"Undersea" Gardens

Meet gardener Jeff Moore, who has created a succulent garden that remarkably resembles an underwater sea bed (top right). Using "a lot of rock" that features plenty of nooks and crannies for plants, Jeff has designed gardens that could pass for spectacular coral reefs. His plant choices include a variety of euphorbias that are low-maintenance and virtually pest and disease free, as well as Kalanchoe luciae, Mammillaria compressa and tillandsias.

Start by using a large shallow bowl filled with premoistened cactus potting soil that contains a 50 percent combination of pumice and perlite for good drainage.

The garden will have a front and back view and a vertical structure. ("This doesn’t look good flat," says Jeff.) Place large, high rocks in the back of the bowl, and mound the soil to create a cascading effect. Add in succulent plants (it’s better to have too many than too few) that are diverse in form, texture and color. Some used for this project include Euphorbia leucodendron, Euphorbia flanaganii, Senecio and Crassula.

Finish the garden with a layer of small lava-type gravel.