Ensure Perfect Pairings With These Design Basics

Simple design principles can take your potted succulents from ho-hum to WOW.

My 3-min video is a must-see if you've ever wondered which succulents to choose for a container---especially if it's a collectible piece of art pottery.

Apply these guidelines and you'll be amazed at how polished your important plant-pot pairings look!

Surprisingly effective

Knowing and applying design basics makes a huge difference.

Contrast and repetition are the two most important design elements. When they're used effectively, the results are remarkable.

Contrast jolts and engages; repetition comforts and soothes...Repetition hearkens back to our preschool years, when we were given an assortment of items to group, like with like. Even as adults, we feel a sense of satisfaction in identifying items that are similar and enjoy discovering them in our environment. (Excerpted from my book, Succulent Container Gardens)

So, remember to repeat and contrast colors, textures and forms---it's as simple as that!

Be observant

Train your eyes to notice, and you'll see them in all the best designs, from interior furnishings to clothing accessories---as well as what plants looks best in which pots.

In the examples that follow, note how the plants are selected with repetition and contrast in mind, according to the containers' colors and textures.

What do you think? Would you agree the completed arrangements present a sophisticated aesthetic?

Succulents (from Altman Plants):
Echeveria 'Green Abalone'
Kalanchoe tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier'
Sedum adolphii
Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy'
Echeveria pulidonis
Aloe 'Christmas Sleigh'

Related info on this site