DIY Faux Succulent Planter | Tutorial + Giveaway!
Succulents are one of my favorite plants to “go faux” with. Their naturally waxy leaves make the faux versions pretty darn convincing! You can make your own faux succulent garden using any size or shape vessel you like with this simple tutorial. I used a cool ceramic pot I found at the thrift store, but you could use anything! An antique tea cup, a brass trophy, a small galvanized bucket or (since faux plants don’t need watering) even non-traditional vessels like an old globe or a woven basket. Read on to learn how to make your own DIY faux succulent planter.
What You’ll Need
faux succulent stems in assorted sizes
vessel of your choice
floral foam
serrated knife or floral foam cutting tools
preserved moss
U-pins (also called greening pins)
wire cutters
hot glue gun
Step 1: Cut your foam to fit your vessel and hot glue into place. The foam needs to fit securely, but it doesn’t have to be perfectly cut. It’s okay to have small gaps around the edge, because they will get covered up in the next step! As you can see, my vessel (a ceramic pot I thrifted!) is a hexagon that flares out from the bottom to the top. I simply cut the corners off the square foam block to create a chamfered edge that fit tightly into my pot. Next, I placed the foam loosely into the vessel and used my serrated knife to score a line across the top where I wanted to trim the foam the the correct height. I cut the foam to be a bit lower in height than the lip of the pot, then hot glued into place.
Step 2: Cover the foam with preserved moss. U-pins, or greening pins are a great tool for securing moss that isn’t as messy as hot glue - plus you won’t burn your fingers! I placed a layer of preserved moss across the top of the pot, then used my knife to tuck in the loose edges. The moss hides the foam and creates a good base layer for inserting your succulent stems into.
Step 3: Place your largest faux succulents. I started with my tallest stem, placing that towards the middle, just off center. Then I chose one of my larger succulents to be the focal point of the front - a good arrangement should look nice from all sides but I definitely design my home decor arrangements with a “front view” in mind. I used my two other larger succulents to create a triangle with the first one. Triangles are a great way to create balance when you’re making an asymmetrical arrangement like this one!
Step 4: Fill in the empty spaces with smaller succulents. This part is pretty self-explanatory but between the large succulents, I added smaller succulents. There are a couple spots where there is empty space, but that’s what the preserved moss is for! You can’t see the foam and the green moss blends with the green succulents so the arrangement looks polished and complete.
For more simple tutorials & DIY decor inspiration, check out my book Modern Faux Flower Projects releasing 8/11/20!
Step 5: Style your new arrangement on a tabletop or shelf and you’re done! I added my DIY planter to the shelves in my living room. I love how the little pops of orange at the bottom of the pot tie in the with terracotta tones in the art and book collection.
Disclosure: This post is not sponsored, but some of the materials for this project were gifted to me by FloraCraft. They also gifted me extra to share with 3 of you! See below for details.
Giveaway!
If you would like to win the supplies to make your own DIY faux succulent planter (with any pot or vessel of your choosing!), good news! The stems I used along with foam and cutting tools from FloraCraft are a part of the grand prizes for the Modern Faux Flower Projects pre-sale giveaway! If you pre-order my book and submit a valid order number on the entry page, here, you will be entered to win of of three grand prizes including everything you see below plus more! Click the button below for details.
