How exactly should I describe my love for these little, drought tolerant, pieces of heaven? Well, overwhelming is a good start, and maybe even, absolutely ADDICTED!!
It’s no secret to those that are close to me, that I have forever had, what you may call, a black thumb. Coming from grandparents who were heavily involved in our local Orchid Society, had a green house, made a living farming their land, and basically wrote the book on green thumb-ary, this is pretty embarrassing. I’ve tried to grow all types of plant life through the years but sadly, what I come up with is wilted, gloomy looking plants that wish they had gone to a different home. So, needless to say, when I bought my first adorable succulent, I had some serious doubts to its life expectancy…but as it turns out, these little suckers are survivors! And just like that, my curiosity and interest bloomed into a full blown addiction.
Now, not only do I make succulent gardens for any and all occasions, but I even propagate my own babies (I will do a future post about this, stay tuned!). Yep, like I said, addicted! It’s pretty easy once you know a few important rules and tricks, and it’s so much fun. In this post, I will share some of my creations, as well as, share how I go about arranging my succulent gardens. You can do it too, I promise!
Here is a succulent garden I made for a friend’s birthday. Anyone have those friends to buy for that have everything?? Guess what, they don’t have one of these bad boys. Or, at least, if they do, they don’t have one made personally by you!
Next is a hanging succulent garden I made for my mom a couple of years ago, for Mother’s Day. The first picture is right after I made it, and the second is about a week ago, so you can see how they grow if you don’t keep them trimmed down. This is totally personal preference, by the way. I like to cut mine and propagate new plants, but my mom likes to let hers grow wild and free…perhaps she has a bit of a rustic soul too?
When my favorite local place to buy any and all types of alcohol went out of business (Old Docs was it’s name and it was filled with an abundance of obscure wines and liqueurs, along with personable staff that knew their stuff about them…ughhh, how I miss it), I bought a few of their wine boxes, that wineries use to ship their wine in. However, I think this is a dying practice. I believe they now ship in cheaper boxes, unfortunately.
Anyhow, I made my little cousin, Jordan, a cute toy box out of a Jordan wine box (which is also the wine they gave away when he was born, pretty adorable, huh??) 🙂 and then made myself this teal beauty. I used a mix of teal Valspar outdoor paint and water, to give it a “washed” look. I should have sealed the box after it was painted, but I was lazy and in a hurry to plant those darn succulents! I think the cracks give it the rustic look I stand for…so there! But seriously, take the time to seal your work, guys.
Here are some of the other succulent gardens I have designed, in case you are curious…if not, scroll quickly, I promise I’m getting to the point!
On to the meaty stuff…how to design your very own succulent garden! The first step is buying your materials.
- Succulents
- Pot
- Soil
- hand trowel
Okay, here’s the thing about soil, different types of plants need different types of soil. It’s just a fact and sometimes it is annoying, but NO, you cannot just grab the bag of regular potting soil you used a year ago for….what did you plant again? Succulents hold moisture in their petals, so they need soil that allows for proper drainage. You can get crazy and make your own mixture, or ask your local nursery for a cacti/succulent soil. This will help your plants flourish.
Now, the fun part. Purchase your succulents. I always tend to over purchase, because decision making and me is awfully similar to mixing oil and water. I still don’t see the issue when it comes to succulents, you can always use them in another arrangement.
You can use any type of pot you fancy, whether it be humongous or itty bitty. To me, there is no such thing as too big. The more succulents in the arrangement, the merrier!
Now grab your pot, soil, and plants and get to arranging! This step is all about you and your personal flare. The tips I will give are, to use multiple colors and multiple heights. The juxtaposition of tall and short succulents adds the dimension that, I feel, you need when designing a succulent garden. Different colors will also give the illusion of multiple layers. There are times I like to use all of the same color and texture, but it just depends on the look you are going for.
Below, you will see how I go about arrangement my succulents.
First, I like to place them all, in their individual containers, around in the pot until I get the basic arrangement just right, to my eye. Then I start planting. Try different plants in different places to see what fits for you. There really is no right or wrong, just whatever floats your boat! You will get the hang of it, keep practicing and keep arranging.
Here is my finished product. I have to say, to date, this is my favorite day of succulent designing. There is something about the ocean that just pulls me in and won’t let go. So, getting to do arrangements for fun, while staring at the sea…hands down, best day ever!
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