Marianne Binetti will be speaking every day at the Tacoma Home and Garden Show at 1 p.m. from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2. On Thuesday and Saturday, the topic is “Taming Your Garden: Weeding, pruning and watering tips”; on Friday and Sunday, the topic is “Ten Tips for Using Succulents: from blocking weeds to lowering your water bill succulents can transform you garden”. More details at www.tacomahomeandgardenshow.
Succulents have become the “Go dry in January” plant as they share the traits of drinking very little after the holiday season.
You may see signs of spring bulbs in your outdoor garden but make this the week of planning a future landscape that requires less water and less weeding by adding some succulents to your indoor and outdoor space.
If you can’t make the Tacoma Home and Garden Show that runs Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 you can still learn a bit more about succulents from these most asked questions:
Q. Will my succulent survive the winter if I leave it outdoors in my Tacoma Garden?
A. That depends. Succulents are a varied lot of plants and some like Hen’s and Chicks, Sedum ‘Angelina’ and yucca ‘Gold Band’ will survive even freezing temperatures in the Pacific Northwest. Others such as the exotic looking echeverias need protection from the frost over the winter. The best way to tell how hardy your plant will be is to read the label or if there is no label take a picture of the plant or check images of succulent plants online until you can identify what type of succulent or sedum you have. Then you can look up if the variety needs winter protection.
Q. How does one protect tender succulents over the winter in the Puget Sound area?
A. Winter protection means forcing your sedum or succulent plant into dormancy by with holding water. Stop watering in September to harden up the plants. Then either dig them from the ground or move potted plants into a cold but not freezing location so they go to sleep. A frost-free garage is a good spot. Once a month or so over the winter you can add just a bit of water to the soil if the plant looks shriveled. Bring the plants back into the sunlight and gradually begin to water more often in late spring. If you set your succulents out on a patio and a late May frost is expected cover the plants with a cardboard box or move them close to the house for warmth.
Q. What succulents make the bests groundcovers to block out weeds in a sunny spot?
A. Groundcover succulents need to be frost proof as you will not want to protect them over the winter. Sedum ‘Angelina’, Hen’s and Chicks and Sedum palmeri are good choices for accents plants but a low growing thyme such as ‘Elfin Thyme’ can be used to fill in large areas as the thyme will be lower growing and thicker to crowd out weeds.
Growing Tip: To use thymes and sedums as a lawn substitute you will need to add several inches of sharp gravel with the fines or sand in the gravel. This provides a fast draining base for these plants that tend to rot in our wet winter weather.
Q. Is it true my sedums will never need watering?
A. Not true! Sedums, yuccas, succulents, thymes and other drought resistant plants need careful watering as they become established and then during the summer months they may require more water during times of drought. Potted plants almost always need additional water even if they are succulents that store moisture in their leaves. The amount of watering needed depends on the type of soil, exposure to sun and type of plant. Always stick a finger into the soil and feel for moisture. When the soil feels bone dry water well making sure the water runs quickly from the pot. Sedums in the ground need to be planted in quick draining soil on a slope or amended with sand and gravel.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.