Fun With Succulents: Fairy Gardens and Terrariums

Succulents are a group of plants that store water in their leaves, roots, and stems.  Cacti are included in this group, but not all succulents are cacti.  They can also come in the form of  "air plants."  Air plants can survive with no soil contact.  My air plant does well sitting inside of a seashell. 

Succulents are quite easy to care for, because they store water.  Over watering can kill them.  They should be watered once a week to once every 2 weeks from spring until fall.  They should be left dry during winter.  They like bright, indirect sun.  They can get sunburned if they are left in a spot that has sun that is too hot.   Here are some more care tips for them.  I water my air plant once per week, by soaking it in a cup of water for about 1 hour.  

Because they are such hardy plants, they can be planted in a variety of creative ways.  They are excellent for terrariums and planting in non-traditional containers. 

I planted one group of my succulents in an old bird bath.  They require well-draining soil, that is designed for cactus plants.  I also add a layer of sand and river rocks in the bottom of the pot, before adding the soil.  This helps with drainage!   You can also add some rocks/shells to the top of the soil like I did.  This just adds some visual texture.  

My plant called "baby's necklace" looks cute in its little pot, that I set inside of this decorative wooden block. 

Now for the FUN part!  The fairy garden...

I planted my succulents with some live moss for this project.  I got the moss out of my back yard.  I planted them on opposite sides of the container, because the moss will require more water than the succulents.  I use a spray bottle to mist the moss daily.  

I planted it the same as the bird bath (with sand and rocks under the cactus soil).  Just arrange the plants how you like them and add your miniatures.  You can plant in a fish bowl (like me), pots, jars, etc.  Just make sure humidity and moisture does not build up in an enclosed container.  I plan to do a mini terrarium with an air plant inside of a light bulb too.  

I am going to attempt making a small fairy cottage out of modeling clay and I want to order some tiny fairies online.  I do hope to make more fairy gardens in the future.  I plan to attend a workshop for them in June.  I will share my new creations as they happen!    

Here is a site for ordering succulents, if you can't find a store near you that sells them. There are several people who make minis for fairy gardens and sell air plants on etsy.com.