I just thought I’d share some quick instructions for one of my favorite things to make…succulent gardens! I recently put this “craft recipe” together for FaveCrafts.com where I will be a Featured Designer. So it’s official, I’m a crafter. But I guess you already knew that. ;-)  If you haven’t checked out their site, do. They have tons of great ideas and inspiration…that’s why they have over 600,000 subscribers! Later this month, I’ll be featured as a guest on the FaveCrafts Radio Show – I’ll be talking about how to turn your crafting passion into a business. More info about the show will be coming soon!

So back to the succulent gardens…

You’ve likely seen succulents around quite a bit over the last few years. I’ve been making these for many, many years. They’re a perfect answer for us busy moms (or anyone who is time or energy challenged). They’re easy to take care of, easy to create, and they last forever (well, a very long time). They’re stylish and modern and make great gifts. I keep one on my patio table as a centerpiece – as you can see below.

Each succulent garden has its own personality and just gets better over time.

Succulents are awesome for so many reasons – they come in so many colors, shapes and textures. They’re also drought tolerant and ridiculously easy to care for. I take snippings off of random plants and can simply stick them in dirt, and they’re off and growing. You can make succulent gardens in lots of different shapes and forms – below are instructions for a simple succulent container garden.

Materials:

• One pot or container
• Gravel, rock or smashed terracotta for good drainage
• Potting soil
• Perlite (that white stuff you see in potted plants)
• 6-8 succulent plants of varied size, color and textures
• Decorative rock or Pea Gravel

Instructions:

1. Fill the bottom of your container rock for drainage – about 1.5 inches from the bottom

2. Mix half potting soil, half Perlite to fill the rest of the container.

This video helps demonstrate.

3. Arrange your selected succulents in the container, one at a time – this video gives you some ideas on how to do it.

Don’t be afraid to fill it compactly with plants. Think of it like a mini succulent bonsai – you can direct the plants’ growth with minor trimming when needed. I suggest starting at one corner.

4. As you’re adding plants, use your fingers to get in between and make them firmly planted. This will give you more beautiful results much more quickly.

5. Pour decorative pea gravel in between all of the plants, which helps give a finished look and acts as a fabulous ground cover.

6. Thoroughly water the entire arrangement to clean up and nourish the plants.

7. That’s it! These gardens like a little bit of sun, but do surprisingly well with mostly shade. I trim them only as they need it, and feed them maybe once a month with a simple, multi-purpose fertilizer…but honestly, they do just fine without it.

So what do you think? Look easy enough? Do you like succulents? Have you used them before? As always, would love your feedback and comments below!