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Outdoor Succulent Plants and Cuttings: A Quick Guide

ByNell Foster Published on

Oh you know how I love my wild and wacky, intriguing and interesting fleshy succulents!

It made my little ole horticultural heart melancholy to leave most of them behind when I moved from the coast of California to the Arizona desert.

It was clearly for their own good and well being that I gave them away to  to friends and neighbors.

I did bring a few small pots with me as well as quite a few cuttings so this is all about planting to consolidate my medley of succulent plants and cuttings.

planting succulent plants cuttings
My kitty Oscar checking out the project.  Sorry, no catnip here!

All cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.

I’ve always found the above to be interesting, especially when I 1st discovered succulents years ago.  Now that I live in the desert where the summers are on the average 25-30 degrees hotter than they were in Santa Barbara, I see a lot of plants which have adapted to this more intense (for lack of a better term!) climate.  Tucson is the 3rd sunniest city in the USA so growing fleshy succulents outdoors here will be a challenge. Cacti and other plants with spines do great so my gardening ways and style will have to adapt to where I now live.

Into 1 good sized  pot all my small plants and cuttings are going to create a succulent medley.

With this project, 1 of about a hundred I have lined up to do around my new home, you could say that I’m putting my eggs in 1 basket.  Growing fleshy succulents in the desert is a crap shot and it’s 1 I’m willing to gamble on.  Summers are hot and evening temps in the winter can dip below freezing.  I’ve seen many succulents for sale here but I think the majority spend a lot of their time indoors.

planting succulent plants cuttings

Planting these was a bit of a challenge mainly because succulents tend to be top heavy. The cuttings were flopping every which way.

I always use succulent & cactus mix when planting succulents.

I figure that if the plants and the rooted cuttings that you see below  are all in 1 container, it’ll be easier to cover or move it into the garage.  This pot will reside in the entry way to my front door so it may be protected enough for them to survive.  There’s not an abundance of water here in the desert and this pot will need much less watering than the 3 smaller ones.

planting succulent plants cuttings

These are the cuttings I brought with me & rooted here in Tucson

planting succulent plants cuttings

These succulents were all started from cuttings taken from my garden in Santa Barbara.

I’m making gardening easier by planting & consolidating all these fleshy succulents into 1 large pot.

The bottom line is that we all want more free time.  Gardening is my passion which I truly love and enjoy but I don’t want to be a slave to it.  I want to spend some time relaxing in my garden, not working in it all the time.  How about you?

Happy gardening,

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planting succulent plants cuttings
Looking down on the finished project. If you’re new to mixed succulent plantings, they might look awkward when newly planted.  Don’t worry. They’ll grow in beautifully!

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5 Comments

  2. Hi Janice – You should! They’re so easy to grow but just be sure to not over water them. Nell

  3. I love succulents! Living in the Chicago suburbs means it’s time to start transitioning them into my laundry room; some are small and will be planted together if I remember the conditions required…over 100.

  4. Hi Sheryl – Succulents are addicting! Yes, in Chicago you’ll definitely need to take them in soon. I worked on the Marshall Field’s Spring flower Show for 13 years in a row by the way. I love Chicago! Nell

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