In the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with succulents! Part of it has to do with the fact that our patio has horrible soil and is in full sun in Southern California (read: serious drought situation). So, I’ve been doing tons of research on how to plant a drought-tolerant garden without resorting to spiny cacti alone. In the midst of this, I’ve developed a fascination and love of these gorgeous, water-retaining plants that can look as varied as a water-hungry yard.
I’ve also been successful at keeping many of my succulents alive for over half a year now. Back when I wrote about how to avoid killing your succulents, I wasn’t actually sure if I would be successful taking my own advice. I was. So I’m upping the ante on my relationship with succulents and starting to make some arrangements of my own!
Succulents in a bowl: a word of caution
I used a bowl because we often have them around the house; also, they tend to be cheaper than pots. The bowls used in this tutorial were purchased specifically for this purpose at Target for just a few dollars. Pretty pots and planters can cost much more.
The problem with using bowls (or terrariums for that matter) is that they offer no drainage. This is usually a huge no-no for succulents because the one thing they hate is having their roots stand in water.
However, it’s still possible to keep these gardens thriving; you just need to monitor the water moisture really well. I always try to err on the side of dry soil than wet; without any drainage, the soil can stay moist for days– sometimes weeks– depending on the humidity of your house. You’ll just have to keep watch, and occasionally stick a finger into the soil to test it. I’ll share more maintenance tips at the end of this post!
How To Plant A Succulent Container Garden In A Bowl
Materials you’ll need:
*affiliate links used*
A bowl
Any cereal bowl, mug, or ramekin will do. Avoid wood and plastic. Here are some that are similar to the ones I used for this tutorial.
Succulents
They should go well together with varied colors and sizes. Usually warm and cool colors should not be potted together. You can buy them from Amazon (below) or your local nursery.
Cactus potting mix
This is really important for the health of your succulents. Buy it here:
Gardening shears
For a really successful arrangement, use shears to trim plants that have outgrown the container. Here’s the one I use:
Succulent Container Garden In A Bowl: a step-by-step guide
1) Choose your vessel first.
It’s really important to know what size bowl you want to fill (as well as its color and shape) before shopping for succulents.
2) Select your plants. Here’s what I usually choose:
- 2 “centerpiece” succulents– they can be clusters or single rosettes
- 3-4 filler succulents– the ones that will fill up the rest of the space in the bowl
Make sure you buy more succulents than you think you will need. These plants do fine when squeezed together, and you want the arrangement to look as full as possible.
3) Set the potted “centerpiece” plants in your bowls to see how they might fit.
Imagine that you will cut the rootball in half. Add potting soil to the bottom of the bowl so that the base of the succulent is flush, or even slightly above, the edge of the bowl.
4) Break the roots of your first centerpiece plant and get rid of any extra soil.
Breaking up the roots helps the plant re-establish itself. Do not water at this point, unless the soil is bone-dry (almost like dust or chalk). In that case, use a spray bottle to only slightly moisten the rootball.
Place the the first centerpiece plant into your bowl. Don’t worry if it doesn’t stand up straight at this point. You will add other plants to bolster it.
5) Break roots of other plants and continue arranging.
Squeeze the second centerpiece plant into the bowl. Assess the amount of space you have. Remember that you can break apart clusters of succulents. These plants are very tolerant of abuse– and many of them break apart easily so that they can spread!
6) Fill up the arrangement until the bowl is completely packed with soil and plants.
If you have a bare patch in the soil, but no room for another rootball, just cut the plant right at a leaf node and stick the plant directly into the soil. It will eventually root just fine!
7) Use the blunt end of your shears to pack down any soil, and trim unsightly branches.
Make sure the soil is packed in to keep the plants from moving. Succulents do lose leaves, so feel free to trim off anything that doesn’t look plump and pretty anymore. The plant will regenerate faster than you think.
Keeping the arrangement fresh and happy
The greatest thing about container gardens is that they’re like living art! They are always growing and changing, which means you’ll have to keep an eye on your succulent bowl.
Here are some basic tips (plus more in this post!)
- Group together plants with similar watering needs. A cactus indoors can go months without water, while thinner-leafed succulents need weekly watering. Plant the plump-leafed succulents together, and thinner-leafed succulents together.
- Give it natural light. Do not put this arrangement in a room without exposure to bright shade, because the plants will die.
- Water sparingly. If the soil is moist, let it dry out completely. You know that water is necessary when the rootball starts to clump and constrict.
- Trim and replant occasionally. Lots of succulents enjoy the tight space, which is why they are so great for these containers. Still, they will eventually become overgrown and need some trimming. Cut off any overgrown branches and stick them back into the soil for regrowth.
More succulent resources: my favorite books!
[Tweet “How to plant a #succulent garden in a bowl: WAY easier than you think! via @daisylinshih”]
Are they safe for cat and dog
Is there succulents that will do better indoors? I have a terrarium by the window but its taken long time to grow, but now its gone thin and lengthy.
Thank you
Hey Karen, in my experience, yes!
Can you cut the root short to fit into bowls if they have very long roots
Yes thank you!!
Don’t forget activated charcoal and loose pebbles at the bottom of the container which will help in the case of over watering and drainage
Oh my goodness, this is adorable! You are so right that bowls are much cheaper than actual planters. I have a few in mugs as well!
Aw! that is such a sweet idea, Marie. 🙂 Good thing succulents aren’t picky about whether they’re in a rented or purchased space! 😉
Haha! Just don’t water them often… they thrive on neglect 😉
Thanks Christina! 🙂 I hope you add some plants to your kitchen, they are so bright and happy!
Thanks Amy!! 🙂 You should definitely rearrange your plants every once in a while– I think that’s the fun part!
Oh thanks Jeannette! You are too sweet! I hope your succulent project is successful! 🙂
Oh thank you so much! Succulents are gorgeous, aren’t they! And I promise you that your succulents can and will survive! I actually wrote a post about this back when I realized that even my black thumb could care for succulents. It’s here in case you’re interested: https://simplicityrelished.com/avoid-killing-your-succulents/
Thank you Jenna! I hope this project works out, let me know! 🙂
I love this! I have this dream of one day having a somewhat permanent home with succulents on the window ledges and all those pretty things. For now, I’ll have to put a pin in this 🙂
i’ve killed so many.. i really need this!
These succulents are beyond adorable, gah I NEED to plant some for my kitchen. They’d be so darn cute!!
This looks really awesome! 🙂
Your arrangements are just beautiful and definitely are making me want to “rearrange” my succulents! 🙂
What a wonderful post Daisy! I enjoyed very much. I love plants and what you shared with us is just amazing. I didn’t know you have to break the roots before planting in pots so thanks so much for letting me know. You now got me motivated to buy plants and pretty bowls so I guess I will be making a trip to Home Depot tomorrow morning:-) Have a wonderful Sunday my sweet, super talented and gorgeous friend. Blessings!!! Jeannette
http://www.msjeannieandhercloset.com
This is such a beautiful post! I mean it’s well written and you give great tips, but really, there is something about succulents… they are SO BEAUTIFUL! It’s too bad that my thumb is SO BLACK that I can’t even take care of cacti. 🙁 (How have my human children survived all this time?)
This is so cute! I’ve been wanting some succulents. I just bought a house and have been working on decorating it. I just bought some plants to landscape the front yard yesterday, but I need something for inside, too. This is perfect!
Thank you Katelyn! I hope you enjoy putting together some arrangements in the near future. Let me know if you have any questions. 🙂
Thank you Julie! And no green thumb necessary! 😉 Succulents take a while to get the hang of, but once you do, they’ll love you forever!
Ah thanks Kristin! You are so so sweet, thanks for hanging out here!
And your hanging bird pot sounds fabulous. I love a good find like that.
Thanks friend! 🙂 Let me know if you do– send me a photo!
Thank you Emily! You should definitely try them again! The key is just giving them enough sunlight and the right amount of water!
This is such an awesome tutorial! I’ve been wanting some succulents for my home and will definitely be revisiting this post when I finally get around to it! Thank you for this (:
You made such beautiful succulent arrangements. I do not have much of a green thumb, but these are just too cute- and I love the idea of having living art. That’s such a unique way to think about plants because of their constant changing and growth.
SOOOOO CUTE! Have I ever told you how much I love you and your blog? You’re precious and I am thankful for you! Just thought you should know, regardless of how random I sound 😉
Annnnnnnyyyy whooo, I just bought my first succulents last month. I found the cutest hanging pot that is shaped like a small, white bird. It doesn’t offer drainage so I have been trying to be super careful, but it is adorable. I got it at walmart.
Ooh, I love these! How beautiful! And the bowls are adorable too. I pinned this for later…I definitely wanna do this.
These turned out so beautifully! I tried keeping succulents alive in CA and I don’t know if I watered them too much or not enough, but I just didn’t have any luck with them. Maybe I can try again in our next home!