Succulent Spring Garden

After the busy holiday season, January is a time to relax, renew, and rejuvenate. With the cold and sometimes barren feeling landscapes that surround winter, spring blooms bring the promise of brighter warmer days to come. What better way to bring that feeling into your home than with a terrarium inspired succulent spring garden; bursting with color, texture, and of course fragrant blossoms. This slideshow will help you beat the winter blues and bring a splash of spring to your life.

STEP ONE:

Start with a large, water tight container with ample room to hold all your plants. For maximum drainage, you will need to create layers within the soil. First place the pea gravel, then a larger rock like river rocks or unpolished gravel, and lastly a standard potting soil.

STEP TWO:

For this design I have chosen to work with delicate paperwhites, hyacinth, and a delightful array of succulents. Gently remove the bulbs and succulents from their containers; taking care so the root systems are not damaged. A helpful hint for choosing bulbs: Try to find some that have not yet begun to bud or have just started to show a bit of color, this way you will be able to enjoy their growth and beauty as long as possible.

STEP THREE:

Once your foundation is in place; add any large found objects that you would like to incorporate into your garden. This sculptured piece of wood will add texture and depth. Placing it off center with a slight overhang outside the confines of the dish will enhance the design and still allow room for the plants.

STEP FOUR:

Time to play in the dirt! Place your plants individually, or in groups. Nestling one or two into the stump gives the design a natural organic feeling. Clustering like flowers together as I did with the hyacinth will add impact. To blend the container to the arrangement I have placed the “donkey tail” succulent gracefully cascading over the glass.

STEP FIVE:

Lastly we add the fun, personal finishing touches and treasures. Decorative pink glass crates a trail that draws your eye through the garden and towards the fragrant hyacinths. Clumps of mood moss tucked here and there bring the soft color of the succulents throughout the design, and the finishing touch…a bright candlelight lantern to remind us that summer nights are just around the corner.

Thank you for sharing this delightful succulent spring garden filled with the hope and joy of flowers to come. If you would like to lean more, join us in the Classroom or Online and study the theories and techniques of design with the Floral Design Institute Instructors.