Stunning arrangement of succulents adorning a stone basin adorned with lichen, a creation by James Horner from Benton End
If you're looking to create a garden that captures the artistic, naturalistic, and resilient qualities of Cedric Morris's garden, consider focusing on a drought-tolerant, sculptural succulent arrangement. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Plant Selection
Choose a variety of succulents such as houseleeks (Sempervivum), aeoniums, echeveria, and crassula sarcocaulis, combined with pelargoniums for contrasting foliage and bloom texture. These plants thrive in well-drained soil and are drought tolerant. To create a painterly, naturalistic effect reminiscent of Morris’s artistic garden approach, select species and cultivars known for their form and color variation.
Site Conditions
Provide full sun exposure or light shade, depending on your climate, to mimic the Mediterranean or coastal environments favored by these succulents. Ensure excellent drainage using sandy, gritty soil or raised beds to prevent root rot, important for succulents including echeveria and sempervivum.
Design Principles
Arrange plants in layered groupings to create texture and depth, inspired by Morris’s painterly style where form, texture, and color interplay. Succulent layers can form natural carpets and mounds. Incorporate structural elements such as stone sinks or raised stone beds to add architectural interest and echo the sculptural quality of Morris’s garden.
Care and Maintenance
Minimal watering and feeding are needed after establishment. Allow soil to dry out thoroughly between waterings to simulate drought conditions. Prune pelargoniums and remove dead leaves on succulents regularly to maintain tidy, healthy growth.
Inspirational Context
Cedric Morris's garden is noted for its painterly use of plants with rich, artistic flair, especially irises and other perennials flowering alongside succulents. While specific details on his succulent use are limited, incorporating a naturalistic approach with emphasis on texture and form will align with his style.
Notable Specimens
- Aeonium davidbramwellii can grow a large leaf rosette of more than 30cm diameter.
- Cotyledon orbiculata 'Cedric Morris' has flat paddle-like leaves that resemble dusted flour and are striking when placed next to purple-leaved aeoniums.
Practical Considerations
The old sink used for plant cultivation has a few centimetres of depth and a cambered central area. The aggregate used as a topping mulch is of varying sizes. It's important to note that this plant arrangement is a summer exhibit, and most of the plants won't cope with UK winters. Whole Suffolk White bricks are added to the sink for extra soil depth.
By following these guidelines, you'll be well on your way to creating a garden setup that reflects the artistic, naturalistic, and resilient qualities associated with Cedric Morris’s garden ethos. Happy gardening!
- To capture the artistic and naturalistic qualities of Cedric Morris's garden, consider planting a variety of succulents such as houseleeks, aeoniums, echeveria, and crassula sarcocaulis, mixed with pelargoniums for contrasting foliage and bloom texture.
- For the best growth, select succulents that thrive in well-drained soil and are drought tolerant, and provide full sun exposure or light shade depending on your climate.
- To mimic the painterly style of Morris’s garden, arrange plants in layered groupings for texture and depth, incorporating structural elements like stone sinks or raised stone beds for added architectural interest.
- Minimal watering and feeding are needed after establishment, with pruning of pelargoniums and regular removal of dead leaves on succulents to maintain healthy growth.
