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Thanks to their shallow root systems, succulents are a great match for small spaces—you can grow your plants close together without having to worry about unhealthy crowding. There’s also an incredible spectrum of textures for you to play with, from the velvet touch of the panda plant to the clustered jelly beans of the stonecrop. Embrace the variety! If your sunlight is scarce, check out sansevierias or hoyas.
This box can also be grown outdoors. Give your box fresh air after the last threat of a freeze, or grow year-round in USDA zone 9 and warmer. The succulents will appreciate the extra light and you’ll likely get some blooms and blushing foliage.
Reprinted with permission from How to Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out. Copyright © 2018 by Chantal Aida Gordon and Ryan Benoit. Photographs by Ryan Benoit. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Succulent Window Box for Sunny or Shady Spaces
Step 1
LOCATION AND MATERIALS
LOCATION
Indoors
LIGHT
High, medium
WINDOW
West- or south-facing
EASE
Easy
SOIL
Two parts cactus mix, one part pumice
TOPPING
Polished pebbles
WATER
Approximately every 3 to 6 weeksfeed10-10-10 liquid fertilizer diluted to one-fourth strength every month during spring, summer, and fall
Step 2
PLANTS THAT MAY BE USED
A. Portulacaria afra (elephant food)
B. Rosularia chrysantha
C. Graptoveria ‘Opalina’
D. Crassula perforata (baby necklace)
E. Sedum rubrotinctum (jelly bean plant)
F. Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (paddle plant)
G. Aloe ‘Black Beauty’
H. Echeveria ‘Tippy’
I. Anacampseros telephiastrum variegata ‘Sunrise’
J. Kalanchoe tomentosa (panda plant)
K. Sedum morganianum (burro’s tail)
L. Sedum pachyphyllum (stonecrop)
M. Sedum nussbaumerianum (coppertone stonecrop)
Step 3
Make sure your box has good drainage. If not, drill drain holes along the bottom of the box. Insert a screen cut to the size of the box’s bottom to prevent soil from escaping or clogging the holes.
Step 4
Mix the soil and add a healthy 3- to 4-inch layer to the bottom of the box. If your box is more shallow, just be sure your soil depth is at least 2½ inches—the bare minimum.
Step 5
Fill in the box with additional soil until the entire surface is level, and the base of the plants are about 1 inch below the top of the planter. Feel free to gently adjust plants until their bases line up across a smooth soil bed.
Step 7
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING Many succulents propagate by cuttings--meaning you can break off a leaf or cut a stem just above the next leaf or set of leaves (using sharp scissors, a knife, pruning shears, or your hands), let it callus for a few days in part shade until you see new roots start to form, and plant it in a new location. Or give cuttings to friends to plant in their own window boxes.
Step 8
Be sweet to your succulents
Steer clear of low-light and water-heavy situations—both surefire ways to kill your succulents. When you notice the first inch of soil has dried, wait a week or two, then water your box. The less sun your plants get, the less water they will need. When you do water, thoroughly drench the soil until water drips into your collection trays below.
Avoid temperatures below 40°F. Keep your box next to a sunny window during harsh winter months. A cold draft near a window is okay and often good for plants accustomed to cooler, but not freezing, temperatures.
Rotate your box to keep the succulents from leaning to one side.plant with personality
• Thanks to the diversity of succulents, you can create a garden bursting with spreading, hanging greenery or keep it nice and tidy like a minimalist sculpture garden.
• To achieve pink tips, move your box outside in the summer months.
Step 9
Reprinted with permission from How to Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out. Copyright © 2018 by Chantal Aida Gordon and Ryan Benoit. Photographs by Ryan Benoit. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
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