Although the weather here in California could not be nicer, especially for this time of year, it is still a bit too cold to be planting wonderful summer vegetables and beautiful spring flowers.  It certainly feels like spring though; so why not do a quick spruce up of your containers and planter boxes?

I’ve found that keeping some containers filled with succulents satisfies me year round.  They are virtually effortless and extremely forgiving: they grow in the shade, if you forget to water them they simply wait until you do, and only in extreme cases do they ever wither.

One of my favorite succulent secrets is to mix up several different types in the same container; the textures are interesting and the colors vary enough to give the appearance of a floral arrangement. There are succulents that flower as well, and adding them to your container is a colorful bonus.

If you keep a pot of succulents, now is the time to spruce it up.  Just go to your local nursery or Longs/CVS store and pick up some flowering Kalanchoe.  All you need is one to make a splash.  At $3.99 you can’t beat that!

To prepare your pot, clean out all the withered and dead pieces.  Next, mix in a little bit of new potting soil, dig a small hole in between the existing plants, and fill the hole with your new little succulent addition, just as I’ve done here. 







As you can see from the images, I only used white flowering plants, including some Cyclamen that I added to the window box.  However, Kalanchoe and Cyclamen come in beautiful bright fuchias and oranges as well. Now, it’s time for you to go out to your garden and take 15 minutes to freshen up (your garden)!