How to Build and Plant a Succulent Garden
Succulent Gardens are becoming more popular every day and for good reason! They are some of the easiest plants you can grow, indoors or out. Succulents come in more than 20,000 varieties, such as cacti, agave and aloe to name a few. They are also very easy to care for, requiring little water and almost no maintenance. Let me show you how to build and plant a succulent garden.
A succulent is defined as any plant that stores water in it’s leaves, stems or roots to survive dry spells. They are super easy to take care of since they require very little water. You can actually over water them easier than under water.
Let’s chat about how we created this cool Succulent Garden…
Succulent Garden Supply List
- Succulent Plants
- 4 inch PVC Pipe
- Spray Paint – Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Textured Finish
- Primer – spray paint
- Sand Paper
- Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm and Citrus Soil
- Pea Gravel or stones to cover the soil
- Hacksaw for cutting the pipe
Here are some more detailed instructions…
First you will need to cut the PVC Pipe into varying lengths using a hacksaw, I cut 1 – 14″, 2 – 12″ and 2 – 10″ in length. Cut the top edge at an angle for more visual interest.
Then sand the cut edges with sand paper, and give them a good coat of Primer. After the primer is dry, then apply the Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Textured Finish. After the pipes have dried 24 hours apply a clear matte top coat to protest the finish from moisture.
Now it’s time to prepare the area you are going to plant them. Loosen the soil and remove the soil from an area large enough to accommodate the pipes to a depth of 4 inches.
Next lay some pea gravel in the hole about 2 inches thick.
After the pipes have completely dried, set them into the pea gravel about 1 inch deep.
And then cover the pea gravel with soil.
Add some pea gravel to each pipe for drainage. Put enough in each pipe to come to about 6 inches from the top.
Then fill with Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm and Citrus Soil. This soil has spagnum moss and vermiculite for exceptional drainage.
Then it’s time to plant the Succulents. You can see exactly how I planted them on the video, just be sure to water them in well to get the soil to settle in around the roots. And then finish by dressing the top of the soil with a layer of pea gravel.
Succulent plants come in a wide range of colors and textures. We found all of these at The Home Depot.
We created this Indoor Succulent Garden for The Apron Blog. I love using unusual containers and Succulents are perfect plants to use because they don’t require a lot of soil.
Will these plants survive a winter in Minnesota?
Hi Barb, I would not expect for succulents to consistently survive through northern winters. I can envision that under certain conditions their chances would improve like continued deep snow cover. I would suggest transplanting them into a new container prior to the first frost and then you can enjoy them while you are huddled around the fireplace. then you can move them outside in the spring once the threat of frost has passed.
Did you put some type of sealant on the faux stone paint?
I used this spray paint on PVC pots last summer and it did not hold-up well. The spray paint can does not say it is not to be used in weather-exposed areas.
By the end of the season, the texture paint was falling off in chunks and I’ll have to scrap it off and redo them all to be able to reuse the pots. They look so bad and I’m so disappointed as I had spent quite a bit of time getting 10 large pots just the way I wanted them.
No Cori I did not use a sealant, although that sounds like a great idea. I did apply a primer for a base under the faux stone paint.
In the article it says use a clear Matt topcoat after you prime and apply the stone paint. So there was a coat over the stone paint read it again.
Yes
For those of you who want to move the PVC planters you could buy PVC Caps, drill a hole in the bottom.
Can aloe vera withstand the cold temps during the winter months if I plant outside in far west Texas? Or any of the succulents you show?
Hi Gail, I’m in Indiana, but I asked a Master Gardener in Texas, and this is her answer for you…” Aloe vera is best suited for pots in your climate. It is ideal for zones 10-11, but can survive in zone 9. Parts of West Texas are considered Zone 9a. Check this map for Zone hardiness: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/Maps.aspx Another site to check is Aggie Hort.: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu Just put your plant in the search box find out if it will survive in your zone. Overall, I think pots are your best bet for succulents in West Texas.”
Hope that helps!
~Liz
On the PVC pipe after you cut it did you put something on the bottom to hold everything in the tub?
If not what could I use to plug the bottom so if I want / need to move them nothing falls out.
Char B Yelm WA
Hi Char, we did not put anything in the pipe except the dirt. If you are planting directing into the ground that’s fine. Succulent plants don’t have a long root base. You could fill the bottom with rocks or a piece of wood with rocks on top. The most important thing is good drainage. We brought our plants in for the winter but planted them in a different house friendly container.
Hope that helps!
~Liz