Succulents are gaining popularity in place of traditional flower bouquets for obvious reasons. They have relatively thick, fleshy leaves and come in different beautiful colors. Moreover, these plants can survive with minimal water for several weeks, meaning you can make a bouquet in advance, and after your event, you can replant them.
So, how can you create a stunning bouquet using succulents? The first thing is to choose the variety of succulents you want in your bouquet. Next, remove your succulents from their pots and shake off any soil on them. Create succulent stems by running a wire through them. Reinforce this stem using more wire. Then, wrap a floral tape around this wire, winding it from the top to the base. Arrange these succulent stems into a bouquet until you achieve your desired size. Lastly, wrap a ribbon or fabric around the stems for a beautiful finish, securing the wrap with floral pins.
In this post, we will provide a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make a succulent bouquet. Read on to learn.
Benefits of a Succulent Bouquet
Succulents are one of the best plants to have at home since they require minimum maintenance to thrive. These desert species have fleshy, colorful leaves and stems that can survive without water for days.
They rely on water stored in the leaves to survive. They do not wilt unless you neglect them for too long.
Making a succulent bouquet for your birthday, wedding, or other event using common succulents like Echeveria, Sedum, and Pachyveria can significantly cut costs.
You won’t need to worry about the extra expense of preserving a succulent bouquet. Additionally, you can make a lasting memory of your succulent bouquet by replanting it in the garden.
How to Make a Beautiful Succulent Bouquet
Choose your flowers
Succulents require less water, so the bouquet you create might not work well in a vase at home. Instead, those used for occasions, like bridal bouquets, would be better.
Some flowers that can make a stunning succulent bouquet include:
- Graptopetalum Bella: This succulent has beautiful pink flowers that add character to the bouquet.
- Echeveria: There are many varieties and sizes to choose from. Echeveria has stunning rosette formations, which make them a great centerpiece for a succulent bouquet.
- String of Pearls: These succulents add an accent to the bouquet, making it bigger without destroying the flowers’ beauty at the top.
- Allysum: These are small filler flowers that you can use to cover any gaps within the bouquet.
- Kalanchoe: This succulent has tiny, colorful flowers, which make it a great choice for filling gaps in the bouquet.
Put together the right materials
After choosing the flowers, it is time to assemble them into a bouquet. You will need a few more materials for this, including:
Flower shears
You need these for cutting the stems to the preferred sizes within the bouquet.
Satin ribbon
Pick two ribbons of different thickness and color. You can choose the colors based on the color of your bouquet succulents.
Floral wire and tape
You need a wire to strengthen your succulents’ stems within the bouquet. A wire also helps keep the flowers secure as you can manipulate them easily. You can then use floral tape to cover the stems.
Pins
These are for securing the ribbon when ready to place it around the stem.
Create Your Succulent Bouquet
Once you have your tools, you can start creating your succulent bouquet. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this.
Step 1: Get your succulents
Remove your succulents from their pots and shake off any soil on them. Use the flower shears to chop off their roots and trim the ends.
Step 2: Create succulent stems
Slowly find the stem of each succulent and run a wire through it. A succulent can break at the stem if you are not careful.
Stick the wire through the thick part of the stem right under the leaves or flowers. Pull it until both sides are even, and the wire reaches halfway down the stem.
Winding a wire around the stem supports you and allows you more control when arranging them.
Step 3: Reinforce the stem
Wiring alone is not enough for some succulents because the stem can break at the wire or above it.
So, consider driving a wire diagonally through the head of the succulent and down the step or along the side to prevent breaking.
After wiring the bottom of the succulent, secure the stem by folding another wire into a loop and running it against the base (stem) of the succulent.
Wrap the unlooped part of the wire around the succulent stem and twist it down the floral wire.
Step 4: Wrap floral tape around the wire stem
Start from the topmost part of the stem and go down to the end of the wire. Use your thumb to secure the floral tape, then pull the tape and wind it around the succulent.
You must pull the tape tight as you wrap so it can stick well. Taping can be a challenge, and you may be tempted to ditch the floral tape and use duct tape but resist this urge.
You will love the finished product.
Step 5: Arrange your flowers into a bouquet
When your succulent stems are ready, arrange them into a bouquet, starting from the center. Arrange your biggest or centerpiece flowers first, then fill in the rest.
Once you have a base, about half a bouquet, wrap it with wire and tape to keep it together.
Again, do not use duct tape.
Step 6: Finish arranging
Continue arranging the flowers until you get your desired bouquet size.
Wrap the stems with tape for every succulent or flower you add to the bouquet. You can use Alyssum or Kalanchoe around the base of the bouquet to hide any open spaces.
If the stems are longer than your preferred length or are uneven, trim them using the flower shears. However, leave a few inches at the base to place the bouquet in water.
Step 7: Wrap the ribbon
Lastly, wrap a satin ribbon, using pins to hold it in place. Continue wrapping until you reach the base of the stems.
Secure the wrap with floral pins. Ensure that the sharp points of the pins do not poke out to avoid hurting yourself.
And voila, you just made your first succulent bouquet.
Why Succulent Bouquets Are Becoming More Popular
People are leaning more toward succulent bouquets over traditional ones because of their attractive colors, structure, and brilliant contrast of textures.
With succulents, you can change what you would traditionally consider a beautiful bouquet into a sculptural masterpiece. You only need to use different sizes and shapes for a unique outcome.
Another thing, succulent bouquets are long-lasting. Succulents grow by propagation; you only need a single leaf for this.
That means you can use your succulent bouquet to make a whole garden.
Lastly, succulent bouquets are inexpensive. Common succulents cost way less than exotic flowers. You can get a stunning bouquet for as little as $50.
How Long Will Succulents Survive in a Bouquet?
Succulents enjoy a warm, bright environment. Succulents will continue to glow for over a week under the ideal conditions, even when the stems have been trimmed.
When cutting flowers from different succulent species, always use clean tools that won’t break the stem.
Do not place your succulent bouquet in the refrigerator while trying to keep it fresh. The sudden temperature change will damage them.
Making Your Succulent Bouquet Last Forever
Remove the wrapped ribbon and cut the floral tape to see the stems and wires holding the succulents together.
Remove the stems and wires carefully without harming the succulents. Separate the succulents from other flowers you may have included in your bouquet, such as the string of pearls or alyssum.
Check around the succulent’s base and prune any dead leaves. This will stimulate the plants to develop new roots and prevent them from rotting.
Allow the succulents to dry for two to three days until the raw ends harden.
Prepare your growing space using a well-draining succulent or cactus mix. If you are planting in a garden, choose a shady spot and prepare it using sandy soil.
Water your succulents once a week until roots start to show. You can decorate your succulent pots with ash, lava rock, or bone as they grow.
Put the hardened stem slightly above the water surface in a glass if you use air plants. They enjoy sunlight, so place them under bright light as the roots sprout to reach the water.
Tip: Succulents have short stems, so use a fake stem to compensate for this. You can achieve this with floral wire and tape. The weight of the succulent will determine how much you use. Generally, use more tape and wire for bigger succulents.
Final Words
Making a succulent bouquet will hopefully bring you joy and make the person receiving it thrilled. You also know that you are conserving the environment by creating something sustainable and will make the atmosphere around you cleaner. Above everything else, you have fun doing it.
Last update on 2023-10-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
