Succulents Guide For Beginners

Firstly, I have to say succulents are simple adorable! They come in all shapes and sizes and are incredibly resilient little things. They have become so popular lately and are now appearing in bridal bouquets, home decor and can even be given as stunning homemade gifts!

Do you love the idea of house plants or garden flower beds but have a bad case of the black thumb? Then succulents might be for you! What’s better than living art that virtually takes care of itself?!

How To Keep Succulents

Planting

The key to planting succulents is proper drainage. They can thrive in virtually any container but without sufficient drainage your succulent will die from sitting in soggy soil. If your chosen container does not have drainage holes or where holes cannot be drilled, a pebble drainage system must exist. Placing pebbles beneath the soil in the bottom of your container will allow water to run out of the soil so it can dry out. Succulents tend to have shallow roots and small containers are best. If planting in a large container I would advise you to use some form of filler. The more soil in the container, the longer it will take to dry out. See below for some pretty planting ideas.

Care

Just because Cacti are part of the succulent family don’t assume all varieties can withstand extremely hot conditions. Succulents like bright sunlight but NOT direct sunlight. This is important as they will scorch! These little guys are built to withstand drought and only need to be watered whenever the soil has completely dried out from the last watering. If you can’t tell when it’s time, stick your finger in the soil to make sure. Try to water the soil not the plant. Be gentle, don’t flood it!

Propagation

There aren’t many flowers that will flourish elsewhere when snipped from the original! This is what I love about succulents – they are super easy to multiply! You can read about succulent propagation here .

My Succulent Babies

Get Creative!

There is no end to the quirky solutions you can find for planting succulents. My personal favorite is the teacup! This one was accidental as I purchased more plants than I had containers. I was enjoying an espresso from this days before. Until I find a dainty porcelain tea cup, in it he will stay! Both of glass containers came from Dollar Tree (!) and the green geometric vase and glass saucer are more clearance section finds. The green vase reminded me of a huge terrarium we had growing up that I despised but of course now wish I had!

Plant them in Mason jars and give as a gift or hollow out a narrow strip in some driftwood to create a nifty window sill garden, the possibilities are endless.