Love creating succulent crafts? Then you’ll LOVE making these succulent Christmas Trees! They do take a bit of time and a LOT of succulents, but it’s so worth it! I was able to get a lot of succulent pups from my own backyard, so the cost of succulents was $0 for me. If you don’t have your own, check Facebook Succulent Groups as there are often many freebies offered up. A variety of plant sizes work best as you will want to put the smaller ones on top and build down to larger sizes towards the bottom. Succulents that lay flat are also easier to work with and try to make sure they have at least an inch long stem. Succulents that are spiky may not sit as well.
I used small 9″ frames, but there are Christmas Tree frames as big as 24″ or 36″ inches on Amazon. I also purchased some peat moss on Amazon (sold in bags & free Prime Shipping) and it was a great base to stuff inside the cone for the succulents inside the frame. Soak moss in a bucket with some water and carefully stuff each cone frame. Using the gardener’s groundcover fabric, wrap around the frame like a burrito, and then secure using a hot glue gun.
Using a round piece of planters foam, plug up the bottom. If you don’t have foam, you can hot glue some gardeners fabric on the bottom to keep the peat moss in side. Or, you can just have the whole thing uncovered and place it on top of a waterproof plate or disc to keep everything contained.
Using a sharp tool about the size of a pencil (a screwdriver works well), puncture holes in the fabric where you want to insert a succulent. Poke, pop in a succulent stem and keep filling the tree. Try to keep the spacing tight so the fabric doesn’t show. The succulents WILL grow however if you keep it watered, so they will fill in over time.
I popped in all of my succulents very carefully and then used a little hot glue to secure some of the floppy succulent leaves sticking out, or help position the larger plants in place. As long as the glue is not blocking the stem, then the plant will be fine. If you’re a purist, you don’t have to use hot glue – but I am addicted to using glue to make sure everything is in place!
I did try to mix up the variety of plants so I had some reds in my creation. The more colors, the better!
Take your succulent tree outside once a week and mist it with water. If you live in a temperate environment, you can leave it out overnight or during the day in the shade for a few hours.
The succulent tree should keep its shape and look all the way through the holiday season! These make gorgeous gifts or beautiful centerpieces. Happy crafting!
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
Take your succulent tree outside and mist it heavily twice a week to soak through to the layer below. After the holidays, you may take it apart and replant your succulents.
