succulant wall art...

since the fireman and i have been "building" our little nest, over the past year, we have been meshing our two (self-proclaimed) styles together: industrial & vintage. and so far... i think we're doing a pretty good job! we finally bought a cool white textured couch we both love, a funky mustard geometric-printed rug (that i found in the salvage area at ikea), and have our 60's-mod coffee table that his dad refinished in a beautiful hickory brown. the only thing that our humble abode is missing, is a bright piece of art for our empty living-room wall. and i am so happy to say that... i think we may have found the missing piece to our little puzzle! (& yes, our living room gets great sunlight!)

**even the fireman said, "wow! that wall-thing is really cool!"

succulent. wall. art.

I N S P I R A T I O N & P I C T U R E S:

by Flora Grubb Gardens & Sunset Magazine

{all the beautiful shades of green would make any space amazing. i adore this idea.}

{here are a few examples of the wall art}

{these succulents are very very cool. i love how pre-historic they look!}

{phtotos & wall art by Flora Grubb}

H O W  T O : by Sunset Magazine

1. Purchase a vertical garden frame below or build one yourself:

+Buy a frame here: Robin Stockwell's Succulent Gardens in Castroville, CA. $35 for a 6"x 12" frame

or Flora Grubb Gardens in San Fransisco, CA. $79 for a 20"x 20" frame

+To build your own frame, see "how-to" here

2. Gather your cuttings:

+Break up the small "pups" from succulents you already have growing in your garden (the stems should be at least 1/4" long)

+Set the cuttings aside in a cool area for a days to allow their stem ends to dry and callus over (you'll want about 60 for a 6"x 12" frame)

3. Add Soil:

+Set the fame mesh side up on a flat surface and fill it w. moist cactus mix; 

working the mix through the mesh w. your fingers.

(The mesh and a wood backing holds the soil in place)

 

4. Plant your cuttings (!):

+Poke the cuttings' stem ends through the mesh and into the soil. Leave the frame lying flat in a cool, bright location while plants take root (about 7 to 10 days after planting), then begin watering.

5. Hang your new (fabulous) Wall Art:

+Once plants are securely rooted (this takes between 4 and 12 weeks) display the frames upright in an area that gets morning or filtered sun.

+Water as soil approaches dryness (about every 7 to 10 days), remove frame from the wall, lay flat, water lightly, and let soil drain before hanging up again.

{photos by Thomas J. Story, Julie Chai}

***check out Flora Grubb Garden's for more gardening inspiration.... here (!)

PS: the next time the fireman & i are going to buy flowers for "the moms"... we are definitely getting them this awesome succulent-art-package instead. what a great gift!!!