17 Creative Succulent Bowl Ideas to Try Today

Succulents are available in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes and they are some of the easiest plants to take care of. If you are looking for ways to create a beautiful and out-of-the-box succulent bowl, keep reading this guide to creative succulent bowl ideas.

succulent bowl ideas

How Do You Make a Succulent Bowl?

To get started, you’ll need to choose a container. The most important thing is that it has some way for extra water to drain out. Succulents don’t like too much water, so you’ll need to either drill some holes in the bottom of the container or be really careful not to overwater them.

Some materials like concrete and clay help the extra water drain out naturally. You can also put a layer of charcoal at the bottom to help with drainage.

Next, you’ll need to get some soil. Succulents can grow in most types of soil as long as it drains well. If you can’t find well-draining soil near your home, you can buy a special succulent potting mix from a nursery or garden center.

wooden succulent bowl ideas

Now it’s time to start planting! Start in the middle of your bowl and plant your succulents one by one. Gently loosen up the roots if they’re clumped together.

Arranging the succulents is the fun part! If you’re not sure how to do it, try putting a tall or unique-looking succulent in the center. Then, plant medium-sized ones around it, mixing up the shapes and sizes.

For the outer edge of the bowl, you can plant succulents that trail over the sides. This will make your arrangement look really pretty and spill out of the bowl. One cool trailing succulent is called the “string of pearls.”

Making a succulent bowl is a relaxing and creative project. Give it a try and see how many different ways you can arrange your succulents!

Creative Succulent Bowl Ideas

One can experiment a lot with different shapes and sizes of containers for succulent bowls. Reusing and recycling containers from different parts of your home can help you create a unique and beautiful succulent bowl. Here are some creative succulent bowl ideas.

succulents in antique dough bowl
Succulents planted in an antique dough bowl. Pic credit to Garden Answer
colorful succulent bowl
Mix and match succulents of different sizes and colors for the perfect harmony!
outdoor succulent bowl
Succulent bowls outdoors are as decorative. Use a mix of outdoor succulents for a long-lasting arrangement.
succulents in metal bowl
A metal bowl is not a bad option at all!
succulents in stone bowl
Succulents in a stone bowl. Now this is out-of-the-box thinking!
bright succulents in bowls
We love the cheerful colors in these succulent bowls! And why stop at one if you can have.. four?
succulent glass bowl
You will never grow bored looking at succulents in glass bowls.
pink and blue succulents in bowl
These colors are to die for! Pic credit: The Happy Housie
mini succulent bowl
The thing about succulent bowls is that you can go as small…
large succulent bowl
…or as large as you want!
echeveria succulent bowl
An Echeveria-only succulent bowl for Echeveria lovers!
crowded succulent bowl
You can plant them as crowded…
succulents and cacti bowl
…or as far apart as you want!
hanging succulent bowl 1
You can also hang them, because why not?
tiered succulent bowl ideas 1
If one bowl is not enough, try two! Pic credit: California Cactus Centre
fruit bowl succulent tower
Or try making a tower of succulents with a fruit bowl! Pic credit: Succulent Cravings by Vic Villacorta
vintage enamelware succulent bowls
Vintage enamelware bowls make the best succulent bowl gardens. Pic credit: Whimsical Obsession

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to put rocks in the bottom of a planter?

No, you don’t need to put rocks in the bottom of a planter. It is a common myth that a layer of rocks at the bottom of a planter helps with drainage.

Since succulents require good drainage and are not tolerant towards excessive moisture, many people tend to use rocks at the bottom of the planter.

However, the layer of rocks at the bottom of a planter will lead to the creation of a heightened perched water table. This is a layer of the soil that is saturated in water and from which the moisture does not drain out.

Hence, putting rocks in the bottom of the planter will reduce the amount of soil and will raise the water level in the pot, making the roots more likely to become waterlogged.

Instead, an excellent way to improve drainage is to mix rocks and other materials throughout the soil to create pockets of air in the planter. Also, drill a hole at the bottom of the bowl for the excess water to drain out during irrigation.

Do succulents like to be crowded?

Succulents can grow faster if there is more space around the roots but they can survive just as well in a crowded space too.

If the succulent bowl is crowded, the succulents will be just as fine but they will not grow a lot. Hence, if the aim of the arrangement of your succulent bowl is to retain the look you created, then a crowded bowl is a better option.

If you want the succulents to grow, you can arrange them with spaces in between so that the gaps are filled up when the succulents increase in size.

How should I arrange my succulent plants?

You can experiment with the arrangement how you want! However, a commonly used formula is that of the thriller, filler and spiller.

In this kind of arrangement, you can start at the center with the tallest or most visually unique succulent plant you have. After that, work outwards with succulents that provide a contrast to the central plant in terms of colors and textures.

Finally, in the outer layers of the arrangement, use plants that can hang or trail out of the succulent bowl to create a look of fullness.

Succulent bowls can be a great decor piece for any part of your home. Creating succulent bowls is a simple and therapeutic activity that you can do on your own or with your loved ones. So go ahead and let your creative juices flow with these unique succulent bowl ideas!