DIY: How to Make a Succulent Fountain 

Looking for a way to add a beautiful and water friendly feature to your garden? We’ve got the perfect garden project for your next weekend outdoors.

Here at Eye of the Day, Amelia Richardson, better known as Mimi, takes care of the succulent plantings around the store. An expert on succulents, she takes an overlooked wall fountain and transforms it into a beautiful container garden. This project is great not just for drought-stricken California, but any garden that gets enough sunlight throughout the year.

Here is a step-by-step guide to converting a fountain into a succulent fountain garden.

Step 1: Choose Your Vessel

Choose a fountain. It can be one meant to mount a wall, a standalone fountain, single or multi-tiered, or even a birdbath will do!

Step 2: Prep Your Container

Drain the fountain of water and make sure that any drainage holes are covered, if any. You can use a broken piece of pottery or terracotta. The soil will still shift so periodically check the draining that soil isn’t completely blocking it off.

You can also add a layer of rock gravel first before adding soil. If you’re using a birdbath, this step is a must.

Step 3: Add Your Soil

We recommend using cactus mix when planting succulents. It drains quickly which is good for plants that can’t sit in wet soil. We use EB Stone’s Organic Cactus Mix. If you live near Eye of the Day here in the Santa Barbara area, be sure to stop by and get some!

Step 4: Choose Your Succulents

When picking succulents, it will really depend on the planter. On large planters, you can choose a focal plant that you can work smaller succulents around. For example: A large Echeveria or Aeonium in the center that is worked around with smaller accent pieces like Sedum morganianum. 

Mimi Tips:

• Have fun when picking succulents. Grouping like with like is also easier.
• Color story: Jewel toned, all greens, chartreuses, blacks, cool tones versus warm tones
• Textural: Soft, sharp, or hardy.
• Shape: Round (Echeveria, aeonium, sempervivum), spiky (crassula, sansevieria), mix of large and small, tall and short. Senicio radicans and Sedum morganianum even mimic water flow as they drape over the edges.
• Single type: Just one type of succulent for beginner planters. All rosette types are always pretty.

Step 5: Plan the Layout

Before you start the actual planting, place the succulents either on the ground or in the fountain as you imagine the final product. Here you can edit and rearrange as you see how it’ll all come together.

Sometimes planters can be organized and others more organic and wild. It will depend on the container and where it’s going.

Step 6: Start Planting

When removing a succulent from its plastic container, sometimes you’ll be transplanting to an area smaller than the soil around the succulent. You can remove much of the soil while still preserving the roots to get it to fit in the container spot.

Mimi Tip: Don’t be afraid to plant them close together. You can always leave space to let them fill out but getting into every nook and cranny helps to create its own ecosystem and that full growth actually slows down the propagation.

Besides, you can always remove, replace and transplant—that’s the great nature of succulents. Succulents are hardy; they’re hard to ruin so press them into the soil. You can also use wet sheet moss to keep the plants moist and reduce the need for additional watering.

Step 7: Add Decorative Elements

Depending on the container get creative using shells, pieces of wood, rocks, broken pot or statue pieces, sea glass, etc. as added decorative material. If you prefer space between your succulents, these elements can help cover the soil.

Step 8: Final Watering 

Give it a quick but generous soak and wash off the container with any leftover dirt. With succulents you want to water once or twice a week depending on sun and weather conditions. Soil should dry out (not completely bone dry) between watering. If soil is still damp you don’t need to water just yet.

If you’re using a container that does not have a drainage hole like a birdbath, then you would let it go bone dry between watering.

Voila! You have a beautiful, water friendly, succulent fountain!

 

To check out another fun DIY project take a look at Design Rulz article on DIY Macrame Plant Hanger Patterns.

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Check out some gifts dear old Dad might like. Perfect for new dads, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and the other father figures in your life.

Eye of the Day’s Father’s Day Gift Guide 2016:

1. Troutman Rocking Chairs – Made in the USA, these rocking chairs are perfect for that afternoon siesta or catching the game in style
2. Gladding McBean Reclining Nude – Dad an art lover? This classic beauty is made right here in California.
3. Chivas Beer Soap – If you already love the Goat’s Milk soap from Chivas, this line incorporates creamy ales. There might be some fights in the bathroom over these.
4. Succulents – The ladies usually get flowers but dads shouldn’t miss out. Succulents aren’t only beautiful, they’ll last longer too!
5. Tula Palm Hats – A favorite for everyone. These Palm hats are perfect for the dad who likes to garden or just likes to look good in hats.

Happy Father’s Day to all!

Contact us today for pricing and availability! 805-566-6500 or sales@

Planting in the Edges and Cracks of a Garden

For several years I tried to get a lovely, drought tolerant plant established in my garden. Lychnis coronaria is a perennial that forms low-growing rosettes of gray-green leaves that in late spring and summer sends up glorious stalks of dark magenta flowers. It just refused to grow in my nice fertile beds, but it is now flourishing, all on its own, between the cracks of my brick path. Like many plants, it apparently doesn’t want coddling and can find the moisture and nurture it needs at the edges of the more cultivated part of the garden. Even the Gaillardia seems to do just as well in the gravel terrace outside of the confines of the bed I originally planted it in.

There are plenty of other species that also seem to thrive on the margins. Many succulents, for example, will multiply in the cracks of a wall or at the edge of the walkway. The stones provide a heat sink as well as a barrier to evaporation so that the root zone of these castaways is protected. Succulents such as sedums, sempervivums, and portulacas are particularly suited for this lifestyle. But other, tough plants like the herbs rosemary, oregano, creeping thyme, and even sage can fend for themselves in these microzones.

You may already have a dry-laid stone wall, or a flagstone or brick path that can accommodate a few plants tucked in the crevices. But, if you are planning such a feature, imagine leaving a wider gap in a few places. Some landscape material suppliers even have broken concrete or tile that has been salvaged from former gardens that make ideal patterns to include a few hardy plants to complete the patio, path or wall with the re-used paving.

And if some plant escapes the confines of your established garden bed, give it a chance and see if it is one of the hardy survivors that can lend softness and charm to the margin.

 

Image Credits:
Rose Campion – Creative Commons, Rose campion by Ruth Hartnup is licensed under CC by 2.0
Herb Garden- Creative Commons, Herb Garden1 by theoldpanther is licensed under CC by 2.0
Rock Wall Garden – Creative Commons, Rock Wall Garden by Patrick Standish is licensed under CC by 2.0

 

Eye of the Day Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2015

It’s that time of year where we honor and celebrate our mothers–Moms, foster Moms, and Mom figures.

Show how thankful you are for the moms in your life with something special from Eye of the Day. Our gift guide has something unique for all different tastes and budgets.

1. Fermob 1900 Bench
Perfect for those long heart-to-heart chats with Mom. This classic bench by French manufacturers Fermob is great for any generation of the family.

2. Mexican Church Candles
These are our most popular items in the Gift Shop. These creamy candles are made with layers of paraffin and cotton wicks. Great addition for the home.

3. Note Cards with Paintings by Karin Shelton
Made by local Santa Barbara artist Karin Shelton, these note cards showcase lovely plants or landscapes from the area. A unique Mother’s Day card for your favorite lady.

4. Succulents
These lovely plants have made such a comeback the last few years. They’re water wise, easy to care for, and just as beautiful as flowers. Help Mom plant a garden or arrange them in a container.

5. Mini Greek Pots and Containers
These are a personal favorite. These gorgeous handcrafted pots made on the island of Crete are perfect for indoor or outdoor container gardening. Instead of arranging flowers, create a mini garden for Mom–it’ll last longer too!

We hope everyone has a lovely Mother’s Day weekend!

Morocco in Your Own Garden

California gardens, especially those in Southern California have long utilized the concept of outdoor rooms. Countries with warm, dry climates around the Mediterranean basin have been creating miniature oases outdoors for centuries. Taking a cue from them is one way to replicate both the feel and appropriateness of this style.

Moroccan gardens provide great examples of the restrained use of water to create a lush setting in outdoor courtyards and passageways. Even while reducing your water use in the landscape, you can create an intimate, yet luxuriant garden space by taking inspiration from arid North Africa. Gardens there are generally central to the dwelling, both to provide privacy and protection from the heat and winds.

One of the key elements of these enclosed spaces is limiting water use. The Arabic word for a garden of this type is riad and usually refers to the central fountain or ornamental pool. The fountain need not be large to provide a bit of cooling to the air as well as a sense of peace and luxury in a climate where water is scarce.  It is possible to recreate that feeling with a simple water feature created from a glazed pot and a small, efficient pump instead of building a large fountain.

Another feature is the exuberant use of color. Colorful pots, a painted wall or gate as well as bright flowers make for a vibrant and even joyful setting. Vivid glazed tiles, whether on the patio floor or the surface of a fountain, also contribute to creating an exotic paradise.

Plants can be used as well and they do not have to be those that require a lot of water. There are many that are drought tolerant, yet lush-looking. Large leaves give a more topical feel and species such as bird of paradise, aspidistra and pygmy date palm do well in containers. Succulents are a great choice; from cacti to agaves and aloes, they thrive on little water and their foliage provides drama and color. The Canary Islands is home to a wonderful group of succulents, the aeoniums, whose fleshy leaves grow in large, showy rosettes and would be perfect choices. Even the humble geranium (Pelargonium) is sturdy and produces flowers nearly year round. Assemble several plants in one container to provide a miniature landscape or group individual pots together, mixing and matching your color palette.

Look at Planted Wells blog for more Moroccan garden design inspiration.

Image Credits:
Moroccan Garden – Creative Commons, Chelsesa Flower Show Gardens by Rictor Norton and David Allen is licensed under CC by 2.0
Plant Image – Creative Commons, BCSS gloucester branch auction – The national agave collection by stephen boisvert is licensed under CC by 2.0 

SUCCULENTS SIMPLIFIED, Debra Lee Baldwin

I think we can all agree that succulents are hot. In California, hot can translate to Dry and Dry to Drought.  Which we have.  I also think that we all want green, living things around us and that in our present dry state, succulents and cacti can fill an ever-widening void for both landscape professionals and every day green lovers.

Debra Lee Baldwin is a notable expert on succulents and succulent gardening.  In her book, Succulents Simplified, Debra keeps it easy enough for someone taking their first stab at succulent gardening but interesting for any landscape professional.  With plenty of photographs and simple care instructions including recommendations for no water and low water plants, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t need and want to take a long hard, look at this book and a long, hard look at the slowly browning lawn in front of their home.

In a perfectly friendly tone, Baldwin has included a page entitled “Good Riddance to Your Lawn”; we should all read this and begin to implement her ideas.  Succulents Simplified has inspiring sections like “Surreal Shapes, Testures and Patterns,” and “100 Easy Care Succulents” along with container and landscape projects, but my favorite section is entitled “Edible, Herbal and Illegal Succulents.”

About the Author:
Debra Lee Baldwin specializes in showing how top floral and garden designers use dynamic, sculptural succulents in a wide variety of eye-catching applications. See more of her work at her website:

 Photo Credit: Debra Lee Baldwin and Timber Press (profile)