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How To Plant Succulents

I’m on a greenery kick (both outdoors and apparently indoors as well), so this is the story of four cheap-o succulents that I impulse-bought from Home Depot and then decided to plant in kind of a weird way.

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The two small ones were $2.98 and the two middle ones were $3.98 a pop. Oh and I used to have a red cactus for years throughout middle school and high school. Seriously, I couldn’t kill that thing if I tried. So that’s why he’s in the mix for nostalgia’s sake.

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Then I hunted around or some planters or baskets or old boxes to plant them in (Anthrophologie had some great succulents planted in old wooden boxes with pebbles around them and they looked super cool). Then my entire idea sort of shifted when I came up empty on boxes (and didn’t happen to have any cool white pebbles around either) but laid eyes on these old vases just sitting around in my cabinet.

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How weird would it be if I planted them in something see-through? Probably pretty weird, but I’m ok with weird. Heck, I embrace weird. I paused to worry for a second that they wouldn’t have any drainage in these glass containers, but I realized that the ceramic pot that my wouldn’t-die red cactus from high school didn’t have any drainage holes (nor do any of the white Ikea plant pots that we have around the house) so I went for it. But they clearly needed more dirt.

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So I went outside with a spoon (yes, a spoon) and used it to scoop some more dirt into my transparent little vessels. The verdict: I think they look pretty cool!

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I mean, people mulch their gardens for a cleaner look, right? I think the dark brown tone of the dirt looks so pretty against the green of the plants. Plus a lot of our surfaces are white (and nearly all of my plant pots are white) so maybe my eyes just appreciate the contrast (my eyes are such rebels).

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As of now two of them are hanging out in the hall bathroom (on the white counter, which definitely makes them pop) and one of them is on the white fireplace mantel in the kitchen (my little red cactus, since he’s quickly becoming my favorite for sentimental reasons). I’ll have to snap a picture of them in their new homes for ya soon. Although plants and pillows tend to migrate a lot around here, so they might pop up somewhere else next week anyway.

Have you ever planted something in sort of an unorthodox way? Or owned a red cactus in high school that straight up refused to bite the big one, even when you forgot to water it for months?

Comments

  1. Kate says

    Fabulous idea! I now know what I can finally do with all of the square vases left over from my wedding! Thank you!

    Reply

  2. Rebecca says

    I’ve never planted succulents, but last summer I planted a tomato in a 5-gallon Lowe’s bucket. $2 for the bucket, $5 for the can of spray paint, and voila, a perfectly nice planter, deep enough for a veggie. (I don’t have a yard, so my garden is contained on my 3-square-foot porch.)

    Reply

  3. Gena says

    I put some succulents in a glass container that used to be a candle. I wasn’t sure about the glass appearance either, so I wrapped half of the glass with jute twine to give it a little cover-up! Yours look great!

    Reply

  4. snosie says

    You gotta stop copying me girl! I just got my pinterest on and made a terrarium (which I’d been calling a terraNium!!). Looks awesome – I used pebbles in the bottom of my vase so that excess water can pool there, and not rot anything etc… And I dirt’ed with a takeaway food container!!

    Reply

  5. Candice says

    Love those succulents! I live in Phoenix, AZ and have a bunch of succulents on my patio. Even with our summer temps at 115 on a daily basis, they keep on going just like the Energizer Bunny. Nothing will kill them. I barely water them at all and they are so pretty.

    Reply

  6. lindsey says

    they are adorable! i have an deniable affinity (read: obsession) for succulents, so i’ve never seen a succulent i don’t love.
    if they start to not look so great, i recommend re-potting them (in the same containers) with a bit of activated charcoal in the bottom of the pot and then cacti/succulent/palm soil. i am super cheap so i just broke open an old brita filter and let the charcoal dry out before i used it in three of my planters. good luck with your succulents!

    Reply

  7. Rebecca says

    I actually more than a hour with the Home Depot garden expert Friday night. I’m allergic to almost everything, so knew that succulents were about my only hope to have any plant life. He said that it was important to use the soil specifically for succulents, because regular potting soil is designed to help retain moisture, the opposite of what succulents want. He said using regular potting soil often leads to rotting, mold, etc. He said to put rocks in the bottom, then succulent-specific soil, to only water it every 10-14 days (though I’m in Southern California, so you’d need to adjust accordingly for varying humidity levels around the country). He also suggested that every 2 or 3 months I should put a few drops of liquid succulent food into the water. I couldn’t believe how much time he spent with me, but I’m very grateful!

    Reply

  8. Jenny says

    Those look lovely, Sherry! I loved cactus when I was a teen and someone told me that if you keep them by your computer/laptop, it’ll absorb all kinds of radiation. Not sure if it’s true, but I did it :)

    Reply

  9. Kristin H. says

    Circa when I was 4 years old I planted a mini 2inch cactus in a coffee can covered in puffy paint and stickers. My mom still has it.. in the same can.. I’m now 27… it’s 2 ft tall. I don’t think they ever die!

    Reply

  10. Jen W says

    I had a dusty miller plant that I potted with a mix of other flowering plants. I got bored with it all by autumn and quit watering. The dusty miller lived on. It snowed. Still alive come spring. We moved. I put the pot down beside my in-laws’ trash burning area (yeah, we’re country like that). I noticed on a visit last autumn (two years later!!!!) that it was still alive. Creepy little plant, huh? True story, I swear!

    Reply

  11. Nora says

    love it! i love succulents. i just planted an ikea one in a metal pot but i’m not loving it. i will have to try clear glass!

    Reply

  13. brittany says

    OOO those little red cacti do die. My college roommate and I brought some for our porch in Tucson for a little color but sure enough they died. Who knows maybe someone was watering them but with something other than water.

    Reply

  14. Christy says

    This past fall my mums were getting sad looking so I decided to plant them in the front garden with a spoon as well…hey whatever is around the house! So midway through after I got a thorough forearm workout….I enlisted my 2 Jack Russells to finish digging the holes haha! They did a great job and my holes were really deep!! Love my doggies =)

    Reply

  15. Katie says

    I didn’t have a cactus but my freshman year of college I was given a bamboo when I went through rush and that sucker would not die! I even left it in the dorm room over winter break without watering it before I left. I returned expecting that sucker to have bitten the dust and it was still just as green and happy as I left it. I ended up planting it behind a bush near the dorm. Figured it would be happier if I freed it of it’s indoor prison. :)

    Reply

  16. statia says

    Landscaping is something that I love, but really suck at. I happily fork over the money to my highly experienced landscaper for advice and usually the work too. With two small ones, it would never get done otherwise. But I’m learning a lot from him, so hopefully in the future, I’ll be a little more experienced. I actually planted perennials, and I knew what they were, AND I knew they were “forced bulbs.” I is educated!

    Reply

  17. Rad Designing says

    Actually just today i was at church and they were changing out some of their potted plants for new spring ones and asked if they were going to throw the old stuff away. They said to take whatever i wanted so i went home with one succulent, 4 fun green plants and a small tree! I’m happy to save them from being thrown in the trash.

    Reply

  18. Mary says

    I chuckled when I read the comment about making room in your car for all of your nursery purchases. My husband and I had a similar experience early in our marriage and home owner days. It was Arbor Day, and the city was giving away trees to plant. Excited, we borrowed my father-in-law’s truck to go pick up some trees to plant at our new home. Of course, “tree” is a bit grand for the “twigs” we came home with. I can’t recall if we were embarrassed or amused at our home owner’s innocence. But I think the twigs, um, trees lived. . .

    Reply

  21. Emma says

    I’m totally proud of your pun! I used it on my husband when he came home from class : “what’s up succa?” haha

    Reply

  22. Amanda Sch. says

    I had the same red cactus in elementary school. I had the bright idea to bring it to school for a show and tell and ended up getting about half the spines it had in my hand trying to get it out of the box. Yeah… I’m nothing if not smooth.

    Reply

  24. Laura says

    When I was a kid (late 70s), we used glass flowerpots al the time. They looked just like clay pots in shape, but we’re pretty glass. And like lots of the previous posters recommended, we always started with a layer of gravel or pebbles.
    Fun memories your glass pots bring back for me!

    Reply

  25. Kim @ Yellow Brick Home says

    We always plant our succulents in clear vases! As soon as I saw the glass enter your post, I thought, yes, yes! We agree, the brown dirt is awesome against the bright greenery. It’s also why we love terrariums!

    Reply

  26. E.Lefebvre says

    Somebody probably already wrote this… but, if you’re worried about drainage (which is legit), then I would put small rocks in the bottom 1/2 inch or so. Actually, I do that in all my pots, holes or no holes to prevent plants from rotting out. AND, in clear glass like that (which is awesome, btw), you get an extra pretty layer.

    Reply

  27. Kal says

    That is too hilarious! I literally just did the same thing with an old fishbowl and an African Violet. So far so good, the little guy is still green and happy. And yes, I too often use a kitchen spoon and fork as garden tools. I’m pretty proud of my multi-tasking utensils. :)

    Reply

  28. Kate says

    Two days ago I planted a fern in a clear glass vase I got at goodwill for $1.99. I put dark rocks in the bottom, then potting soil and then two small lacy ferns I got at Walmart for $3.00 each. It looks great, but it will look even better when the fern grows out a little (like a haircut). I think the roots and dirt are just as pretty as the plant. I have high hopes that I can keep the fern alive, of course I’ve been wrong before…we’ll see, but it looks pretty for right now!

    Reply

  29. Elizabeth says

    Not a red cactus, but I have a very small little cactus that I bought as a souvenir in Arizona when I was out there for the BCS National Championship game in January 2007 (GO GATORS!!!!) and that little guy is still living happily on my kitchen counter…OVER FIVE YEARS LATER!

    It’s the only inside plant I’ve ever kept alive for this long. :-)

    Reply

  30. Lia says

    Good luck! I’ve somehow killed a cactus and a philodendron, but now I’ve got a windowsill herb garden which is making a go of it (chives are indefatigable, apparently). I love the visible dirt – I think a stepped indoor garden made of glass vases of different heights with little squat succulents on top would look pretty amazing. I might even try it, after I pour one out for the poor philo’.

    Reply

  31. Erica says

    I’ve been obsessed with making little terrariums for about the last year and they are all in clear glass containers. My favorite are the large round globes. The mini tropicals section at the nursery is a dangerous place for me! I haven’t tried succulents yet. Though they would fit in well with all of my other plants.

    Reply

  32. Kaitlin A says

    I think it must be spring time- we just planted a hanging garden of succulents and basil on our kitchen wall- also courtesy of home depot. I’m working on the post about it now. Such great timing! Yours turned out great!

    Reply

  33. Lisa says

    Roots don’t like light…they grow away from it. A clear vase is generally best for short lived cut flowers.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip Lisa! We have seen lots of terrariums in clear vases lately so perhaps as long as the roots are in dark dirt (you don’t see the roots through our vase or anything) they’re good?

      xo,
      s

  35. Carolyn H. says

    The 218 people who commented before me probably already suggested this… ;) You can create a little drainage in pots (or vases) by putting rocks or broken pottery pieces at the bottom before you add the dirt and plant the plants. The spaces between the rocks give extra water somewhere to go so the dirt doesn’t get waterlogged. It’s a good idea when there actually are drainage holes in the bottom too.

    Reply

  37. Alanna Quan says

    I did exactly the same thing yesterday! From the impulsive purchase of succulents at the Home Depot, to pondering the drainage-less container, to hitting up the backyard with a spoon to pilfer dirt. I planted mine in a Chinese bowl to accompany a Buddha figure that a neighbor gave us as a gift.

    Reply

  39. Laura says

    I love the little succas! I found mine at Ikea for only $2.99 ea. Much cheaper than the ones I saw at West Elm.

    Reply

  40. Julie J says

    A few years ago I planted otto luken laurels next to the foundation of our house and I do NOTHING to them and now they are pretty big and cover nicely. They were about the size of yours to start with and are easily over twice that size now. I love most that they are totally no maintenance, other than watering during summer and I’m not even good at that. Good luck!

    Reply

  43. Sheila says

    I used aquarium gravel in the bottom of a mason jar to provide drainage for plants. Comes in lots of different colors… just an idea!

    Reply

  45. zannie says

    They look so great! BUT (I hate being a downer) there might be one issue in the future – most plants are never planted in the see-through containers because their roots can’t stand light (they are supposed to be in the dirt, after all). So putting a plant in glass container might lead to problems once its roots grow. Seeing the light might kill them!;)
    [BTW, that’s why orchids are so often planted in glass containers – their roots are used to light because they work on trees, not in the soil].

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip Zannie! We have seen lots of glass terrariums with succulents in them so perhaps they’re ok in glass? Or since their roots are deep in the dark dirt it’s not too light for them? We don’t see their roots or anything through the glass, they’re surrounded by lots of dark dirt. Here’s hoping it’s all good!

      xo,
      s

  46. Melissa says

    If you get tired of the total see-through look, you could wrap rope, fabric, craft paper or ribbon around them, but I think they are cool as they are!!

    Reply

  47. Georgia says

    I’ve never done succulants. I generally avoid indoor plants and get really sad when people give me them for gifts because I know I will kill them. Pets I can do…plants, or at least indoor ones, not so much. Having said that, someone gave me a little prehistoric looking fern thing a few years ago and the cat knocked it off the shelf and smashed the pot. Thinking I was probsbly just going to kill it anyway, I placed it on top of a jar of water with the roots reaching the water. Three years later, it’s thriving. And I literally only change the water about 4 times a year. Love that plant.

    Reply

  48. siobhan says

    For our wedding (to my science teacher husband), I planted flowers in beakers for our centerpieces.

    Reply

  49. Claire says

    Had to laugh because I have found myself digging in the backyard before with a spoon too! Whatever works, right!?

    Reply

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