Make a living succulent wreath

THE STEPS

Step One: The wreath Making your own wreath base: We are using a piece of willow branch Cate found on her property. A few points to consider if you are keen to forage and find your own branches are:

• Cut a branch that is still green from the tree (meaning it’s alive!).
• Cut a long branch approx 3m long.
• The thickness of the branch should be between 1.5 to 3cm thick.
• To make the shape, Cate twisted the vine around itself until it formed an approx 30-40cm circumference circle. The longer the branch you choose, the bigger you will be able to make the wreath.
• Secure the branches with a piece of wire, or twine at the top so it also forms a hook to hang from.

Using a store bought wreath base:

• Some plant nurseries sell the vine wreaths already in shape. You can use a store bought wreath, like this one at www.feather.com.au or like this one Vine and Bower on Etsy.
• Or you can find thinner willow vines wrapped around each other for thickness.
• Ensure the wreath has space to plant the succulents into. Vine is ideal because it forms natural little pockets for the succulents to nestle and grow.

Step Two

• Layout all of your supplies on the table.
• Take a generous handful of sphagnum moss and soak it in a bucket of water. The sphagnum moss is what the succulents will grow in, a substitute for soil. When it is soaked through, wring the moisture from it and place aside.

Step Three

• Lay your wreath flat on a table. Take your chosen plants and roughly arrange them into a balanced design. This will give you an idea before you permanently affix them to the wreath. We focused our design on the right hand side of the wreath so it forms a nice garland wrap.

Step Four

• Now you have an idea of your design, remove any store bought plants from the pots, shake off the potting soil and cut off any roots so you have a nice clean stork about 1cm long.
• Trim down any succulent cuttings from your garden and lay them out, ready to plant into the sphagnum moss.
  

Step Five

• Spray the adhesive onto the part of the wreath where the sphagnum moss and plants will be placed.
• Take the sphagnum moss you previously soaked and push it into place around the wreath where you sprayed the adhesive. It helps to use the natural hollows that are formed from twisting the vine, to push the moss into. The sphagnum moss will adhere to the glue and form a base for your planting. Alternatively, you can use wire to secure the moss in place.

Step Six

• While the spray adhesive is sticky, start placing the old mans beard (spanish moss) around the areas of planting. You want the old mans beard to sit underneath the succulents rather than on top.

Step Seven

• To plant your succulents into the sphagnum moss, take a pair of scissors and use the end to make little holes in the sphagnum moss. Place your succulents by the stem into each of the holes, arranging your design as you go.
• To secure the succulents in place, you can use a variety of methods.
• Use the wire or hair pins for the larger plants and use the hot glue gun for the smaller ones. The hot glue gun is great for storks that need to go deeper into the moss.

Step Eight

• Play around with the design, move plants or add some more. Go for balance and interest.

Step Nine

• When you are complete, give your wreath a spray with a water spritzer bottle, then every few days give it another spritz prevent it from completely drying out.

Step Ten

• Hang it somewhere with ample light, admire your work and watch it thrive!

EXTRA note – You will notice a little extra addition on our wreath. Cate made this gorgeous tassel out of cord. Stay tuned for her next DIY project, where Cate will show you now to make these super easy tassels.