How To Make Store Like Succulent Arrangement @home

Morning Folks!

A warm hello to all from sunny(read: boiling hot) Mumbai… I hope you all are having a wonderful time and rocking it like never before? Excellent!

I’m here with a sweet post about succulents and how to make a store like succulent arrangement at home. Why? Because at my favorite nursery it costs $12 or more and mine, ah well- say about- $2. Cool right?

Hereon, I’ll be doing an @home series: I’ll be eyeing popular trends in home decor- both brick and mortal and virtually- and ooh-and-aah at everything and then knock it off like a pro. Why? Because I have to save money for travel and I cannot live in a shabby house. Or let’s say I want new shoes and I cannot live in a shabby house.

Truth is, there is no reason. When it comes to DIY ideas, I’m a kleptomaniac. I absolutely love succulents. My love for house plants started with wee succulents and they still feature in the top 3 variety of house plants in my list. I love how they look and how they require minimum watering and care. For someone like me who forgets to lock the main door- these seem just brilliant! Although I think its not necessarily by this quality that I love them. I have every reason to believe that my love for succulent is hereditary. My grandmother almost lost an eye trying to cut a stem: The oozing sap somehow ended up in her eye and she couldn’t see for about a week. By the way I’m going, I think I’ll get there very fast.

Anyway, over the years I have collected many cacti and succulents and I love being around them when at home. I had a bunch of them on the window sill, in my bathroom, on the shelves of my kitchen and I wanted more for my living room: unfortunately, the lack of options and the price sort of told me to think of different ways. It was a series of unexpected matches: when the price matched, the container and variety of succulent didn’t. When they did, the price didn’t. I dedicated 2 whole days to this, ranging over eBay, zansaar, fabFurnish, Etsy and yet nothing. A set of disappointing search results which only spoke of compromise: whether on style or price. I definitely didn’t want to ‘settle for something I half like”.

So, how does a girl get her room full of little succulents at a price she likes and in style she loves? DIY babes, the word is DIY.

Picked these white planters for less than a dollar at a handicraft market and distributed my big tub of succulents in small batches! Tada! It’s easy as making potato chips {Note: Pies are actually difficult to make}. BUT, before you venture out to make your own succulent arrangement, remember to follow these 5 crucial steps for an arrangement that looks straight out of the magazine.

The vessel: Low pots work best though I added a bit of height

Mix succulents: Select a variety of succulents for the planter, varying scale, texture, and color. Plan to spotlight three varieties in one planter.

layer Gravel: add a substantial amount of gravel as the base layer

Moist soil: after you have filled gravel, add moist soil. Always work with moist soil.

Add the plants: When taking the plants out of their plastic containers, break up the root mass, and even tear some roots, in order to encourage them to branch out in the new soil.

Spray leaf shine (optional): Wonder how the photos have shiny plump succulents? Its called spray-Leaf shine. You can buy it off a nursery and costs you about $4.

And that’s about it from me for today. I wish you all a wonderful midweek.

Keep planting, Keep Diy-ing @home!

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