DIY succulents: Tips for decorating with drought-tolerant plants

A detail of the vertical garden in front of Raphael restaurant in Studio City.   (Christina House / For The Times)

Vintage plant hangers filled with succulents decorate the wall of this Los Angeles garden.   (Christina House / For The Times)

L.A. artist Michel Horvat, left, transformed an antique door from Spain into a living wall filled with succulents.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Michel Horvat and contractor John Harwood placed more than 300 1-inch plants -- $1 each from Home Depot -- inside modular baskets. The smaller inset door was removed to make room for the plants.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Succulents in Wooly Pockets planters decorate the wall of a guest house.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A unique succulent arrangement at Organic Modernism features cacti and an aloe in an old industrial pipe.   (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Annette Gutierrez lined the stairs to her 1908 Craftsman with potted plants including tall electric-pink cordylines, black agonis peppermint trees and, in the foreground, aeonium succulents.  (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)

Lava rock plays the role of unconventional planter for some succulents on this tile-topped outdoor dining table.  (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)

A succulent planted in a Bauer pitcher rests inside an outdoor shower lined with a mix of classic Malibu tile, vintage ceramics and stained glass.  (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)

A potted succulent decorates a vignette in Rummage, Kishani Perera’s showroom.  (Christina House / For The Times)

Landscape designer Jay Griffith turned an old water fountain into a planter by placing red pencil tree (a cultivar of Euphorbia tirucalli called Sticks on Fire) and cascading clumps of copper-tone stonecrop (Sedum nussbaumerianum) inside.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

The Residences at W Hollywood features a rooftop park with succulents and a Hollywood view.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A porcelain succulent planter is cast in the form of a rock at BKB Ceramics in Joshua Tree.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A succulent arrangement decorates the interior of Matt Winter’s Quonset hut.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

An antique tool bucket serves as a planter for succulents.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A fence at Lark in Santa Barbara incorporates vintage windows with vertical succulent plantings.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

A detail of the vertical succulent wall at Lark in Santa Barbara.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Succulents grow in wall planters in the Mar Vista side yard of Leigh Curran and Marilee Kuhlmann.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Succulents planted in a tall container add drama.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

A plant saucer is decorated with a bust dressed with jewelry and succulents.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)