If you’re a lover of hardy succulents and you’re always looking for new varieties to add to your collection, you might have asked “Can you plant multiple succulents in one pot?”
Planting a collection of succulents in a single pot or container is a common practice among succulent collectors and a great way to create a truly interesting display. But, there are ways to do it correctly which I’m going to share with you.
I’m also going to explain the best way to group different succulents together so that they will all enjoy the same growing environment. This will ensure your success as you develop your succulent plantings and interesting displays.
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Choose Succulents With Identical Needs
If you’re going to group a number of different succulents in one pot or container, you want to ensure that they all have similar needs.
While a lot of succulents need infrequent watering, this is not the case with all varieties or species. So, when you set about creating a gorgeous succulent arrangement, make sure that all the plants you select have the same watering needs.
The other important need to consider is how much light the type of succulent you’ve chosen will need. While many succulents prefer lots of bright light, there are some that like a little more shade.
Therefore, you want to choose a collection of plants that like either bright light or ones that are happier with a more shaded spot.
Similarly, some succulents are dormant in winter while others might experience dormancy in summer. Therefore, you want to ensure that you combine succulents that enjoy identical growth periods in order to keep them healthy and thriving.
Winter dormant succulents include:
- Echeveria
- Sempervivum
- Agave
- Adenium
- Euphorbia
- Lithops
Summer dormant succulents include:
- Aeonium
- Aloe
- Crassula
- Graptoveria
- Graptopetalum
- Gasteria
- Haworthia
- Pachyphytum
Consider The Spacing Between Your Plants
Most succulents don’t actually mind being a little crowded and can be planted quite close together. However, there are some considerations that you might want to think about when planning your arrangement.
Succulents planted quite close together will be slow to grow. You might think this is a positive and exactly what you’re looking to achieve. This is because the general look of your arrangement will not alter much with time.
If you’re going to do a really close planting, just ensure that the succulent mix that you’re using has excellent drainage and that there aren’t too many pests that you might have to worry about.
This is because individual plants may be hard to treat for pests or even fungal diseases if the drainage is not absolutely perfect and the plants are getting too much water.
On the other hand, if you love watching your succulents grow, you might want to space your collection a little further apart. Giving your plants enough space will allow them to grow.
Another advantage of a little more spacing between the plants is that some of them may produce pups that you can then remove and use in other arrangements.
Ensure That You Plant Correctly To Keep Your Plants Healthy
You will find that if there is too much space between the level of the succulent soil and the top of the pot some of the lower leaves of your small succulents may stay wet after you’ve watered your container.
When this happens, those wet leaves will rot and die and this could leave the rest of your plants open to fungal infections and diseases. Remember that most succulents don’t like wet soil as this can lead to root rot.
To avoid this from happening and to get the best results, make sure that there is no or very little space between the soil level and the top of the pot. You could even add some pebbles to the top of the potting mix. Make sure that these come right up to the upper rim of the pot.
This also looks quite attractive if your planting arrangement is spaced out a little to allow room for growth.
Planning The Perfect Arrangement
Before you start planting out your succulent pot, make sure that you play around with the arrangement to ensure that it’s visually pleasing. This is actually the fun part because you can play around with different colours, sizes and shapes.
The best type of arrangements should have a pleasant visual symmetry. For example, tall plants should be placed in the centre of the pot. Shorter and more compact ones should be placed around the edges of the pot.
You can even incorporate a few trailing succulents that drape gracefully over the edges of the containers.
Or, you could make an eye-catching display by incorporating succulents with red leaves with others that have lime green or even grey-green leaves.
If you want to get a little more technical or you have an understanding of interior design, you might like to explore different colour schemes.
For example, you could use a complementary colour scheme. This involves using colours from opposite sides of the colour wheel such as red and green, purple and yellow or blue and orange.
Or, you might like to create a more monochromatic arrangement. This includes using succulents in different shades of just the one colour. For example, succulents in different shades of green could be grouped together quite creatively for a stunning display.
For something just a little different, why not create an arrangement with an analogous colour scheme? This incorporates three colours that sit next to each other on the color wheel. For example, green, blue-green and blue.
Choosing The Right Succulent Planter For Your Arrangement
Choosing the right container for your succulent arrangement will depend on your personal preference and the type of arrangement you’re planning. While small pots are ideal for individual plants, a large pot is preferred for a succulent arrangement.
I find that shallow containers such as terracotta or stone succulent bowls look fantastic when planted with a collection of succulents. Of course, if you’re going to use a shallow pot, you want to stick with shorter-growing plants so there’s enough room for the root systems to grow.
Using terracotta and clay pots is a good way to keep your succulents happy. Terra cotta is porous so water can easily evaporate allowing moist soil to dry out completely. This is a good option for a whole range of succulents as they need dry soil in between watering.
Ceramic pots are also a good choice, especially those that are unglazed. Like terra cotta pots, these are generally porous.
Of course, the pot size will determine how many succulents you can actually fit into your arrangement.
I also think it’s important to ensure that your pot or container has plenty of drainage holes. This allows any excess water can drain away freely after you’ve watered your plants.
While I do agree that succulent collections grown in glass terrariums look fantastic, these are much harder to maintain. You have to be very precise with the watering. With these, it’s often necessary to add just a little water at a time. Plus, excess moisture needs to be blotted away in order to keep the plants healthy. Therefore, I would only recommend this if you’re a very experienced succulent grower and understand their water needs.
The danger with growing succulents in containers that do not have adequate drainage is that your plants can easily be overwatered. This means that you could end up losing the lot.
For more handy tips on growing succulents, you might want to check out these articles:
25 Best Full Sun Succulents To Grow In Your Garden
How Long Can Succulents Go Without Water?
Are Self-Watering Pots Good For Succulents?
Frequently Asked Questions
Most succulents don’t actually mind being planted quite close together. They will live quite happily in close proximity to each other. But, you will find that if they are too crowded, they won’t grow much or grow very slowly.
When your succulent collection has outgrown its pot, you can repot the same plants together in a new pot. You just need to ensure that the new pot is around 10% larger than the old one. Also, space your plants a little further apart to give them room to grow a little.
Putting rocks in the bottom of your succulent container is actually not a good idea. It will encourage water to collect in the bottom of the pot rather than draining through the holes in the base.
Many succulents prefer around 6 hours of bright light daily. Many will thrive in direct sunlight but there are others that are quite happy to grow in more shaded positions.
Final Thoughts
Succulents are essentially hardy and easy-to-grow plants as long as their needs are taken care of. You can even plant multiple succulents in one pot to create truly beautiful succulent arrangements.
This is also a great way to add to your collection because you can group them together according to their water and light needs. Plus, you can get truly creative by pairing different colors, shapes, sizes and textures.
With a little imagination and know-how, you can create the most fabulous displays with your succulents. These also make excellent gifts. But, ensure that you include a care card so that the gift recipient knows how to look after their newly acquired succulent collection.
