How To: Make a Living Wreath

Of all the container gardens one can choose for succulents, the succulent living wreath is perhaps the most beautiful. It may take a little time to create one of these, but when you are finished, you will have a living work of art. Depending on the size of the wreath, it can contain 100 or more plants. These succulent wreaths can be hung on a sunny door, on the side of a house or on a garden gate or fence.

Succulents are water conserving plants that store water in their leaves and grow in arid climates where temperatures are usually very hot and there is very little water. This wreath is alive, so with proper care, you can enjoy this wreath for a long time. Proper care generally means lots of sun and a minimum amount of water (three to four weeks), depending on temperature and amount of sun. In central North Carolina, the normal rain fall should be sufficient. If your wreath is not located where rain can reach it, you will need to hand water it.

Steps in Making a Living Wreath

1. Choose a Wreath Frame - You can do one of two things:

A. Purchase one already assembled. This can be accomplished by visiting a local florist or ordering one on the internet. A good source is Topiary Art Works. They have an excellent supply of moss frames in all sizes and will mail it to you within a couple of days.

B. Construct your own moss frame. The supplies needed for this are: wire frame, paddle wire, sphagnum moss, potting soil, time-released fertilizer such as Osmocote (frame and wire can be purchased at a craft store like A.C. Moore or Michaels). Line the bottom and side of the frame with moss (flat side down). Pour potting soil onto the moss along with prescribed amount of fertilizer. Cover and pack moss over the soil and sides of the frame. Using a paddle wire, wrap around the frame, enclosing the moss around the frame leaving only an inch between the wrapped wire. Completely circle the frame two times. Tie off the end of the wire and attach it to the frame.

2. Decide the design of your wreath, i.e., color combination of plants, plant sequence, etc. Recommended succulents are: jade, hen and chicks, rosette forming crassula. These succulents come in various shades of green, pink, burgundy and silver. Fairview has a wonderful selection of these succulents.

3. Prepare succulent cuttings by taking pieces of established plants a few days prior to building your wreath. Cuttings should be at least three inches long. Allow them to dry for a few days in order to form a scab on the cut end.

4. Using a pen, awl or other pointed tool, poke a hole in the moss large enough to accommodate a succulent rooting.

5. Dip the cut end of the succulent cutting into a rooting hormone.

6. Insert the cuttings into the moss. Repeat this process until you have completed the wreath. You want your plants to grow together, however you should allow enough space so that they have room to grow and form according to the characteristic of the plant. A 13” wreath can have as many as fifty or more rootings.

7. Soak the wreath in a bucket of water until it is totally wet. Lay flat and do this once per week for several weeks until cuttings are established. For large wreaths, a trash can lid works very well. Use liquid fertilizer after about three months. Hang in full sun.

Happy Gardening!
Shirl K.
Fairview Greenhouses and Garden Center