While cleaning up and replanting the area in front of our backyard fountain a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try using one of the seashells scattered there as a plant container for succulents. The seashells were here when we moved in over ten years ago and I left most of them where they were, mainly because I had no idea what to do with them.
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| This is a giant clam shell, and the largest of the shells left by the prior owner. When I turned it open side up, it was obvious it was meant to serve as a container for something. |
I'd planned to go to my local garden center to select new succulent plants but subsequently decided to use what I had on hand.
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| I'd picked up the 2 partridge aloes (Gonialoe variegata) in the small pots on my shopping trip to Santa Barbara several weeks ago but ultimately decided not to use them for the purpose I'd had in mind. I collected cuttings of other plants - Cotyledon orbiculata, Oscularia deltoides, and Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' - from my garden. |
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| I did a mock-up before filling the shell with a cactus mix and planting |
When I got around to the actual planting, I added more Oscularia deltoides and several rosettes of Graptopetalum 'California Sunset'.
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| I filled in the remaining visible crevices with tiny blue decorative stones I had on hand from a previous project |
I tried out a few different areas before placing the shell.
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| I didn't think the scale was right for it in some spots and in other cases I was concerned that the shell's contents might be harmed by critters or careless humans |
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| So the shell ended up on the little cafe table on our south-side patio, out of the way of intense sun, critters, and the gardeners with their leaf blowers |
That project led me to rehab two other small planters, both of which had lost their appeal in the two or more years since I'd originally planted them. I didn't take any before shots but here are the completed containers:
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| The circle planter was filled with a small noID Aloe and cuttings of Crassula pubescens |
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| I replanted this shallow ceramic container with cuttings of Aeonium 'Jack Catlin' (center), Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', noID orange-colored Aloe rosettes, and more Graptopetalum 'California Sunset' |
Little projects like these can be so satisfying! I'm already thinking about which of the other seashells I inherited with the garden might be transformed into succulent planters.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party