DIY Project ~ Make a Succulent Wreath
~ Succulent Wreath ~
Were you one of those mud-pie making, play-in-the-dirt kind of kids? Well. if you were, this is the project for you: Making a succulent wreath! Lenny Wilson, Assistant Director of Horticulture & Facilities at The DCH, donned his presenter hat this week and explained how easy it is to make one.
He had done the hard part for us and gathered all the materials together. We got to have the creative fun. Buckets of soil were ready to have water added and mixed to a thick dough consistency. Two wire wreath frames were already wired together and ready to go, and the wheelbarrow full of sheet moss was dampened outside by a sudden rainstorm. Tables of sedum and sempervivum plugs, garden harvested perennial and callused tender succulents were all ready for this enthusiastic group of designers. And design we did.
Even though the process and materials were exactly the same, each wreath took on a personality of its own in the hands of its maker. Take a look at the following pictures to see the materials and steps we used. Also included are some examples of the wonderful wreaths we made. Be brave and try it yourself! There’s something very zen about squeezing handfuls of muddy dirt. The results are spectacular!
*note – to callus succulent cuttings, trim and place them out of the sun until they start to form tiny hair-like roots
~ my finished succulent wreath ~
Materials for this project
- 2 wreath frames wired together
- wire attached for hanging
- floral wire & pins
- sheet moss
- scissors/pruners
- a variety of succulents (we used sedums -red carpet, pachyclados,spurium “John Creech”, sexangulare and sempervivum as well as callused cuttings of jade, chalk fingers and aeonium)
- about a gallon of potting mix (wet and add a small amount of Soil Moist crystals & slow release fertilizer like Osmocote)
sedum sexangulare
sedum spurium “John Creech”
sempervivum “Cobweb Buttons”
sedum pachyclados
callused tender succulent cuttings
sedum “Red Carpet”
Follow the steps below to make your own!
Step # 1 ~ place your wreath frame on dampened sheet moss, leaving a hole in the middle and 2 or 3 inches on all sides.
Step # 2 ~ Mound wet soil onto the wire frame and push it into all crevices.
Step # 3 ~ Hold the sheet moss together and wrap tightly with floral wire. * Mark where you started!
Step # 4 ~ Lay out your plant materials and decide on your design.
Step # 5 ~ poke holes in the sheet moss and insert succulents. Floral pins can be used to help anchor the plants.
Step # 6 ~ finished! Now water thoroughly and place flat in partial shade for 3 weeks to let plants get established
~ my finished succulent wreath ~
example 1
example 2
example 3
example 4
example 5
example 6
Lenny Wilson, our instructor and Assistant Director of Horticulture & Facilities at TheDCH
[…] For the step by step tutorial to make this succulent wreath, please Visit Our Fairfield Ho9me and Garden. […]
ABSOLUTLY BEAUTIFUL.. WILL THIS PLANT WREATH SURVIVE THE PHOENIX,AZ. 115 DEGREE WEATHER???
BARBARA SMITH
Barbara ~
I would check with my local nursery to see which succulents would work best in the wreath. My experience is with temperatures up to 100 degrees, but that isn’t everyday. I would imagine you might have to water more often too. Succulents are super hardy though, as you know, so this might work for you well!
Happy Gardening!
Barb
This is so nice Barb..I think I have most of the items to make this..I just need to buy more succulents..Can you tell me what is that big black looking one..I think your wreath is the prettiest..
Nancy ~
That big beauty is an aeonium cutting that was cut and callused prior to planting. It looks like a giant dark flower doesn’t it? Don’t forget that you can use perennial succulents – some of these were harvested from our gardens. Thanks for the compliment too : )
Happy Gardening!
Barb
Have never planted with succulents until just a few weeks ago. I really like this idea of a wreath. I’d like to know what to do with the plants as they grow. Will I have to trim them back or transplant? Or will they stay close to the size they were when planted because of the amount of soil in the wreath?
Lynne ~ Thanks for writing and your very good question. Some of the succulents will need trimming as they grow in the wreath. If they get too large for your liking, they can be removed and transplanted and swapped out for another smaller succulent. Don’t forget that you can start new “Babies” from your succulent trimmings too!
Happy Gardening!
Barb