How to Create a Succulent Garden Wreath

Make your very own Succulent Garden Wreath with these easy-to-follow instructions. There are 5 simple steps to creating your custom succulents wreath that makes the perfect garden touch to spruce up your doorway, your living room or excite your office and give you a touch of the great outdoors. This is a great project for garden clubs, classrooms, and individuals to make at home.

Some photos and modified instructions used by permission from gardenapothecary.com

Succulent Garden Wreath Supplies Needed:

• a pair of sharp clippers
• a pre-made Sphagnum moss wreath
• fresh succulent cuttings
• Floral Pins for attaching succulents
• Bucket and/or garden hose
• twine, ribbon, or chain for hanging

Step 1: Gather and Prepare Supplies:

Using the supplies list above, gather all of the supplies needed and spread them out on a large work table.

You will need about 12 medium to large (2″ to 3″ in diameter) pieces of succulent cuttings, and about 10 to 15 smaller pieces. Pieces that have woody, strong but thinner stems are the best. If you are ordering online look or those characteristics in the cuttings.

Cut succulent stems so they are about 3″ in length.

Step 2: Soak Succulents:

Prep your succulent pieces and wreath by soaking them in water. Soak the wreath in a bucket if possible, but a hose will do if you don’t have a bucket available. Be sure to lay the wreath flat and fully saturate with water. This should take about 1 to 2 minutes, no more. Don’t over saturate your wreath as the moss will start to become soggy and messy and too hard to work with. If you have over saturated, just let it dry out for about an hour or so.

Next take your succulent cuttings and clean off any excess dirt, debris and dead or yellowing leaves from the stem and the base of the “head”. You can do this with your finger, by just pulling off any dried bits that might get in the way of the stem inserting clean in the wreath form.

Wash off and soak the cuttings in order to clean and hydrate them. Put them in the bucket or hose them off for a minute or so. Give them a good shake to whisk away any excess water.

Once the wreath and cuttings are watered, lay them flat and organize by variety and color.

Step 3: Arrange Succulents

Ask yourself these questions when arranging your succulent cuttings:

• Where will the wreath hang?
• Will it just be a seasonal decoration?
• What type of exposure will it get?

Remember, you will need to take it down and water it twice a month to keep it healthy and fresh.

Arrange the larger succulents into groups towards the bottom of the wreath. Then roughly arrang the smaller cuttings around the rest of the wreath form, generally placing them where they might look best.

Use this finished succulent wreath to give you some placement ideas

Step 4: Attach Succulent Cuttings:

Once you have a rough idea where you think the cuttings will look the best on the wreath. Make holes in the wreath with a sharp, clean pair of clippers or large nail. Make the holes per the size of  your cuttings, one at at time. Attach the larger succulents first and then the smaller. The secret is to not make the hole too big, make it just wide enough to get the stem in.

Hold the succulent cuttings by the head gently to twist them into the hole. Once the stem is in the moss hole, you can twist it fully in, securing it down with mild force. If your succulent cuttings won’t stay put, use floral pins to keep them in place. Don’t stab into the leaves, pin around them.

If you made a mistake, or the hole is too large and the cutting isn’t staying in, simply remove it and start a new hole in a different part of the wreath. Give the wreath a bit of time to recover that hole and go back to it in a few minutes.

Continue to turn the wreath and look from all angles so that you have fully planted succulents on the entire wreath.

Step 5: Finish and Hang:

Hold the wreath up to make sure nothing is falling out from being to heavy or not inserted enough. You may want to lay your wreath flat in a sunny location for about 4 weeks before you hang it but normally, if planted correctly, you can hang right away.

Add a chain, silk ribbon or twine hanger and press a floral pin through it near the top on the back where you want the hanger to go. Press it in completely to make sure it won’t come out.

Depending on your exposure and weather, water about 1 to 2 times per month, until it is fully saturated. Your wreath is living so you may want to keep it outside in full to part sun. Because succulents are living, your wreath will actually grow. Once it grows too big for the form or for your aesthetics simply pull it a part and start again! You will find the wreath should hold up fine and you will have a lot more cuttings to make a second wreath to give to a friend!