Succulents will perform best in a well aerated, well drained potting mix with no fertilizer built in.  These soils are especially crucial in container gardens (our preffered planting type for succulents).  There are even several commerically available “cactus soil” mixes, which will work just fine.

All soils should contain the following:

• Peat moss or well rotted manure as organic matter,
• Peralite or Vermiculite for aeration,
• Sand for drainage,
• and something like fine chipped wood for bulk.

You’ll notice this mix doesn’t contain black dirt or “garden soil/top soil.”  Very few commercial potting mixes contain any black dirt content anymore and almost all are reffered to as “soiless” soil mixes (a term that still makes me giggle!).  This lack of black dirt is to stop the spread of agricultural diseases that could be dormant in the soil.  If you are harvesting your own black dirt for use in your own potting mix, this isn’t a problem.

No matter what soil mix you are using, always allow succulents to dry down completely between waterings.  A mix that is rich in peat moss or manure will hold more water and take longer to dry out than a comparable mix with more bark or sand.  Refer to our article on watering on our website for more useful information.

2 spreading Crassulas with amazing burgundy and varigated colors

2 different Aeoniums including the popular burgundy species Velour

Golden Glow Sedum (burnt orange on gold in full sun)

and a beautiful powder blue Echeveria Imbricata

This upgrade to the website was also added along with a change in the layout of page.  Every information page now has two full columns of products to choose from to allow for more efficient searches and to give you more selections faster.  We know you’ll love the new layout!  Check us out any time at www.jadepoint.com!

The best way to water a succulent planting in a pot is to check the pot using your finger as a “dip stick” or using a water meter.  Always insert your finger half way between the base of the plant and the edge of the pot.  When the soil is thoroughly dry approximately two to three inches down, water the succulent garden thoroughly until water is running out the bottom of the pot.  For pots with no drainage (not recommended) less water is used.

For in ground succulent plantings in flower beds, check for water in the same way, with your finger or a water meter a few inches away from the base of the plant or plants.  If it’s dry down in the soil, water thoroughly.  Watering in ground plantings can take patience as water tends to soak laterally and each plant needs water to penetrate down to where its roots grow.  Water each plant until water sits on the surface of the soil, allow that to drain into the soil, and repeat the process at least two more times.

Checking for water should be done on a weekly basis but plants may not need water for several weeks depending on outdoor temperatures and local rainfall.  For more information, please visit our webiste.

When choosing a container there are a few considerations.  Always choose a container with good drainage or enough depth to add a drainage layer of pea gravel or crushed (non-match light/instant light) charcoal.  Shallow containers will dry out faster than deeper ones.  Unglazed terra cotta will dry out faster than glazed pots or plastic pots.   And, dark colored finishes on pottery hold more heat than light colors.

JadePoint Succulents Container Gardening Experts reccommend our Designer Succulent Collections for your own pot or container.  They have been selected to grow together for maximum color and texture excitement!  Each Designer Succulent Collection also has a planting diagram you can download for a suguested plant arrangement.

Echeveria Violet Queen for example is a beautiful tight rosette of leaves with a blue green base and a pink tip.  It features a clumping growth habit that forms a mound of color in a pot or flower bed.  It truely puts on a show!

Our entire selection can be found on our website at http://www.jadepoint.com/category_s/46.htm .

1) individual succulent species are available in single pots for the collector or for the adventurous gardener to experiment with new varieties, textures and colors of this easy-care plant material.

2) as designer collections of individual pots to be planted in your own container or flower bed.   This option is perfect for the gardeners who want some of the work of choosing combinations done for them.  Each of the Designer Succulent Collections offered on www.jadepoint.com are chosen based on grown compatibility, combination of shapes, colors and textures by our container gardening experts.

Either way we know you’ll love JadePoint’s Succulents delivered to your door!

Dr. Robert Campbell, Ph. D., has long worked in plant breeding and genetics in the United States and Europe.  In 2005 he was hired by Lowe’s Garden Center to head the new breeding research project that will feed new varieties to JadePoint Succulents.  Dr. Campbell has published research in multiple languages and is currently breeding new and unique echeveria species.

Each new echeveria is first tested in pots in the lab, then outdoors in a test field before selections are made based on hardiness, color, shape and size.  New species are then retested a second year to ensure that their color and quality stays consistent.  A final selection is only ready for introduction as a JadePoint succulent after it has passed this level of rigorous testing.  The first batch of new introductions is expected during the 2011 growing season.

About 6 years ago, Vitko wanted to move his huge succulent and cactus collection to a permanent home.  He approached Lowe’s Garden Center, to build a 4,000 Sq. Ft. greenhouse to host the Collection.  Lowe’s is a 4 generation, family run, production greenhouse, nursery, landscaper and florist in Minot, North Dakota.  As an 80 year old company with 2 ½ acres of production greenhouse we were excited to host this fantastic plant collection

The Lowe’s team began some succulent propagation tests and sales trials in their local retail market.  Customers were enthused with the diversity of the succulents and how well they preformed with very minimal care in their yards.  Even thought North Dakotans are often thought of as un-trendy by the rest of the country, the gardeners of North Dakota knew a great easy-care plant when they saw it!

JadePoint Succulents was created to promote and deliver succulents to gardeners across the U.S.  The online business at http://www.jadepoint.com includes both single species succulents available individually as well as designer collections of succulents chosen for their color and texture combinations.  All succulents are available for shipping in the Continental US via Priority Mail.

Vitko’s interest in plants started at the age of ten when began growing a cactus at his grandmother’s house.  It was his plant and thus his responsibility, and because grandma lived out of town, he needed something that was easy to care for and a plant that could tolerate drought.  Succulents and cactus were the perfect choice and they have become his life-long passion.

In the more than 40 years since, he has gathered a collection of well over 5,500 different succulents and cactus.  Vitko’s plants are his children. He knows their names, can tell you when he got them, where he got them and, often, a story or two about each of them.  Vitko will frequently informs co-workers and friends what plant he has coming in next to his Collection.

When seeing the Vitko Collection it’s easy to appreciate two things:  the diversity of Mother Nature and Vitko’s tenacity for gathering this collection.  The Collection runs the gamut from the common like Burros Tail and Aloe Vera to unique and rare species of Astrphytum.  Even humble lythops (living stones) have found a place in the Collection.

To purchase succulents and Designer Succulent collections bred from the Vitko Collection go to www.jadepoint.com