USA Pottery Succulent Planter

It’s been fun crafting felt succulent gardens, so I thought I’d try creating a living succulent version to add a splash of summer to my home.

For my garden, I found a vintage USA pottery for my planter. I love the natural colored glazes and artful shapes of these sturdy little pots, and can find many examples of these in flea markets or antique shops in my area for under $10.

They come in many shapes and sizes, and some even have drainage holes if they were originally made for planting. It is important to have drainage for plants, especially succulents, so I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in each foot of my planter. To prevent soil from falling out, I covered the hole with a curved terracotta piece. (When one of my terracotta pots breaks, I keep some of the pieces for this purpose.) You could also use a little piece of screen.

To research a little bit about succulent planting and care information I turned to my trusty library and found a great book “Idiot’s Guide, Succulents.” Silly name, but simple instructions for anyone to understand and incorporate into their planting project. It has great tips such as letting the roots dry out a few days to harden before watering the planter for the first time. To avoid plant disease and pests from standing water, add a surface of pebbles to the top of the soil and don’t water onto the plant leaves, especially the centers of the rosettes. And soak the soil when watering, then let it dry out for a month before watering again (to mimic desert conditions.) It also talks about how to have the proper lighting – both natural and artificial, and a beautiful index of succulent types with inspirational photos of colorful crafty pot and plant combinations. All handy tips I hope will help my succulents live a longer life!

After the drainage is prepared, I added soil (potting soil for cactus and succulents) and three little succulent plants. I chose three types with contrasting colors and textures, with one larger plant for the middle. The middle plant is called a “Panda Plant” which is so fun with its fuzzy leaves.

After the plants were in their new home, I added some river rocks from the Dollar Tree (love it!) and even a couple shells for panache.

Tada! A pretty little garden to brighten my window sill.