This pretty pink succulent is called Sunsparkler Cherry Tart and it lives up to its name. Its pink flowers catch the sun and light up my new succulent-topped wall along my driveway.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and I agree. This cinder block wall along my driveway was built but part of it never got topped off with cement, so it’s been open and unfinished for…let’s just say awhile.
This spring, I saw the wall in a new way. Instead of the unfinished wall that needed cement, I saw a row of unfilled planters that needed plants. And that’s when I gathered my supplies and picked my plants and made a wall of succulents.
How to Top a Wall with Succulents
The project came together in a weekend. Here are the steps:
- I gathered materials for the project. Foam for filler and lots of succulent plants. I lightened up my Soil3 soil with perlite and sphagnum peat moss to improve drainage. (you can use potting soil or an amended garden soil).
2. I used leftover foam to fill the bottom of the blocks up to a couple inches from the top.
3. And when I ran out of foam, I pulled glass jars and kraft paper out of the recycling bin. Just look for materials that could fill up the space and still provide drainage.
3. Soil scooped into cinder blocks.
4. Settling plants into place. I selected sedums because they’re easy to grow and tolerant of sun and shade. This 18-foot stretch of wall is part sun to part shade and because it borders an asphalt driveway, plants get a lot of heat.
This simple solution is on its way to being an established part of the landscape. We had two weeks of dry conditions and the plants performed well. Last week’s wet weather gave the plants a boost. They threw up new blooms and sent new shoots over the edges of the wall.
By the end of the summer, you’ll see mostly plants and less wall.
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