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Hands-Off Gardening
Offering interesting texture in varied shades of green, low-maintenance succulents become perfect year-round container gardens
BY
Laura Keech Allen
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nancy Nolan
STYLED BY
Mandy Keener



Hot Arkansas summers can leave our wilted gardens and patios ready for an infusion of color and texture, and there’s no better way to achieve this than integrating a selection of perennial succulents. Whether you choose to include them in your landscape or in container gardens inside and out, like the ones created for this story by Brett Battle, owner of The Plant Outlet in Conway, along with Plant Outlet landscape professional Andrea Cleaver, these easy-to-grow plants are low in maintenance and high in style.

According to Brett, there are four different varieties of succulents: sedums, which he primarily used for these container gardens; euphorbia, or cacti; tender succulents, like aloe vera and jade; and yuccas, which are large evergreen plants. The rosette-shaped sedums are ideal for container gardens thanks to their versatility, but they also make wonderful ground covering that grows quickly and can be mixed with annuals and other perennials for a variety of looks. “We also use a lot of succulents in rock gardens and xeriscapes, which are landscape designs that use little to no supplemental irrigation,” Brett says, “because they are so hearty.”

Succulents will thrive indoors, as well as out, and they love a hot, sunny and dry environment year-round. “They like minimal water and sandy soil,” says Brett, “which is pretty much the opposite of what most people are used to when caring for houseplants.” Brett does caution against over-fertilizing and over-watering. “You only need to water every two to four weeks if they’re in a container,” he says. “Just about the only way to kill these is over-watering.” Succulents also prefer a snug, confined environment, so they should rarely be re-potted, and they thrive in cold weather down to 20 degrees below freezing, so they can be left outside for patio color during the winter as well.

Brett, a native of Australia whose family has been in the nursery business for many years, loves creating succulent gardens for his busiest clients, but he also encourages even diligent caretakers to consider mixing them with other plants. “Succulents offer different foliage and contrast to other, more traditional perennials.”