the old overgrown plants and leave only enough so that the dish looks attractive and not overcrowded. On this occasion, it is also good to replace the substrate, and you can also change some of the succulent species if desired.