The flamboyant succulent wreath celebrates the subtle color and echoes the dramatic circular shape of succulents. A welcome addition to any rustic wall, the succulents in the following wreaths simply generate sunshine. Succulent wreaths have an abundant fresh feel that will inject life into any environment.
Succulent Cuttings
Multiple online resources such as Etsy and Amazon are available to purchase a wide variety of succulent cuttings. The grower selects an array of varieties and ships them directly to you, wrapped in paper and ready to plant. It’s quite exciting opening this package to reveal such beautiful little jewels that will grow and flourish in your living wreath. You can also purchase succulent plants from garden centers to create your own cuttings. Allow new cut stems to callus over for two days prior to wreath construction. The callus end is the hard scab-like area the plant will root from. Succulents root easily when soil and moss are kept moist.
Succulent Plants
Succulents with attached roots can also be easily planted into a living wreath. You can simply purchase a handful of plants and have a living wreath completed in hardly any time at all. Carefully remove most of the soil from the roots by scraping with your forceps, or even give the roots a dunk in fresh cool water to remove even more of the soil. Now get planting!
Design and Planting Techniques
Wreath Design
First you will want to plan your wreath design. Succulent living wreaths are constructed in quite a straightforward way, but to achieve a flowing feel of unrestrained opulence requires careful positioning of materials. It is important to keep a good balance of color and shape, so stand back as often as possible and take a good look. There is no right or wrong way to go about planting the succulents into your wreath. Have courage, you can’t mess this up! You can plant in a circular pattern along the outer ring and make your way around until you reach the center. The base will resemble a wreath upon a wreath. I prefer to fill and complete one section of the wreath at a time, starting on one side and completely planting until I reach all the way around.
For a pleasing and natural design, stagger the shapes and sizes as to not resemble a bull’s-eye target. Mix and match different colors, textures, sizes and varieties or do a mass grouping of a solid color. I also find that clustering two large similar succulents on one side of the wreath, with one additional large succulent on the opposing side to balance the design and to create a stunning focal point works great. Another easy technique, especially for a beginner, is to create your design on your work surface before you start planting. Lay out your succulent cuttings on the table in a wreath shape, moving plants around until you end up with a pleasing design. After your design is laid out, you can start planting the succulents into your wreath.
Planting
Start with a damp living wreath base.
With forceps, a wooden skewer or a screwdriver, make a hole through the moss into the core of the wreath-base soil. Planting with forceps is ideal and highly recommended! Forceps allow for easy placement of slender, delicate stems into the soil. They can also open a wedge or hole in the wreath base, and the tips help tuck in delicate roots.
Insert the succulent cutting or the plant roots into the hole as deeply as possible. Push the surrounding moss and soil toward the stem from all directions to secure. Add a pinch of extra moss around the stem to fill in the hole, if needed.
If the succulent feels as if it might fall out, add a U-shaped pin for support. A 1-1/2-inch wire bent into a U-shape is a great size. You can make larger pins to secure larger succulents. I tend to use quite a few pins in my succulent wreath making, especially around the steep outer sides of the base. You don’t want all your hard work to come undone! Never stick the pin into the flesh of the stem or leaf, but, rather, position the pin to straddle the section. On a large succulent rosette that can be quite heavy, I’ve pinned around the stem from below and even gently straddled down on top of a leaf for added support. Be sure not to crush the plump leaves.
After planting, the wreath should lay flat for five to six weeks to help roots take hold.
Watering
Succulents are easy to care for, as they don’t need a lot of water to flourish. Most succulents are drought tolerant and are accustomed to long periods between watering. Squeeze the wreath from behind, if the base is hard and dry, give it a deep watering. If the moss is dry on the outside but soft inside when you squeeze, do not water. Water the wreath once every two weeks by fully submerging it in water for two to three minutes or until the bubbles that escape cease coming to the surface. If watering with a garden hose is preferred, take the utmost care. A heavy stream of water from your hose will knock all your beautifully rooted succulents loose. A slow dribble from the hose is an effective wreath-watering procedure, provided that it’s done at a slow and gentle rate with repeated applications. Succulents do not tolerate overwatering or misting in particular along with most other plants in general. Make sure to drain thoroughly before you rehang.
Hanging Location
Think about where you want to hang a succulent wreath. Succulents can look different and vary in color and texture depending on sun exposure. I suggest keeping your newly constructed wreath in bright light but out of direct sunlight for one week and then gradually introduce it to full exposure. However, wreaths might benefit most in partial shade from the midday sun. To be on the safe side, protect all succulent wreaths from freezing temperatures. Bright light is generally a requirement for the healthy growth of succulent wreaths, with protection from midday sun in intense heat. The same bright-light needs exist for indoor succulent wreaths.
Echeveria
The simplicity of the sea-glass-blue echeveria is stunning. This variety is found at most garden centers, so putting together a living wreath will be a snap! I used 6 to 7 plants for a simple wreath design, with some of the moss base exposed. For an even more striking display, completely fill the wreath with solid echeveria. The large rosettes can be rather heavy, so make sure to secure the roots with U-shaped pins. For added support, you can pin down some of the under leaves using the straddle technique. Roots can also be cut off from the echeveria and allowed to callus over and root again while snuggly planted in the wreath base.
| 11-inch wreath base |
Mixed Succulent 1
The various shapes, colors and textures of these succulents make my heart go pitter-patter. I assure you planting succulent cuttings will not be difficult, but it will take some time, so be patient and have fun creating this unique piece of art.
| 9-inch wreath base |
| Approximately 100 cuttings |
Hens and Chicks
Hens and chicks are one of my all-time favorite succulent varieties. I have them growing all over my yard and spilling out of numerous pots and containers. They are very happy grouped together and will spread nicely. The deep grey green rosettes with rosy red centers pop next to the bright green variety. Take some of the new-growth chicks and start a new wreath!
| 11-inch wreath base |
| 9 to 10 (3-inch) succulents (with any extra chicks growing off each mother plant) |
Mixed Succulent 2
In this more modern-looking wreath, I grouped like succulents in thick sections around the circular form. The single large, ruffled pink-edged succulent makes for a beautiful focal point.
| 9-inch wreath base |
| 10 to 12 (2-inch) succulents |
Succulent and Flower
The fleshy succulents in juxtaposition with the delicate blooms of alyssum make a beautiful pairing.
| 9-inch wreath base |
| 25 succulent cuttings |
| 12 flower seedling plugs |
