Make It: Neon Succulent Garden
Succulents have become some of my favorite plants, especially because they are so easy to care for. I have a couple window boxes full of succulents that had started to overflow so I removed a few of the pants to re-pot. I took the plants along with the roots as they were easy enough to dig out, but you can also plant clippings easy enough.
Inspired by the current neon trend, I headed over to my local pet/aquarium shop for some neon pebbles. You can purchase all of the supplies at your local super store in the pet section but you might want to try a specialized aquarium shop for a better pebble selection. I had my heart set on neon pink and yellow but you can use any color combination you like.
Supplies:
Clear glass bowl or vase
Activated charcoal (optional)
Small aquarium pebbles in 2-3 different colors
Cactus soil
Succulent plants (with roots) or clippings
Start by putting 1-2 inches of pebbles in the bottom of the bowl for drainage (succulents like dry environments so you don’t want the soil to be too moist). Add an optional layer of activated charcoal, which also helps with moisture control. I choose to add the charcoal because I had it on hand but you only need it if you are making an enclosed terrarium in a covered container. Keep the charcoal towards the middle of the container so that it won’t be seen from the sides.
Add an inch or two of cactus/ succulent soil and plant your succulents or clippings (not too close to the edge or each other), leaving space for them to grow. Add more soil until the soil is at least 2 inches high and the roots/clipping are submerged securely in the dirt. See http://www.ehow.com/how_6708598_plant-succulent-cuttings.html for more info on how to take and plant clippings from your succulents.
Now add a layer of pebbles around the edge of the soil so they can be see through the sides of the container. Add one more layer of contrasting pebbles (or two if you have room).
You can also try layering natural pebbles with neon ones to achieve that trendy neon + nude color combination.
Your succulent garden will do best outdoors or in a sunny room. Water your succulents a small amount once per week in hot weather (just enough to moisten the soil under the rocks). In the Winter, you can get away with watering only once every two week or so.
