Succulents are a low-maintenance, hard-to-kill way to add color to your home. From basic potted to suspended terrariums, they’ve been all the rage in the past two years. Their bright colors and thick leaves bring interesting and much needed texture to your decor, and they make a space seem “green” no matter how green your thumb might actually be.
In lieu of a “Live Laugh Love” sign, here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a DIY succulent wall: a living piece of art! A succulent wall garden may seem intimidating, but this DIY project is only a few steps long!
The Supplies
To get your DIY succulent wall garden started, you’ll need a few do-it-yourself supplies. Luckily, you can find all of these items at your local craft and home & garden stores.
- Shadow Box Frame: You can also buy a vertical garden frame pre-assembled and specifically for succulents, but your local craft store will sell shadow box frames. A shadow box frame provides a few inches for you to put soil into, rather than the flat back of a regular frame.
- Landscaping Plastic: You can also use burlap, or any general thin plastic tarp. This will be to line your frame and keep dirt from sneaking out and onto your wall!
- Cactus Mix: You’ll want to use soil specifically for your succulents! You can find at Lowes, Home Depot, any nursery. This will promote draining so that your cacti don’t get overwatered and drown!
- Live moss: Moss will provide much needed ground cover and fill in any gaps that appear between plants. It will also help your plants stay hydrated by holding onto water!
- Wire Mesh: This will keep all the dirt in inside the shadow box instead of all over your floor.
- Staple Gun, Glue Gun
- Succulents
While technically you can use any succulent of your choosing, we have to recommend choosing flatter, squatter plants that won’t extend out from the box too far.
The Steps
- Start by cutting a piece of your liner (plastic, burlap, etc.) that is large enough to extend up and over the outer edges of the shadow box. If you start large, it’s easier to trim the excess off after you have secured it onto your frame!
- Use your hot glue gun to secure the liner to the frame. Hot glue along all edges of the plastic and use your finger to press into place. Once glued, you can cut off any excess plastic.
- Fill the box with cactus mix, and top with the live moss. Fill the shadow box entirely.
- Cut wire mesh (chicken wire) large enough to cover the front of the frame, like where the glass might go. Once you’re sure you have it properly lined up, and that it is fully covered, use your staple gun to attach it to the front of the shadow box.
- It’s time to repot your succulents! First things first, prune the roots to ensure proper growth. With your hands, gently remove excess soil from roots. This will make it easier for the roots to take hold. Before pressing the roots of the succulent into the moss, use your fingers to create a little hole. Put your plant in the proper position, and press firmly into the dirt. Make sure to smooth out the top of the sort around your plant. Repeat until your shadow box is full or designed how you want.
- Keep the piece horizontal while the succulents get firmly rooted (think 4-6 weeks). Once plants have taken root, hang your new succulent wall garden in moderate to bright sunlight. Mist them with water once a week to keep your moss bright, and once a month bring the planter off the wall to water the soil. Let drain for a few hours before hanging again.
And voila! In six simple steps, your DIY succulent wall garden is complete. And if you’re in need of inspiration, check out some of our handcrafted succulent bouquets!
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