Do you love succulents and have a lot of them at home? Or are you possibly planning to have a collection of succulents but you don’t know how to arrange and display them? Are you perhaps looking for unique and creative ways to display and arrange your succulents? In this post, you will find beautiful, unique and creative ways to arrange and display your succulents and essential rules on succulent arrangement. You will also learn how to arrange succulents by color, size, height and texture, as well as using a ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ technique.
There are different succulent arrangement ideas that you can make. An arrangement you pick can be for your living room, garden, office, art rooms, special occasion. When designing and arranging succulents, take into consideration succulents’ height, color, texture and planter sizes.
Types of succulent arrangements
Before you choose to make a new succulent arrangement, please remember that overcrowding is bad for succulents. Overcrowded succulents tend to lack nutrients and space to thrive, and get attacked by pests and diseases much easier.
If you are preparing an arrangement in a container or pot that isn’t going to last long, you need to use succulent plugs or cuttings. That means that your project will last for around a few days to weeks, and using whole plants is not practical.
In general, succulent arrangement types are divided into:
- Whole plant arrangements by using unique shelving or pots
- Temporary projects for special occasions (better to use thicker-leaved succulents, as they are hardier)
- Arrangements of succulents by color, height, texture, size
Important tips to remember when choosing containers for succulents:
- All succulent containers must have drainage holes to prevent root rot.
- If there’s no space for the soil in the arrangement container, you can plant your succulents without it. However, use some sphagnum moss instead and make sure roots are protected from sun exposure. Fertilize regularly due to lack of soil, which provides nutrients.
- When using planters that have holes, you can line it with a coconut liner like this first.
- Plants in containers that are different from usual shapes and possibly planted without soil will last for a few years and long as you water roots and keep them protected from the sun.
- It’s a good idea to use succulent cuttings in the arrangements
Arrangement idea 1: Plant stand/ladder with succulents
A plant stand is a great way to showcase many succulent plants in their own pots. Because a plant stand has multiple shelves, you can arrange your succulents on the stand according to their height. It’s a great way to display your collection without needing any extra tools.
A plant ladder stand shelf is also a great and creative way to arrange your succulents. Both ladder and general stands are great to keep your succulents off the floor, especially if you have floor heating.
There are many different types of plant stand and ladders. Some can be mounted on the wall. If you don’t want to mount anything on the wall, you can get casual floor-standing plant stands, such as this one. You can use an old stool or unused bookshelf.
Arrangement idea 2: Succulents in hanging baskets or planters
If you have used all the shelves in your home or want a new and unique way to display your succulents, then vertical hanging pots are the way to go.
While you can use many succulents for a hanging pot, trailing succulents will look amazing in those hanging basket pots. Great examples are Burro’s tail, Ruby necklace, String of pearls, Monkey’s tail, Rhipsalis cacti and many more. However please note, that Burro’s tail succulents are fragile and have more advanced care needs.
There are different types of hanging baskets to choose from, for indoors or outdoors, woven to coco coir and many more. What you can also do is have your plant in its normal pot, but get hangers with hooks like this to install them. Use a coconut liner if a planter has holes.
Arrangement idea 3: Broken vase succulent arrangement
A broken vase arrangement can be beautiful for succulents due to their mostly smaller size. This arrangement is usually great for outdoor garden, and can attract lots of attention.
For this project, you will need a vase planter that has a hole in the middle. In there, you will pour succulent soil and add some smaller succulents.
Please make sure not to overcrowd succulents in this pot to prevent plant death and overwatering. It’s also a great idea to make sure that there’s a drainage hole on the bottom or that it’s designed for long-term arrangements.
Arrangement idea 4: Succulent wreath
A succulent wreath is a beautiful and interesting arrangement, however temporary. When making a succulent wreath, you will need to use succulent cuttings, instead of whole plants.
Wreaths are also great for special occasions. You can display a succulent wreath on a wall, door, fence, and even on a table. A wreath will look great on a table, and even attract more attention than if hung on a door.
To make a succulent wreath, you will need some tools. Those will be:
- A skeleton, a wreath wire frame like this. A 14-16 inch wire frame will be ideal.
- Hot glue gun like this, or greening pins, to attach succulent cuttings
- Sphagnum moss
- Wire and wire cutters
- Fishing line, clear color
To arrange succulents in a wreath, you will need to fill the wreath wire with sphagnum moss first on the inside. Use a fishing line to hold the moss in place. Start arranging succulents on the wreath by pushing the cuttings into the moss. Attach each succulent with a greening pin around the stem, but you can also use a hot glue gun.
Arrangement idea 5: A hanging succulent birdcage
A succulent birdcage is unique and will attract lots of exciting compliments. To make it even more special, you can use a black-color cage, so colors of succulents create a beautiful contrast. Also, for an extra unique look, you can choose a vintage-looking bird cage planter like this, for example. Make sure that a bird cage planter opens from the top so you can place all the plants.
To begin with, you will need to drill some drainage holes on the bottom of the birdcage planter. If it already has some holes, you can skip this step. Then, fill the bottom with small stones and some horticultural charcoal (optional). This will provide balance and adding charcoal will help with purification. Add the succulent soil.
Once your base is ready, start adding your succulents. You can plant smaller varieties of whole plants towards the center. On the edges, you can add more trailing succulents and cuttings. What is more, you can soak some sphagnum moss and add it to the edges of the bird cage.
Arrangement idea 6: Vertical garden frames
Vertical gardening is very popular, so why not incorporate your succulents into it? Vertical garden frames will look great outdoors or indoors, on a fence, porch and many other spots. Your vertical succulent frame will look like a picture frame filled with beautiful succulents.
To create this arrangement, you will need a deep wooden box or a shadow box frame without a door like this. Avoid choosing a box or a frame that is bigger than 16″ x 22″. That’s because the soil can collapse in the box. Consider drilling some holes on the back of the frame, to allow water to come out. This way, your succulent arrangement will last much longer. Waterproof the bottom of the container as wood can rot with seeping water.
After you have a box, you will need to lay a 1/2 inch or a similar size wire mesh inside the box. This mesh will hold the soil. After this, fill the box with soil by pushing it through the mesh. You can also add a layer of soft wet sphagnum moss on top of the soil to make it easier to mount the plants, but it’s not necessary. Start adding your succulent cuttings (around 2-inch rosettes/cuttings) by pushing them into the soil through the mesh.
Once your succulent frame is ready, leave it on a table or a stand, but don’t hang it just yet. That’s because you need to wait for rosettes/cuttings to start taking roots. Allow around 5-8 weeks before hanging a succulent frame.
Arrangement idea 7: Arrangement of succulents in a ceramic bowl
If you want to arrange your succulents beautifully in an open large ceramic bowl, you can easily do it. There are countless arrangement possibilities, and you can explore your creativity. Terracotta/ceramic pots are generally great for growing succulents and cacti.
Choose a planter of your choice, like this one with a saucer. Make sure your ceramic planter has a drainage hole on the bottom. If there’s no hole, you will need to drill one yourself. Place a mesh on top of the drainage hole to prevent soil from coming out. You can glue it on top of the hole by using a hot glue gun or another non-toxic glue. On the bottom of the ceramic bowl, add some gravel, rocks, or hydroponic stones that can absorb some water. You can also add some horticultural charcoal.
To prepare an arrangement in a terracotta planter, you will need to choose succulents with similar care requirements. That’s because it will otherwise be hard to care for them all when they are grouped together. You can design them by color, height and texture (see instructions below). Also, you can have taller succulents in the center, smaller ones around, and one of a few trailing ones around the corners.
Arrangement idea 8: Driftwood Planter
A driftwood planter is a unique and enchanting way to present succulents. You can also use a piece of bark for this arrangement project. Because there will be a lack of space in the planter, you will need to pick more miniature succulents with shallow root systems. Great succulents for this project include Sempervivums, Echeverias, Hens and chicks, and more.
If you get a driftwood planter, it will have ready holes for the plants. But if you have a piece of bark, you will need to use a power drill to make holes in the bark. Create crevices in the bark piece and clean any debris and dirt with a brush. Add some sphagnum moss and succulent soil, and then introduce the succulents. Don’t water too often. Plants that overgrow the planter can be divided to make new plants.
Arrangement idea 9: Succulent terrarium
There are many various types of terrarium containers that you can choose from. When making succulents terrariums, make sure to avoid closed lid containers especially. Only choose terrarium containers that have a hole; the bigger, the better (for air exchange). Succulents won’t last too long in a terrarium due to lack of drainage and higher humidity. So, you can use leftover cuttings or take your succulents out of the terrarium within a week.
Popular terrarium container options include cups, aquarium bowls, jars, fruit bowls, hanging orbs like this, vintage Wardian cases, and many more. To prepare a terrarium, you will need to lay a drainage layer on the bottom. The drainage layer can include sand, rocks, pebbles, or bark chips.
After this, you will need to add a layer of filter, which is horticultural charcoal. It will help with drainage and deodorizing, to prevent fungal growth. And finally, you will need to add your plants and decorations.
You can find a complete step-by-step tutorial on making a succulent terrarium here.
How to arrange succulents by color?
Designing succulents by color can be pretty interesting, and also not too hard either. There are a few color combinations that you can stick to, and your arrangements will always look well-put-together and appealing to the eye. Let’s discuss a few of the combinations below.
Warm-colored succulent arrangements
You can easily arrange warm-colored succulents together. They will be great to provide deserty, country and rustic effects. Warm tones include orange, pink, red, and dark yellow colors. Warm-colored succulent arrangements will look extra great in dark orange or similar colored pots (make sure pot colors are somewhat similar or complimentary in color).
Cool-toned succulent arrangements
Another easy to create succulent arrangements are those of cool-toned colors. Cool tones include dark green, purple, and blue of various shades. Cool-tone arrangements are great for minimalist offices and apartments and provide a ‘clean’ look. Choose pots of similar colors – dark blue, bright or dark grey, purple. To create accents in those arrangements, some succulents can be dark purple or bright blue.
Contrasting and complementary colors
Besides using succulents of similar colors (monochromatic), you can further explore and use colors that are opposite each other on a color wheel. Those colors will usually complement each other well, and will create a great contrast in an arrangement. For example, you can easily match blue and orange or yellow, purple and yellow and more.
What is more, complementary colors will be great for succulent arrangements. These will be colors that are close to each other on a color wheel. For example, red and purple, blue and purple, yellow and green, red and orange and more.
Important aspects of succulent designing and arrangements – texture and height
Similarly to designing with color, you need to consider the height and texture of succulents when designing arrangements. For example, textures of succulents leaves can be different – fuzzy, spiny, matte, glossy, smooth, stripy and more. In general, try to stay close to the same textures when mixing succulents. But you can also mix and match – add some furry plants in a simple display to add a unique look. Or, a few spiny succulents and cacti to a display of primarily matte and smooth succulents.
Height is also important in design, and a taller plant can become a focal point of an arrangement. You can use a ‘thriller, filler and spiller’ technique when arranging succulents. The point here is to start a succulent arrangement by adding a ‘thriller’ (tall, and can be spiky, an attention grabber) plant. ‘Filler’ plants will make the bulk, and will be smaller plants around the main one. And lastly, a ‘spiller’ plant or a few will be flowing, coming out of the container to break a visual.
‘Thriller, filler, spiller’ succulent examples
- ‘Thriller’ succulents can include Aloe, Haworthia, taller cacti, Agave, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, Sanseveria, paddle plant etc.
- ‘Filler’ succulents can include Echeverias, Sedums, Aeonium, Crassula, Echinocacti, Hens and Chicks etc.
- ‘Spiller’ succulents can include String of Pearls, String of Bananas, Burro’s tail, Ceropegia woodii, Rhipsalis cacti etc.
Thank you for reading this post on arranging succulents! If you would like to learn more about succulents, please see this page.