Last week on CasaSugar I saw some fun centerpieces. These were intended for a wedding setting but I thought I could make them work on our dining room table. A few vases clustered together seemed like a low maintenance idea. Bring on a pinterest challenge!
I went to the local garden store and picked out a few succulents and then I was off to find some decorative stones. The store didn’t have the stones I was imagining but they did have desert sand. After reading the back of the package I learned that you can’t plant the succulents in the sand and that they need potting soil. Maybe that is common sense? I always thought cacti grew in sand…forgive me, but we are in New England so there are no cacti here. We decided to take them home and put the sand around the pots that the plants were already in. That would be a good solution, right? Um.. not if the pots don’t fit into the vases!
I was laughing at myself at this point because I had brought a measuring tape to the garden store to make sure the plants would fit into the vases. I didn’t even think to measure again when we decided that the plants would have to stay in the pots.
I decided that the smaller of the two plants would have to come out of its pot and I’d just risk losing the plant. Then the next challenged surfaced when I started to pour the sand into the vase the plant was catching all of the sand.
So, I used a little tin foil to stop the sand from catching in the leaves.
I think the end result seems quite charming.
Let’s hope these two test plants manage to survive. If the project is a success I will buy some more succulents. The store had so many more fun varieties! Have you ever grown succulents? Any tips on keeping them healthy? Let me know!
Check out all these other great pinterest projects at younghouselove !!
These look GREAT! I love them. And great tips, too, so I can make my own.
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I love the look of succulents, and they seem even more special in vases. These look great!
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I love the result!
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Looks great! Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from a bowl full of lemons.
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Wow, I recently did something just like this. Except the potting soil shows and there are rocks below the soil. So far, so good! I like the look of the sand in yours.
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Love your execution of this! I have a bunch of cacti and have been looking for an interesting way to display them. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Your succulent display looks really modern and upscale! Great idea.
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I love it. What a creative idea and they look fabulous. Thanks for the tutorial. Thanks also for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty
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I have mine in pebbles but I’m new to succulents so I’m curious to see how yours will do. I like your problem solving! Visiting from Beth’s Tutes and Tips. 🙂
Heidi @ Show Some Decor
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I’ll have to post an update soon… they are both doing well but the one without a pot made the sand all yucky. It’s not very pretty to look at.
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Very cute! I should do this with the many many glass vases i have stored in our garage!
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Can I ask you how they worked out long term? I want to replant my succulents that have been doing well in cactus soil into sand, but wondering if its practical long term? Did you have to take the succulents out of the sand for watering? Thanks for any updates!
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Hi Mandy,
The larger catcus is doing great. I over-watered the small one and it died. You can’t re-pot into sand as the succulents do need soil for nutrients. You’ll need to fill the sand in around the dirt just for looks. And so the dirt doesn’t bleed into the sand it’s easiest to keep the plant in a pot of dirt and fill around the pot with sand. I put a few drops of water directly on him every couple of months so I don’t mess up the sand and it drains right into the pot. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions! -E
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