Nancy Englund’s Succulent Mermaid’s Garden Amazing tips

Having a theme for part or all of your garden is certain to spark your creativity. Nancy Englund’s succulent mermaid’s garden “has made going to nurseries more fun,” she says, “because I’m not attracted to every plant. I can narrow it down…you know, to just the weirder ones.”

Admittedly “a big fan of weirdo plants,” Nancy has oddities that make guests look twice. These vary from bromeliads of all sizes (including air plants) to numerous succulents that thrive in her mild, maritime Southern CA climate. Nancy, president of the Laguna Beach Garden Club, says her goal is to create “the feeling that you’re swimming underwater, past fish and seaweed and all the other magical things you would find in a mermaid’s garden.”

Nancy found these faux fish in a floral supply store. With the help of a neighbor, she added rods that secure them into the ground.

When she started her succulent mermaid’s garden several years ago, Nancy chose “plants that had strange shapes or textures, and that looked like underwater plants or sea creatures.” She uses them to “shift you out of the normal” into “an intriguing, freeing change of perspective.” Accessories include weatherproof faux fish, mermaid statuary, ceramic sea stars and chunks of turquoise slag glass.

Below are captioned photos of the main plants shown in the 4-min. video I made when I visited Nancy: Explore a Succulent Mermaid’s Garden. Learn more about any or all of them in my books, in particular Designing with Succulents (2nd ed.). Btw, cordyline, dichondra, tradescantia and bromeliads aren’t succulents, but they make great companion plants because of similar cultivation requirements.

Agave gypsophila

Dyckia sp.

Kalanchoe beharensis (Napoleon’s hat)

Senecio rowleyanus (string-of-pearls)

Kalanchoe schizophylla

Euphorbia flanaganii

Epiphyllum guatemalense

Haworthia turgida, art pot by Susan Aach

Tradescantia sp.

Aeonium tabuliforme and Senecio stapeliaformis in a Susan Aach pot

Aloe striata in bloom alongside other aloes

Deuterocohnia brevifolia

Dichondra argentea

Bromeliads in a Euphorbia tirucalli tree

Lepismium cruciforme

Stapeliads and senecios

Peperomia graveolens

Graptopetalum superbum

Cordyline sp.

Euphorbia leucodendron

Pot by Tentacle Arts

 

Related Info on This Site:

Plant an Undersea Succulent Clamshell 
Succulents that resemble coral-reef flora lend themselves to containers that immerse the viewer in an undersea experience. This succulent clamshell planter sits atop…[Continue reading]

Related Videos:

See step-by-step how to make this undersea-themed succulent terrarium in my online Craftsy class, “Stunning Succulent Arrangements.”

Explore a Succulent Mermaid’s Garden (4 min.) Discover how succulents combine with bromeliads and outdoor art in Nancy Englund’s undersea-themed “mermaid’s garden.” [See story above.]

 

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