How to Make Beautiful Succulent Wall Gardens

Succulents are versatile and low-maintenance plants that can add freshness and brightness to any space. Why limit yourself to hanging art on your walls when you can decorate your walls with succulents? We’ve put together this simple guide to help you create your own unique succulent wall gardens.

How Do You Grow Succulents on the Wall?

Growing succulents on the wall might seem complicated but it is quite a simple process once you know how to do it.

The first step to making a succulent wall garden is to find a base. The most suitable option for creating a succulent wall garden is a shadow box.

Shadow boxes are frames that are traditionally used to display objects. They have more depth than regular frames. They get their name from the dramatic shadows created by the different heights of the things presented inside.

You can buy a shadow box or if you are operating on a budget, you can make one yourself with a regular frame and some plywood.

Since the frame will be made of wood and you will need to water the plants you put in it, you need to make sure that the wood doesn’t get damp. For this, you need to use a sheet of plastic and wrap it around the inner surface of the frame.

A hot glue gun can be used to stick the plastic sheet onto the box. This will keep the frame dry.

After that, the box needs to be filled with a suitable planting medium. A good option for this is Spaghnum moss which retains a lot of moisture.

Since watering the garden will require you to take it off the wall, using moss as the medium will ensure that you have to do it only once a month.

Another great option is to use a succulent potting mix. These are mixtures explicitly made to cater to the needs of succulent plants. They are usually made of potting soil, which is mixed with sand, poultry grit and perlite or pumice.

Poultry grit refers to crushed rocks, while perlite and pumice are volcanic rocks. All of these components help to improve the drainage of the soil.

After filling the frame with the soil, use a wire mesh to keep it in place. You can use any wire mesh available but if the holes are too small, you might have to cut out spaces for planting the succulents.

Wire mesh can be found for cheap or for free from hardware stores since they often have extra pieces leftover from different projects. The wire can be attached to the frame using a staple gun.

After the frame has been prepared, the next step is to plant the succulents. You can either plant whole succulent plants or use cuttings of the plant.

The key while creating a succulent wall garden is to choose the right types of succulent plants which will remain at a small height, such as Pachyphytum or Kalanchoe tomentosa. You can experiment with shapes and colors to make the wall garden look visually attractive.

To make succulent cuttings, cut out a branch and remove leaves from the lower one to two inches so that there is a bare stem. This part of the stem will grow roots once planted in the soil. The cuttings need to be made one day in advance before planting them.

If you are using whole plants, then make sure to prune and loosen up the roots so that they can grow properly once planted.

Use your fingers to create holes in the soil. Next, plant the succulent or the cutting and then pat the soil back into place.

Water the frame and then wait one or two days before mounting it so that the roots can get a firm hold of the soil and don’t fall out.

How Do You Maintain a Succulent Wall?

The succulent wall garden needs to be placed in an area that receives enough sunlight since succulents need lots of light. However, direct and harsh sunlight can damage the leaves. Hence, make sure to protect the succulent wall from intense sunlight, especially in the afternoon.

Succulents can go for long periods of time without water but it is essential to ensure that they are not overwatered since that can lead to waterlogging of the roots.

Water the wall garden about once a month by taking it off of the wall. Pay attention in between watering sessions to see if the soil is starting to dry up or if the leaves are starting to feel soft to the touch.

Use a spray bottle to mist the succulent wall garden with water in between watering.

Read also:
How often to water succulents?

Succulent Wall Gardens Ideas

Here are some unique succulent wall garden ideas to spice up your decor.

Hearts and Stars

One great way to get creative with your succulent wall garden is to experiment with the shape of the frame. Use shapes such as hearts and stars to create charming and lovely little succulent wall gardens.

Old Watch

Use an old wall clock to create a quirky succulent wall garden. Depending on the design of the clock, you can make different kinds of aesthetics for your succulent wall garden.

All you need to do is remove the interiors of the clock with a little bit of handiwork and use the frame to create the garden.

Stencils

Instead of a shadow box, you can use a wooden box to create your succulent wall garden. Cut out a stencil in a shape of your choice on the outer side of the box to create a unique succulent wall garden.

You can experiment with the shape of the stencil and go for something creative like the shape of a cactus. The succulents will pop out of the stencil to form a cactus made of succulents!

Boxes

You can mount wooden boxes onto your wall so that you can get more freedom to plant succulents of different heights and sizes. You can use containers of various sizes to fill up a wall and create visually exciting arrangements.

Distressed Wood

You can use reclaimed driftwood to add a down-to-earth and rustic visual appeal to your succulent wall garden. While keeping the design of the frame simple, just using different qualities and textures of wood can add a flair to your succulent wall garden.

Succulent wall gardens are an excellent way to add a fresh and natural touch to your home decor. Succulent wall gardens are simple to create and extremely easy to take care of. Different shapes and sizes of frames can help you experiment with the arrangement of your succulent wall garden.