One of the many things that I lack proficiency in is keeping plants alive. Watercolor, making spaghetti and enduring to the end of Top Gun are not really my strongest skills either. But I must say, I am particularly terrible at trying to keep a plant healthy. This is true for all potted plants, except for succulents and cacti (which, I like to consider a cactus a succulent, but with a sassy attitude). Yep, succulents are one difficult ornamental plant to kill. You need only water them every-other-week. They like lots of sunlight in my windowsill. They don’t care if my house is a mess or if I forget to shave my legs. Succulents are just there to cheer you up and add some green to the scene.
The best part about a succulent is that they can grow in almost any container. At my local hardware store, I have had my eye on some sassy-looking glass light covers for some time now; so when succulents went on sale I scooped up a few plants and a few light covers to create an inventive (and inexpensive) succulent garden for my mantel. You really can’t believe how fun a round light cover looks filled to the brim with succulent-ness. Time to make one of your own, I think!
Here is what you need:
- Succulents of your choice. I just grab what catches my eye.
- Glass light covers in a variety of shapes. There are no rules here — any light cover will do!
- Dirt. I chose a high-quality potting soil. I may ignore my succulents’ health once they are planted, but I’m going to at least give them a head start with some good soil.
- Pebbles, small ones
Step 1: To begin, fill your glass light cover two thirds of the way up with soil. This leaves room for the succulents.
Step 2: Now, part the soil in the areas where you will be planting a succulent, creating a little hole in the soil.
Step 3: Take your succulent out of its plastic container. Carefully loosen the roots at the bottom (my mom taught me to do this and I think it is to help those roots take up residency in their new home). Then, stick the succulent in and add more soil to secure it in place.
Step 4: Finally, add pebbles to the top of the soil. The pebbles serve two purposes. 1. They look cool. 2. They help keep the soil from spilling over the sides when you water the succulent.
Now, water your new best friend and find it a home in your house!
