Deck the tree with hanging succulents – Fa la la la la, la la, la, la! Please don’t be mad that I am talking about DIY Christmas ornaments already. After all, I could be talking about the election! Besides, I have a few projects for succulent Christmas ornaments in mind, and I need to get them all in. And you need time to fall in love with them, get the supplies and to make them, right? These ornaments feature living succulents and no glue. The colors and shapes of the plants are so lovely, they are perfect for decorating your holidays. Your succulent ornaments will continue to live and grow as they adorn your tree. After Christmas, simply pot them up and they will continue to grow all year long. That’s really something to celebrate!
DIY Christmas Ornaments with Living Succulents
In this Post We'll Cover:
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Gather Supplies for Hanging Succulent Christmas Ornaments
To make your own hanging succulent Christmas ornaments (I need help coming up with a fun name for these — let me know any suggestions!) you will need the following supplies:
Small bowl of water
Picture hanging wire, must be 16 gauge, 55-pound weight (you’ll see why)
Succulents! Plants or cuttings
Prepare Succulent Plant Roots
You can use either rooted succulent plants or cuttings for these DIY Christmas ornaments. For rooted succulents, like this lovely echeveria, trim back the roots to make a small package like this above. Your plant will be able to replace the roots easily. Wash excess soil from the root ball.
Remember to take care not to touch the leaves of any succulents with epicuticular wax, like the one in this photo. Just use a soft bristle brush to whisk away excess soil off the leaves.
Wrap Succulent Roots in Moss
Soak the moss in water to make it nice and flexible. This is the medium your succulent will root into, so be generous. Squeeze out excess water from the moss, then wrap it around the roots. Secure the moss with a length of floral wire. I used a piece about 10 inches long. Wrap it snugly around the moss and the succulent stem just beneath the leaves. Continue wrapping the floral wire in a spiral down the stem and around the roots and moss, then back up again. Twist the ends to secure the wire into place. This is your succulent Christmas ornament!
Forming the Hanger
This 55-pound picture hanging wire is smooth and stiff. Of course, this is much beefier than needed to hold a simple succulent Christmas ornament. But I wanted to make the hanger a bit decorative in itself. It holds the succulent, but also make a sweeping curve and holds its shape. Make two or three loops large enough to fit around the moss-wrapped roots. This does not need to be tight. You will sit the moss, roots and stem inside these loops. That secures and supports the succulent. The extra loops allow you to shape it when it is hanging on the tree, so the succulent faces the way you want it to.
Form a wide, sweeping curve for the hanger. Form a small hook to loop over the Christmas tree branch.
Using Succulent Cuttings
It works the same way with succulent cuttings. I had this beautiful Graptoveria Alpenglow with wonderfully deep, rosy red stress coloring. Take the cuttings, leaving about an inch of stem to work with. Remove any leaves that don’t fit the rosette. Set them aside for leaf propagation later. Again, wrap a generous amount of dampened moss around the bare stem. The succulent will begin to root into the moss as it hangs on your tree!
Succulent Christmas Ornament Hanger
The hanger works the same way for the cuttings. It is just a bit smaller.
Succulent Christmas Ornament Care
Simply spay the moss well with water once a week, and the succulents will live and root into the moss. After Christmas, take the succulents from their hangers. Remove the floral wire and moss from the new roots. Pot up the succulents in good succulent soil, and water them in. They are now good to grow for you for the rest of the year. I love the idea of enjoying succulents indoors for the holidays!
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This is the Echeveria Captain Hay. The red margins on the leaves make it perfect for using for succulent ornaments! And I told you the succulent wine corks would make terrific ornaments for the tree!
There you have it! What do you think of these hanging succulent Christmas ornaments? I am pretty pleased with them! I would love it if you would take a moment to leave me a comment and let me know what you think. As I mentioned, I have a few other DIY Christmas ornaments with succulents planned. so stay tuned!
If you want to decorate for Christmas with succulents, but don’t want to make your own, check out these fun ornaments from Mountain Crest Gardens!
P.S. For more succulent DIYs and care information, please subscribe! You will receive my FREE succulent care course, 7 Steps to Succulent Success!
