If you’re anything like me, you have more projects pinned than you have days left on this planet. Slowly but surely, though, I’m trying to craft my way through my favorites. The cover of my Green Thumb Pinterest board is a selection of succulents planted in a vintage bar caddy. As luck would have it, I happened to have a vintage bar caddy of my own. And I have not been hosting any cocktail parties recently — and have been holding on to this bar set since college — so, it’s destined to be. No time like the present to start tackling one of my favorite pinned projects!
I’m a sucker for succulents. Anything that can give my home more of that Palm Springs feel? I am on board. These little low-maintenance beauties seemed like the perfect option for my new planter. Remember, you can plant succulents in any glass or mug — or even a champagne flute. So if you don’t find a vintage caddy, rummage through your cabinets or hit the thrift store to find something that calls your name.
Cups don’t have drainage holes (duh). So the first thing you want to do is add a good amount of gravel to the bottom of your cups for drainage. I used small aquarium gravel, but plain old pebbles or rocks from your yard will work, too.
Fill each cup about three-quarters of the way full. (I had a helper with a front-end loader filling my cups.)
Next, add some dirt — actually, add planting soil specially formulated for cactus and succulents.
Don’t go all the way to the top — you want to leave room for your plants.
Time for the fun part – adding your succulents. Be sure to select small plants that will fit into your cups. Some plants are so small you can add more than one to a vessel. Gently massage the roots of each plant before putting it into your cup.
You can leave the cups as is, or go back and add more gravel or moss on top. I stole back some gravel from my son’s dump truck and added it to the top of the glasses to give everything a more polished look.
The best part of succulents is that they don’t need a lot of maintenance. You’ll need to water your plants – but NOT TOO MUCH! Remember, you don’t have drain holes. When the soil feels dry or your plants look sad, give them a little water. They won’t need a lot.
Where you put your new fancy planter depends on what plants you used. I love the way the bar tray looks on my patio. The plants will get oodles of direct sun in the afternoon, so they will be fine and dandy on a shaded table.
P.S. This post originally appeared on BlogHer.
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