A succulent display

succulentshorizHappy 14th of July. Bastille Day. May you not be stuck in traffic on this most auspicious of days.

I would put out the red white and blue bunting, but it would clash with the green of my potting shed wall.

I have had these apple crates up for a few months now, and I have been pondering what to display inside.

I had placed any terracotta pots I had lying about inside the crates. And believe me, they were all lying about. I had to shake out the spiders and bugs and old compost before I stacked them up.succulent helper

But it didn’t look quite right just having empty things. It looked undressed. Or as Dad would say when he found a dog without its collar – in its pyjamas.

Step up my friend Caroline. She lives near Aix-en-Provence and sent up a lovely tray of succulents as a gift when her partner was last visiting his Dad next door.

succulent casesPerfect. They wouldn’t mind the hot spot and if I didn’t get round to watering them daily, they wouldn’t turn up their toes and die.

I had first thought of using the lovely zinc planter I have. It housed tulips earlier this year.  But Artur grabbed it first and wasn’t about to relinquish it.

There he is lying on the slightly cool compost. Takes all sorts.

Instead I had to reach around him and fill the pots with fresher compost and compose a few of each plant in the larger pots. And then dress them with gravel on the surface. A good water, let them drain and they were ready to place in my little theatre.

I can’t have an auricula theatre (you’ve no doubt seen these – gorgeous individual flowering primulas against a black backdrop in terracotta pots) but I can have a succulent theatre instead.succulent detail

I’m quite pleased with the jumble. I’m less pleased with my photography skills. And the fact I didn’t clean that pot on the top left before I placed it on the shelf.

As a set designer, I’m not quite the finished article.