How to make a simple succulent arrangement

A succulent arrangement in an old seashell ashtray

Succulent arrangements are a beautiful way to display your succulents and make a feature of them in
your home or garden. If, like me, you live in a colder country and keep succulents indoors they are also a way to keep lots of succulents in minimal space. Succulents don't mind being crowded too much and it can slow down their rate of growth so that your arrangement lasts longer. They are fun,simple and relaxing to make, like a living jigsaw puzzle!

First off you will need to choose a container, thrift shops are a great place to find unusual containers, you can also use a plant pot, personally I love the look of terracotta. A container with drainage holes is always best. You can also drill your own holes if you are feeling brave. If your container doesn't have drainage holes just bear this is mind when you are watering and err on the side of caution. For this tutorial I am using a small porcelain bowl that I found in a thrift shop.

Next you need your succulent soil. Make sure you fill your container to the brim, you don't want your succulents sitting below the rim of the container.

Now for the fun part, selecting your succulents. You need to look at the size of your pot to gauge what size succulents will work best, the smaller the pot the smaller the succulents. I use cuttings for all my arrangements, it makes planting ten times easier and within a few weeks they will be all rooted. Because this pot is small, I will be using a selection of small succulent cuttings that I have grown myself through propagation.

Another advantage of using cuttings is that it is easy to move your succulents around until you are happy with their positioning. Arrange your cuttings in whatever way you think looks best, gently pushing the stems into the soil.

You will notice that in between the rosettes there are little gaps, this makes the arrangement look a little bit unfinished. At this point you can add some topdressing to give it a more polished look or you can do what I like to do best and that is add more plants!

Little sedums make the perfect gap fillers. Taking a few little sedum cuttings and pushing them into the gaps leaves you with a nice full arrangement brimming with colour and texture. 

There you have it, the simple way to make succulent arrangements. This small one only took about 10 minutes to make but you can make them as big or as complicated as you like. Here are a few I have done in various different containers: