Succulent Planters

My grandmother was an avid gardener and growing up I spent my summers among her many fruit trees, flowers and vegetables. Some of my happiest childhood memories are there, following her around while she dispensed gardening tips. Unfortunately for me, the green thumb which seems to have been bestowed on all members of my family stopped at me. Unfortunately for the plants, I still have an insatiable desire to plant every spring. This year I decided to do something a bit different.

I was inspired by the beauty of succulents after reading an article in Sunset Magazine featuring these spectacular outdoor installations.



Succulents are really the perfect plant -- they are attractive, require little water and best of all, seemingly not tasty fodder for hungry felines (which truth be told, is the most common demise for my house plants).

There are a few boutique shops that specialize in succulents where you are likely to find some of the more colorful and rare varieties. After researching a few different options, I decided to pick mine up at the garden department of Home Depot where they have a large selection and they are considerably less expensive.

To Make a Succulent Planter

1. Choose your plants
I spent a little time considering the color palette and composition of my planters. I was careful to choose plants that are relatively the same height, with a few that are slightly taller for variation. There are many varieties of green to choose from, but I opted for a few shades of green with some darker varieties. My local Home Depot had colorful cacti, but I wanted my palette to be comprised of greens and hues of purple.

It is helpful to choose you planter at the same time so you have an idea of how tall your plants should be. Since I would be displaying mine inside on my dining table, I opted for glass vases.

2. Ready your plants
When you get your plants home, carefully remove them from their pots and separate them if you wish. Depending on how much soil you want in your planter, it may be helpful to try and save the dirt around the roots.

3. Plan your composition
It is important to decide how you would like your planter to look before starting. I wanted mine to have very little soil in the bottom, so I placed a small amount of soil at the bottom, secured the shorter plants by tamping soil around the roots while clearing a place for taller varieties.

You can add garden accents such as cement mushrooms or attractive stones, as well as a layer of gravel and/or sand below the dirt in your terrarium.

The trickiest part, is nudging the plants into position and adding the cactus soil without covering them in dirt. For attractive arrangements, try and keep the glass clean. I used a damp towel to remove dirt from the sides and Q-tips to tamp down dirt and nudge plants into tight spots.





Succulent Care

1. Make sure to keep your succulents in full sunlight

2. Water every two weeks (don't over water as this will cause the roots to rot)

3. Take care to pot your plants in cactus soil which helps with drainage

A note about cats: Many succulents are cat-friendly, however, if you have a cat it is always good practice to do a little research before selecting house plants.