The Succulent Garden

How to make a Dish Garden using Succulents

I don’t care much for cactus-too prickly! But, succulents….that’s a different matter.  Lovely colors, low maintenance, nice symmetry…I’m really starting to love them! So, I thought I’d use a beautiful bowl a neighbor gave me to make a succulent garden…

Step-By-Step Instructions

The tiny potted plants were only $1.98 each at Home Depot…such a deal! I bought special Cactus mix to be sure they would drain quickly since they do not like wet feet! A quick draining soil and not planting too deep will keep them going strong. They do well in very bright light and some sun  but don’t like strong hot sun. Water when dry but never let then get soggy or they will rot and die before your eyes!  Now… what else can I plant succulents in? I noticed this antique colander hanging on my kitchen wall….bought a few more plants and a wonderful little bird dish at Anthropologie for $10.00 (I think it’s supposed to be for holding rings when you do dishes but I saw it and immediately thought…”a little pond”!

First, I lined the colander with coffee filters to hold in the dirt…

Filled it with a good quality cactus/succulent soil…

Collected my plants and worked out an arrangement…

Realized I needed to split one plant into three to fill up the front of the bowl…use a clean sharp knife and you can divide them quite easily!

And there you have it…a succulent garden complete with a tiny pond.

hmmm..maybe it needs a few rocks to really finish it off..Yes, I think that’s better!

I also found a  “bird cage” that worked with one little succulent…now I’ll have to plan another thrift shop trip to find more succulent ready containers!

Why not buy a few inexpensive succulent plants, pick a pretty pot, a create a dish garden for your patio today! They’re fun, inexpensive and low maintenance and they make nice gifts!