I really wanted to make a succulent Valentine wreath this year, but I could not find a grapevine heart wreath base that appealed to me. I wanted the woodsy look of the grapevine because it pairs beautifully with succulents and nicely brings the look of winter turning into spring that I wanted for Valentine’s Day. It also looks great with just a few succulents, rather than needing 200+ cuttings to fill a lush moss wreath. So – I knew what I wanted, but couldn’t find it. So – I decided to make my own! But – I do not have a handy source of grapevine – so how to make a grapevine wreath without a grapevine? Amazon! I found this marvelous twig garland that I used to form my base, and the rest took off from there. Let me show you how I made this grapevine heart wreath with living succulents.
Grapevine Heart Wreath
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How to Make a Grapevine Wreath
To make a living succulent wreath on your own grapevine heart wreath base, you will need:
22 gauge floral wire, brown would be best
Succulent clippers (I just love these!)
Pruning shears
Small paintbrush
Wire coat hanger you can demolish
Hot glue gun
Chopstick (freebie from Chinese takeout works great!)
Tub or large bucket
A couple bricks or heavy, waterproof weights
Succulents!
Making Your Grapevine Heart Wreath
This grapevine twig garland is really a lovely quality, and it is 15 feet long! I decided to double the garland, by twining 2 lengths around each other. Even so, and with the long, curvy tail I added, I still have plenty left over to make a few other fun crafts – so stay tuned! 🙂
Unwrap the garland, and move it into the shape you want. For the whimsical heart shaped wreath I wanted, I made it in two pieces. The right side has the larger loop and the long tail. By using two pieces, I was able to get a sharper point at both the top and the bottom than I could by curving or bending a single length of the twig garland. Measure the length(s) you will need, and cut them with the pruning shears. Cut each twig separately.
Shaping Your Grapevine Heart Wreath
The twig garland arrives neatly wrapped in circles. If you are making a circle wreath – it is ready to hold the right shape! To make a heart shaped wreath, the curves are helpful for the top, but the twigs will resist some of your shaping. Use the bricks or weights to hold the garland in position as you work. Cut your floral wire to tightly wrap around the garland to hold it into shape and position. At this stage, use as much wire as and where you need it to hold the shape you want. You will remove excess wire later on.
Forming the Heart Shaped Grapevine Wreath
So I have cut 4 pieces of twig garland. 1 really long one for the 2 for the right side and 2 shorter pieces for the left. Twine the two pieces for the right side together, and secure with the floral wire. Then do the same for the left. Form the two halves into the shape of the heart that you would like. Because my last Valentine-inspired DIY used such a balanced heart shape, I wanted this one to be much more free-form. Use your bricks or weights to hold the garland in the shape you want, and wire the vines into place.
Transfer your grapevine heart wreath shape into the bathtub or a bucket large enough to hold the final shape of your wreath, complete with the bricks to hold it into shape. Soak the wreath in water for 18-24 hours. This will get the twig garland to hold the shape you want. Don’t skimp on the time – longer soaking will get you a better shape.
Soak Grapevine Wreath to Get Proper Shape
You can see what a difference the soaking makes! And you can see why brown floral wire would have been better than green!
Add Hanger to Grapevine Wreath
Do yourself a favor and make sure you add the hanger to your wreath now, after the vine is in the proper shape, and before you add the succulents. You will note from this picture that I did not do it at this stage. Call it a live and learn! 🙂
Bend the wire hanger into the shape you want. For the heart shaped wreath, the coat hanger adds a lot of support to the shape when it is hung on the wall. The upper curves go against gravity, so the sturdy form of the coat hanger works great to support the heart. I used it to support the upper curves of the heart as well as to make the center point hold together well. Thread the wire coat hanger through the twigs, and wire it into place.
To Make Living Succulent Wreath, Add Moss
Now that you have the grapevine wreath shaped the way you want it, it is time to add the sphagnum moss. Your succulents will root into the moss and grow! Be sure to use the long-fiber sphagnum moss – it makes such a difference! It will both attach to your wreath better, and support your rooting, growing succulents better than the cheaper stuff.
Soak the sphagnum moss to make it flexible and pliable.
Spray Adhesive on Your Grapevine Wreath Base
I like Alene’s spray adhesive. Spray it on thick – this is to adhere the sphagnum moss in place. Every spot you want to add a succulent to should get a nice, thick layer of sphagnum moss.
Apply Moss to the Grapevine Wreath Form
Squeeze excess water from the sphagnum moss, and firmly press it into the adhesive glue you just sprayed on the wreath. Then wrap several times with your floral wire to help secure the moss. Pull the wire taught.
Plan the Arrangement of Your Living Succulent Wreath
Place your succulents on and near the wreath and play with the arrangement until you find a way you like it. I knew I wanted to use portulacaria – the tall, straight-stemmed succulent with burgundy stems and small green leaves. At the top, you will see I was planning to use both the green leafed and the variegated variety. But when I saw it with my echeveria and the dark brown grapevine wreath, the green was lackluster, while the variegated portulacaria really popped! It makes a wonderful frame for the rosette-formed echeveria. Because I was doing a heart shaped wreath for Valentine’s Day, I wanted my deep pink echeveria Perle von Nurnberg to be the start of the wreath. So I selected the pink-tipped echeveria violet queen and the opalescent echeveria Lola to coordinate with that.
Adding Succulent Cuttings to Your Wreath
Once you have planned the placement of your succulents, make your cuttings. Be sure to leave enough leafless stem to insert into the moss. Leave .5 – 1 inch of bare stem where you can. Using your chopstick, wiggle a hole into the moss where you want to put each cutting.
Hot Glue On Succulents?!?
Hot glue on succulents?!?!? Believe me – I know how it makes you cringe. I did me, too, the first few dozen times I saw it! But I promise you – it will not hurt these amazing plants! All succulent experts, including the incomparable Debra Lee Baldwin assure us that glue – even hot glue – does not both succulents. Amazingly, your succulent cuttings will actually root through the glue and into the moss! How amazing is that? I’ll show you the roots developed when it is time for me to take this wreath apart! Then you can go ahead and plant the rooted cuttings. Win-win!
Even so, I do use the low heat setting, and I like the Gorilla Glue sticks because they do seem to hold better, longer and at the lower temp. Apply the glue, then slide the cutting into the hole you made in the moss. Add wire as needed to fully secure the cutting into place.
Preparing Your Succulent Cuttings for the Wreath
This lovely violet queen echeveria is a perfect foil for the rosy Perle von Nurnberg. Brush the soil back from the stem, and make a clean cut with your snippers. Leave enough of the stem to give you a good base to glue into the moss. Add floral wire as needed to secure the heave rosettes into place.
Use your paintbrush to gently brush away any soil caught on or in your succulents.
Living Succulent Wreath on DIY Grapevine Wreath
I decided to add a bit more portulacaria to the point of the heart, so I added another bit of moss for it. And I really wanted a long tail. I clipped the twigs at shorter and shorter lengths so they would feather out toward the end. Looks like I may need to do a bit more clipping. I also tucked in a few stray twigs to help hide my green floral wire.
What do you think? All in all, I am quite delighted my living succulent grapevine heart wreath! I think it is the perfect bridge from winter into spring! I promise I will show you how the succulents have rooted through the glue and into the moss when I take it apart. It may be a while! 🙂 To care for your living succulent wreath, spray the sphagnum moss well with water once a week. This will supply all the moisture your succulents need to root and grow. And hang it in bright shade, with plenty of indirect light. I expect this wreath to last well for a good 4-8 months! Please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know if you will be trying your own succulent wreath!
You can do this!
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