succulent wreath
A succulent wreath makes a great addition to any door, room, or wall. Even though it’s living, you’ll find it is easy to maintain and doesn’t require much attention. The types of succulents you choose will have a large impact on the look and style of your wreath. You can combine a variety of brightly colored succulents in a range of shapes and textures for a bold look, or select succulents of similar colors and textures to create a more uniform piece. Either way, a succulent wreath is sure to be an impressive addition to your décor.
materials
• Succulent cuttings (about 100)
• Wire wreath frame (15 inches; 38cm)
• Wire
• Wire cutters
• Sphagnum moss (approx. 100 cubic inches; 1,640cc)
• Clear fishing line
• Scissors
• Greening pins
• Hot glue gun
• Wooden craft stick or pencil
Soak the sphagnum moss in water. This will make it easy to work with in the wreath form. If used dry, it creates a mess and doesn’t work well.
Your wire frame should have two pieces: a top and bottom (although they may look the same). Open the wire wreath frame and begin filling the bottom piece with sphagnum moss.
Once the bottom piece is filled with moss, place the top on the wreath form. Cut short pieces of wire and wrap them around the wreath form to secure the two pieces together.
Once the wreath form is secure, continue to stuff the form with moss. You’ll want to pack the moss in tightly because it compresses when it dries, so the more the better.
After you’ve stuffed the wreath form, wrap fishing line around the form to keep the moss in place. Wrap the fishing line around several times to make sure the moss is secure.
Before you begin adding succulents to your frame, lay them out on the table as you plan to arrange them on the wreath. Play with the arrangement until you’re happy with the design.
To add succulents to the wreath, poke the wooden craft stick or pencil into the moss and wiggle it around to make a hole.
Insert the stem of your succulent cutting into the hole. Secure the cutting with hot glue, a greening pin, or both.
The greening pin can go around or through the stem of the succulent and into the wreath. The stem will heal and grow around the pin.
You can also place the greening pin over the leaf of the succulent to hold the cutting in place. This does less damage to the succulent but is not as secure because the leaf may fall off.
Hot glue can be used in addition to or in place of the greening pins. Place a small amount on the stem and then insert the stem into the hole you created in the wreath.
Continue to create holes in the wreath and add your succulent cuttings. Make sure to keep the cuttings close together because they shrink slightly before growing.
Trailing succulents look great placed along the inner and outer edges of the wreath. You can also use branch-like succulents to add extra interest and variety.
Once your wreath is finished, allow it to lay flat and dry for 4 to 6 weeks until the cuttings have rooted. Keep it in an area with a mild temperature and indirect sunlight.
When your cuttings have rooted, hang up the wreath and enjoy!
To care for the wreath, allow it to dry out almost completely before watering and then soak thoroughly. Laying the wreath on the lawn when the sprinklers are running is a great way to do this.