Succulent bouquet with echeverias

Make a Bouquet of Succulents

When I need a hostess gift, thank-you present, or an arrangement for a special friend, I make a bouquet of succulents.

 

Create a bouquet of succulent cuttings

I start by selecting a coffee mug or glass container (usually a jar, thrift-store vase, or clear bottle), the size of which determines the size of the arrangement. Then I head into the garden with clippers. I cut a dozen or so succulent rosettes, and in 2 or 3 minutes per cutting, they're wired onto stems and ready to be arranged. Of course if the cuttings have long stems, you needn't wire them onto faux ones. But most succulent rosettes have short stems or none at all.

Shop for cuttings online (affiliate link).

Echeverias, graptosedums, crassulas and kalanchoes lend themselves beautifully to bouquets because of their colorful leaves and rosette shapes. They're easy to attach to faux stems, need no water (because they live off moisture in their leaves), look good for a long time, and can later be planted as cuttings.

Create a bouquet of succulent cuttings

Make a bouquet of succulent cuttings, materials: 

-- Garden clippers, wire cutters, and scissors.

-- A vase, mug, jar or some other holder. Height and size don't matter, but keep in mind that your bouquet should be at least half as tall as its container, and the taller the arrangement, the more succulents you'll need.

-- Assorted colorful succulent cuttings. In order for stems not to split when you wire them, they should be about the diameter of a chopstick but no thicker than your little finger (because thick tissue is tough to push a wire through).

-- 22-gauge florist's wire. I buy it in prepackaged, 18-inch lengths from a craft store. You'll need one length of wire for each rosette.

-- A roll of green florist's tape. This helps hold the wire in place and hides it, creating what looks like a real stem. (Wondering if you can simply use long-stemmed succulents? Yes, if you have them. You can certainly use the flowers of succulents, too!)

-- Bamboo skewers (sold at any supermarket) or floral picks. These are useful for strengthening and stabilizing the faux stem and holding the cutting upright. They're inflexible, so plan to cut some of the faux stems shorter to make a balanced arrangement. I usually wire a few lightweight cuttings without sticks to have some to bend outward.

-- Ballast to anchor stems. Their high moisture content makes succulent cuttings top-heavy when wired, so stems need to be held in place with sand, pea gravel, a floral frog or foam, crushed glass or---in a pinch---dried peas or beans (careful not to get them wet).

Make a bouquet of succulent cuttings, step by step:

  1. Cut wire in half and thread each 9-inch-long piece into the stem just below the lowest leaf. Wires should be at right angles to each other, so when you look down on the succulent, it'll look like a plus sign with a plant in the middle.
  2. Place a floral pick or bamboo skewer alongside the stem or, if it's wide enough, up through the middle.
  3. Fold wires downward so they encase the stem stub and skewer. All four wires should touch each other.
  4. Tear or cut off 8 or so inches of floral tape. Use your thumb to hold the top of the tape against the base of the succulent. With your other hand, gently stretch the tape. Twirl the rosette and stretch the tape as you wrap the stem. (It may take a few tries, but it's not difficult.)
  5. Use wire cutters to cut the stem to whatever length you want it to be.
  6. Add ballast to the container and insert the wired rosettes into it (with dried floral material if you like) until you have a pleasing bouquet.

Related info on this site:

Use Colored Sand for Succulent Bouquets  I like to display bouquets of succulent rosettes in clear glass containers filled with layers of sand. Practical as well as pretty, the sand lends color and interest, and serves as to anchor the stems so top-heavy rosettes don't tumble out. Succulent sand bouquets make [Continue reading]

12 Succulent Bouquets to Inspire You When wired onto faux stems, succulent rosettes—despite having no roots, soil or water—make long-lasting floral bouquets. [Continue reading] 

Succulent bouquet made by Debra Lee Baldwin for Craftsy

This bouquet is from my online Craftsy Class.

How to Make a Succulent Bouquet is one of seven sessions of my online Craftsy class, Stunning Succulent Arrangements.

 

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4 Comments

  1. RoseS on May 5, 2017 at 6:41 pm

    These are fabulous as always Dedra! Thank you so much for sharing. I want to make some arrangements & sell some for Mother’s Day locally just through the neighborhoods (to start) & these are terrific ideas. I wish I had as many as you do to choose from. I’m working on it…
    Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

    • Debra on May 5, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      You’re very welcome, Rose! Have fun!

  2. sue on May 8, 2017 at 7:56 am

    You have such a talent in design and your bouquets and designs are terrific!
    When I studied floral design at Cal Poly in the late 60’s, a cardinal rule of instructor/designer Bob Gordon’s was to “never let your mechanics show!” Nowadays attitudes are so much more casual it probably doesn’t matter; I prefer hidden mechanics still, but it’s just a personal preference.

    • Debra on May 8, 2017 at 10:37 am

      Thanks, Sue. I’m aware of the rule but thought that showing that the rosettes had faux stems made the bouquet more interesting. But now I think that anything that fills the container that isn’t water would have the same effect, and doubtless would look better!

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