Succulent Wall Making: Step-by-Step Guide

Succulents are the go-to plants for all people who want to add a spark of fresh green life to their homes without much effort. As we know, succulents grow very well in pots, self-watering planters, and even hanging terrariums. But, how about building a succulent wall? Instead of framing a picture, why not frame an entire garden? When it comes to succulent wall art, the sky is the limit!

You may want to create an accent wall in your living room or add color and interest to a wall in any room of your home and office. Nothing works better than a succulent wall décor! Today, we will see the steps you need to take to make your own succulent wall and create an original vertical garden!

The succulent wall planter is the first item you need to create your amazing succulent wall. It is a vertical container in the shape of a picture frame or a grid. As you probably know from our guide on how to grow and care for succulents and cacti, succulents fare the best in planters that at least 4 inches deep. Succulents do not mind overcrowding.

For this reason, a succulent wall planter – either you buy it or make it yourself at home – is an excellent way to display a living artwork! However, when you get your succulent wall planter, remember that the larger it is, the heavier your succulent wall art will become.

Depending on the type of wall planter you choose, you can create a wall of succulents, air plants, small indoor plants, and all types of ornamentals you consider for your vertical garden design ideas.

Succulent Wall Planters to Consider

For your convenience, we decided to share with you what we consider to be some of the best succulent wall planters and vertical living wall hangers so you can start your succulent wall in style! You can choose a classic mesh frame for your succulent wall, a wall planter with pockets, a modern wall vase to display a couple of your most beautiful flowering succulents, and more. Of course, you can build your own frame and box, but we will figure that one out in a couple of moments!

In case you do not want to buy a planter but want to make your succulent frame box all by yourself, it is time to see how to build one!

When you want to build a DIY succulent wall, we will list some of the materials and tools you need. You will find most of them around your house, as we should all have at least a couple of essential gardening and home tools around, at the local bricolage store, or online.

The list contains a series of items that you need to use, depending on how you want the frame to look and function. Remember that it is not mandatory to use all of them. You should also know that you can replace some items with others, according to your needs.

Materials and Tools

• One picture frame (the bigger it is, the heavier the result will be, so choose carefully);
• Wood saw;
• Gardening scissors;
• Common board;
• Plywood;
• Greenhouse shading material / alternatively, you can use weed barrier or landscape fabric;
• Landscaping plastic;
• Wire mesh;
• Hot glue gun / alternatively, you can use a drill and wood screws if the resulting succulent wall art will be heavy and you need it to be safer with screws than with glue.
• Staple gun;
• 1 bag of sphagnum moss – the one used for lining baskets;
  
• 1 bag of succulent potting soil;

Now, let’s see a short video guide on how to make a succulent wall at home!

How to Make a Succulent Wall at Home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUn_JNGlKvI

Experts say that Sempervivums are the best types of succulents to display on your vertical garden frame. However, succulents come in exquisite varieties, colors, sizes, and styles. You may want to host a diversity of flowering succulents or mix them to create patterns and contrasts. Here are some basic rules to follow when you choose the plants for your project:

• Pick succulent varieties on the small tip of the scale, as you don’t want some to go too far out of your display;
• If you choose diverse succulents, pick ones that you know will grow about the same size, even if we encourage some variations in growth for interest and a “wilder look” of your resulting wall artwork;
• Play with flowering succulents‘ colors, shapes, and contrasts as much as you like; the idea here is to create a unique piece of living art, so artistic licenses are welcome.

Now that you bought your frame or built your succulent wall, it is time to assemble your vertical succulent garden! Here are some tips and steps to take!

1. Consider that you are about to propagate succulents from cuttings, so follow all the steps necessary to gather the stems and prepare them for plantation in the succulent wall garden. Alternatively, you can grow succulents from seeds directly in the “wall art,” but it will take some time, effort, patience, and errors for the unseasoned gardeners.

2. Put the frame on a table or a flat surface and add the succulent-friendly or even cactus friendly potting soil, spreading it through the mesh with your fingers in an even layer. The mesh and the wood back will keep the soil in place.

3. Place each cutting stem end through each mesh hole gently, so the cuttings reach the soil, allowing them to grow roots.

4. Start watering the planted cuttings through the mesh after a week or depending on the succulent type you chose for your wall. Check out our guide on how to propagate succulents to get a better grasp of how and when to water freshly potted succulent pups.

5. Once you made sure your succulents took robust roots, take the planter from the table and hang it securely on the wall. Make sure the area receives enough filtered sunlight. For more information, check out our guide on how to care for succulents and cacti so you learn more about these plants’ light requirements.

As you know, succulents are drought-tolerant plants that grow very well in the absence of water. It does not mean you can forget about your living wall. Here are some maintenance tips you should consider:

• Let the soil dry before you water your plants. Allow about 7 to 10 days to pass in between waterings or irrigate the succulents depending on their type and particular needs;
• Remove the frame from the wall when you want to water the plants. Place the frame on a flat surface, water the succulents, and let the soil drain before you hang the picture on the wall again.
• If you don’t want to remove the heavy succulent wall art from the wall, mist the succulents every few days.

Building a succulent wall from scratch is a nice and challenging DIY project, involving both your carpentry and gardening skills. If you are a beginner to growing succulents, you might have the misfortune of your plants to wither, turn yellow, lose leaves, and show signs of dying. It is not the end of the world. Check out our guide on how to restore succulents and keep taking care of them until your beautiful wall living decoration reaches stability.

Now it is your time to talk to us! Did you ever create a succulent wall? Do you like vertical gardens? What other ideas do you have to design an indoor garden for a small space?

Let us know in the comment section below what you think about succulent walls! If you have more tips and suggestions for our community members, feel free to share them in the comment section below!