Living art
Instead of framing a picture, why not a whole garden? Cuttings of assorted succulents knit together to create colorful, textural living tapestries.
Succulents make for the best earthy-yet-modern decor. Accent your home and garden with these DIY projects
Succulent shutters
Twin shutters, each about 8 feet tall, bring a roomlike appeal to designer Baylor Chapman’s San Francisco deck. Tiny succulent rosettes peek out from openings between the slats. To hold the rootballs in place, Chapman (lilabdesign.com) stapled weed-cloth pockets behind each shutter.
Gold leaf terra cotta succulents
With an easy application of gold leaf (available at any art store), give tired terra cotta a second life. Just apply a spray-on adhesive and place the gold leaf directly on the pot, pressing it down with your thumb. Pull back the waxed layer, and seal again. Plant succulents in the pot for a modern, glam-meets-green look.
Succulents make for the best earthy-yet-modern decor. Accent your home and garden with these DIY projects
Hostess gift
One of the best ideas from Debra Lee Baldwin’s Succulents Simplified (Timber Press, 2013; $25) is this garden, scaled down to dollhouse proportions. Poke a drain hole in a mint tin with a nail, then plant bite-size crassula, echeveria, or sedum in soil. Give as a hostess gift or place on your desk for a bit of green.
Living cacti centerpiece
Succulents make for the best earthy-yet-modern decor. Accent your home and garden with these DIY projects
Succulent bouquets
Use succulents for a sweet and stylish arrangement. String of pearls and tillandsias accent a bouquet of succulent rosettes designed by Susie Nadler.
Living succulent centerpiece
Succulents make for the best earthy-yet-modern decor. Accent your home and garden with these DIY projects
Succulent birdhouse roof
Succulents in recycled vases
Mounds of tiny succulents and 3-inch crassulas set in moss recall frothy drinks in metallic glasses.
Succulents make for the best earthy-yet-modern decor. Accent your home and garden with these DIY projects
Succulent table
Succulents fill a long container (with drain holes) set into the top of this table built from recycled wood. Design: Far Out Flora.
Rustic centerpiece
Los Gatos, CA-based landscape designer Leslie McKenna doesn’t like to waste much. Case in point: these birch branches turned vases, which she created from a felled tree on a recent job site. To make your own, drill a hole in a birch log with a 1-inch auger, then tuck in an array of succulents. The shallow-rooted plants don’t mind snuggling closely, and they need watering only once a week. Remember, many succulents are happy in a little bit of shade and will stay happier for longer with dappled sunlight. We keep a stash of succulents on hand in the Test Garden to be party ready at a moment’s notice!
Succulents make for the best earthy-yet-modern decor. Accent your home and garden with these DIY projects