Even if you live in a small space without a backyard, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the opportunity to tend to the plants you’ve collected – you just need to be a little creative. If you want to show off a small garden, all you have to do is collect some of your favorite succulents.
For people who live in a studio or apartment, building a succulent garden that can be placed on a windowsill, bookshelf, or side table is a good option. They’re especially great for dorm dwellers because they’re small and easy to care for (and you don’t have to carry a whole bunch of plants that need to be watered back and forth every time you take a break).
From an aesthetic point of view, a succulent garden is more elegant than growing a succulent plant alone. But you’re not just planting all kinds of plants, you’re designing a miniature garden in a box.
Here are all the basic steps to creating a succulent garden for your space, along with some popular ideas.
Select Your Container
To make your succulent garden fit into a small space, you’ll also need to choose a small garden container. The heteromorphic container is perfect for whether you want to display your plants in a glass bowl or in a small square grower box.
For an even more appealing visual effect, you can also opt for layered miniature containers or small wicker baskets – just make sure to line the basket with padding before adding soil.
Design Your Garden
Before you think about succulents or soil, you need to consider the design elements of your garden. This ensures that you get the right size and quantity of succulents (and the right type of soil for them).
Many mini succulent gardens opt for a realist garden theme, with small “stepping stones” placed around the container to form a path. A bowl filled with water or pebbles used for landscaping can also add visual appeal to the container.
You can also create a stylish fairytale garden, often with a lattice at the edge of the container, or even a decorative ceramic hut in the center. Creating a themed succulent garden is a lovely way to add personality to your plants – it can also give you another container to place them in, depending on which trinkets you choose to add to your “yard”.
Some succulent gardens also place squares of sand on the surface of the containers to create miniature zen gardens. This adds a practical element to your little landscape.
Choose Your Succulents
Once you’ve chosen a container design, it’s time to choose the succulents you want to grow in it.
Some mini succulent gardens focus more on the design itself than on the plants, so they only use a small number of succulents in their layout. Others prefer to stuff as many succulents as possible into one bowl. There’s no right answer here – just look the best you want.
Air succulents are another option for mini succulents pots. They don’t require soil, so they’re easy to place anywhere in your design.
You might want to add some popular (and really cool) succulents to your small garden, including live stones, stone lotus, or jade cactus. Want to miniaturize your garden? You can even find succulents that are smaller than your thumb.
Fill Your Container
Once you know what kind of succulents you want to grow, you need to find the right soil for them. You can’t go wrong with soil blends for succulents – luckily, most varieties grow well in the same soil. When adding soil, leave room for items that need to be partially submerged, such as water bowls or garden decorations.
Once you have the subsoil, you can grow succulents according to their variety. Then, feel free to add a layer of sand, gravel, or rock to decorate the container. This determines the layout of the land before you add air cacti or trinkets.
Now all you need to do is put it in a sunny spot and spray some water once in a while. Depending on the succulent’s needs, you may also need to water it once or twice a month.