What is She Making by Pouring Dirt on This Burlap?

This is an eye catcher, for sure!  It’s also something great to do with the kids over summer break, when they get bored and need a project.  It’s something you can do together with fabulous results.  I have a friend who made these and they are so lovely.

These can also be made with faux succulents if you don’t want to bother with the maintenance of keeping them alive, although these are very low maintenance because succulents retain so much water, they need very little attention.

CTLifestyles.com has some specific instructions (listed below) so you may want to have this available to you when you 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.

Succulent Garden Wreath Supplies Needed:

• a pair of sharp clippers
• Sphagnum Moss Wreath {this is what CT Lifesyle uses}
• 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 for 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 arrange the smaller cuttings around the rest of the wreath form, generally placing them where they might look best.

Watch this step by step tutorial so you can see how she puts this wonderful wreath together.  Be sure to SHARE this with your friends on Facebook too!