Another nice trailing succulent, senecio rowleyanus or string of beads

It is nice but I have one and it is not thriving...

I have never been able to keep a String of Beads alive, and I really like the plant. Listening for some great tips. I like the banana shaped one too.

Oh I am glad to hear that I am not the only one!

To me it is so frustrating, when you love a plants uniqueness so much, and after several attempts at growing it, you give up. I don't know if I love it to much, or not enough...???

My String of Beads is thriving so far, another wonderful gift from my aunt last 2009. I noticed it grew better when I moved it to a spot where it gets morning sun and then dappled light to shade in the afternoons.

When it was in very full sun, it seems to dry out faster, really wrinkly..after moving it, the beads seems bigger and thriving well. Our area is always very dry, very low humidity, so during summer I give it a good deep watering every week and lesser in fall and winter.

Photo taken on April 2010 in the sunny area:



Photo taken today 11Jan2012 in the shadier area: Have not been watering it for several days, been chilly here overnight for days already, but we do still hit the 60's during daytime:

Tarev it does indeed look very healthy. Mine is in a Morning sun position too and I don't overwater it.... hmmm, will just have to keep trying!

LOL! Here in the desert, the only place I have like that is the Patio. My patio gets packed with plants in the summer, when I have to move everything that burns back into daytime shade. I used the green fiberglass on my roof, so I could grow more plants out on the patio. It keeps the rain out. Unlike the shade cloth that was there when I bought the house. Casts a lovely green light into the kitchen too...always making it seem cooler and more relaxing in the summer. I just broke down today and finally ordered one more string of pearls, the one that looks like banana's, string of hearts, and a painted fern. Bad Alan, Bad Alan!!! It's very dry here as well, but I'm guessing much hotter, since you are in zone 7A, and I am in zone 9b. I love challenges, I hate defeats. Maybe this time I'll get it right :)

I've never tried the painted fern, thinking about trying it indoors, as a houseplant. Any input on that? Oh, maybe I should ask that in the houseplant section. But will leave it here in case someone has done this.

Alan

I have not grown fern here..I remember seeing ferns thrive happily in dappled light, high humidity areas, and I know I cannot provide that

But I found a plant that has fern-like leaves and it is quite drought tolerant, and gives me yellow blooms in summer A good compromise! The plant is the Achillea moonshine yarrow
With her yellow blooms:


Close-up of fern-like leaves:

Pretty ... I grow Yarrows and they are great for hot, sunny locations with good drainage. Love the fern-y leaves too! And the butterflies love Yarrows as well. Good fern "substitute".

I grow several ferns outdoors that do well here, the various asparagus ferns, and some fern I picked up at Lowes...I think it's called Sword Fern, looks much like the Boston fern, but the leaves are very course. It does have to be in shade though, with some morning sun it's ok. I know this Painted Fern would probably not make it outdoors, but did want to try it indoors. Maybe in the bathroom, I have a nice window in there? We'll see will do some more research on it before it arrives.

You are so right Tee! I noticed the butterflies would hop on to the yellow flowers first, before going to the other flowers around. Fun to see color preferences with our garden visitors. Yellow for the butterflies and bees, red for the hummingbirds! Oops, sorry, a little off track from the wonderful pot...

Hetty, Aeoniums would look very good on the pot, and maybe surround her with sedum burritos, or the jelly bean sedums or try using also the elephant bush, but let it grow downward, I just do not know the name of the particular kind that trails down, coz mine normally grows upright. I have seen downward growing types from my aunt's garden though.

So excited to see what your final choices would be!!!

I was thinking of Aeonium in the middle around the tall plant too and then the trailing Sedum morganianum. How funny, tarev, I guess we're thinking alike today.

Oh I have two different types of the Elephant Bush in an Elephant pot on my lanai. One more upright and green, and the other more trailing and variegated. They will be a good choice to add to this pot too, thanks for the suggestion.

I can't wait to see how you plant it. : )

Dutchlady1 said:At a yard sale I scored this wonderful hand made pot, it is a perfect cube with 17" sides.I would like to ask for suggestions on how to plant it for best effect, with Cacti and succulents of course!

Great find!