Revamp: Succulent Garden Spot (Part 1)

I purchased this plant at the Farmer’s Market last fall, intentionally picking out one with a lot of babies. I’m told the babies are referred to as “chicks”. I was thinking they would just mound and grow bigger, but they decided they wanted to explore. I decided they should go explore outside. I really hope they are hardy in zone 7b.

“Chicks” ready to leave the nest

There is one spot at my front steps that always gets the shaft. I intended it to be an herb garden before I knew how large herbs can get. Once we created a bed around the back deck, the herbs have slowly been moved until one last stand of Greek Oregano was left with the purple shamrock and the daffodils that got dumped from their old home to make way for a new bed of Asiatic Lilies and crocuses.

Before

I kept the purple shamrock for sentimental reasons, but uprooted everything else. I replanted the daffodils keeping the greenery intact next to their long lost brothers and sisters that had formed a refugee colony behind the daylilies. The oregano was sent to live with his cousin out back.

Uprooted plants

This morning (before all the digging) I went to the Phi Alpha Xi plant sale at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum and came back with some lovelies – four kinds of Sedum. Confession: when I went to the plant sale I didn’t know what I wanted other than some irises, but as I perused the plants, the succulent garden idea took form. There were good finds and good conversation. It’s why I go to these things.

Plant sale loot

I trimmed those independence-seeking chicks. I even took the mother hen out of the pot.

Trimmed “Chicks”

On a trip to Lowes for more pickets for our garden fence, I found another Sedum and two Echervia Mazarines to go with the others. I tried to give all the plants ample spacing for them to grow, but I was so tempted to just jam-pack the space in like these awesome succulent wall planters. For a gal who never gave much thought to succulent gardening, this didn’t turn out half bad. I’m sure I’ll add to the collection on the next trip to the Farmer’s Market.