Do you sometimes feel like you have lost all of your creativity as an adult?
Making an indoor succulent garden is an easy and fun indoor gardening project that will inspire your creativity on so many levels.
Firstly, you can pick a pot that matches, complements or contrasts your indoor environment. And, there are no wrong choices when it comes to picking a collection of succulents and cacti.
The style of your indoor succulent garden is as limitless as your imagination and can include tall pricky or fluffy cacti, succulents with juicy or furry foliage, a range of different colors of foliage and some feature rocks and gravel.
You might even like to do this project with your children. But if little fingers are going to be involved in creating and maintaining the indoor succulent garden, remember to check that none of the plants are toxic to children and animals.
There is a fantastic YouTube video How To Make A Succulent Arrangement by Garden Answer. I have used this video to provide the step by step images and instructions on making an indoor succulent garden.
Making an indoor succulent garden: what do I need?
So you have decided to go ahead making an indoor succulent garden. Let’s go through what you will need to make it stunning.
Pots
From simple and contemporary pots to positioning your succulents on a driftwood log, the choice is yours. The pot will set the tone and size of your indoor succulent garden.
Choose a pot that provides a large enough space for the succulent garden you intend to build. Generally a shallow and wide pot is best.
Consider where you are going to position your indoor succulent garden after you have created it to make sure that the pot is neither too big nor too small for the location.
It is essential that the pot has drainage holes and a saucer for underneath the pot to collect any excess water – remembering that succulents do not need to be watered often. They enjoy a sandy, desert type environment. But, you don’t want anything that will leak any excess water onto your floor after you have watered your plants.
Here are some pots that are suited to making an indoor succulent garden.
Potting Mix and Tools
Use a potting mix specifically formulated for succulents and cacti because it is designed to be a sandy consistency and ensure good drainage. Don’t use soil out of your garden in your pot. Outdoor soils can contain bugs and bacteria that you don’t want to welcome into your home and may not be appropriate for succulents and cacti.
We recommend:
Having some indoor gardening tools can also be very helpful when making an indoor succulent garden. These tools are specifically designed for working in smaller spaces. They are also extremely useful for maintaining your creation allowing you to water, trim and generally care for the arrangement.
Plants
This is truely the fun part! There are so many different colors, shapes, species and textures available. Check out our indoor gardening blog post on 7 of the best indoor succulents for beginners for some ideas.
It is best to look at what is available in your local area.
Check the plant labels to make sure you are buying plants that are suited to the indoor environment. You might want to consider:
- Jade plants
- String of hearts
- String of pearls
- Haworthia zebra
- Donkey’s tail
- Panda plant
- Little jewel
- Mardi gras
Think of the colors and textures of your succulents and cacti. A variety of different foliage colors will look stunning, even if it is only different shades of green – soft grey greens, bright greens, deep dark greens. Alternatively, you can choose contrasting foliage colors like oranges and deep red purples.
Also think about the height of your chosen plants. Mixing ground level rosette style succulents with taller furry cacti and hanging succulents can provide both depth and movement to your creation.
Ultimately making an indoor succulent garden with plants that hang over the edge of the pot, cluster together and rise up higher towards the back of the pot will be more dramatic than plants all at one height.
I like to purchase one or two taller cacti, 4-5 different types of rosette style succulents, some trailing or hanging succulents and a number of spiky smaller succulents that can be dotted around the pot.
Don’t be shy to play around with various combinations when you are at the garden center.
Feature Stones and Gravel
These will be used as ground cover and to cover any areas of exposed potting mix. Be creative!
Fertilizer
Purchase a fertilizer that is specifically formulated for succulents and cacti and follow the directions on the packaging.
We recommend:
Step by Step: Creating your own indoor succulent garden
Ok, so making an indoor succulent garden is your project for the day. Follow our step by step instructions and you will have created a masterpiece in no time at all.
Start with a shallow and wide pot. It is absolutely essential that the pot has one or more drainage holes in the bottom.
Add the potting mix to the pot. You might want to try different arrangements of your plants before you fill the pot with potting mix.
Fill the pot almost to the top. The potting mix will compress a little as you are making an indoor succulent garden so don’t worry too much about being exact on filling the pot. If your plants are already potted in soil fill the pot slightly less to allow room for these.
Start planting your succulents and cacti. It is easiest to start on one side and work your way around the pot.
You may need to add more potting mix as you progress making an indoor succulent garden. It is often helpful to create a mound of soil in the middle of the pot to provide a slightly higher level for the plants in the middle of the arrangement. This adds a nice aesthetic feel to the arrangement.
Continue working your way around the pot planting your plants in close proximity to each other. Make sure you cover the roots and plant each plant securely as you go.
Remember to keep taller plants to the back or center of the pot with the rosette style and trailing plants around the rim of the pot.
Keep planting, making sure you securely plant each plant and pack down the potting mix before planting the next plant. Add additional potting mix at any stage if required.
Once you have completed the planting, you can add a feature stone or two and cover any exposed potting mix with gravel. Brush or gently blow any potting mix off the foliage or your plants. Do not try to wash potting mix off the foliage because many succulents and cacti do not like their foliage to get wet.
The final step is to water your creation. It is a good idea to add some specially formulated succulent and cactus organic fertilizer to the water.
Use a large syringe or watering can with a fine spout to water your creation. When watering, avoid wetting the foliage of your indoor succulent garden.
And the final result…
Some design ideas when making an indoor succulent garden
If you are stumped when it comes to the colors, heights, shapes and textures when making an indoor succulent garden, then this YouTube video from Succulents and Sunshine might be just the answer.
Learn all about these design elements but also about thrillers, fillers and spillers….
Making an indoor succulent garden: the shopping list
Too many times I have arrived home to start my new project, having faced the crowds at my local shops, only to find I am missing key pieces.
So, here is the shopping list of everything you need when making an indoor succulent garden:
- Pot with drainage holes, including saucer or tray
- Succulent and Cactus Potting mix
- Succulent and Cactus Fertilizer
- 1 or 2 taller cacti
- 4-5 different types of rosette style succulents
- 1 – 2 trailing or hanging succulents
- 3 – 4 spiky smaller succulents
- Feature stones and gravel
Watch the full YouTube video of How To Make A Succulent Arrangement by Garden Answer. It shows all of these steps and just how easy making an indoor succulent garden for yourself can be.
Final Thoughts
Making an indoor succulent garden is a creative and fun experience, for gardeners of any age. It is an excellent way to enjoy indoor gardening.
Once completed, you will love the center piece you have created, watching your creation grow and just how low maintenance this indoor succulent garden can be.
Make sure you check out our other indoor gardening blog posts.
