With Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to do a new succulent DIY. When I was gifted this lovely set of wine glasses — succulent wine glasses seemed meant to be! I know you may be nervous about planting succulents in glass. But don’t worry — I’m going to show you step-by-step how to do this. And I wanted to give you a couple of options. First, I’ll show you how to use fire glass for a high-glamour look. Then, we’ll do a wine glass succulent planter with soil for a more rustic, natural appeal. Whichever look you choose, it makes for a romantic gift for someone special.
DIY Succulent Wine Glass – Choosing a Planting Medium
In this Post We'll Cover:
{Please note, some links in this post may be affiliate links to sites that pay me a small commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. This commission is at absolutely no cost to you. I only recommend products and companies that I have worked with and truly love! ~Kat}
When planting succulents in glass, you always need to consider the planting medium you will use. Your glass container has no drainage holes, so you will have to be very careful with the watering (more details on watering below). You can use fast-draining succulent soil, as I do in one version of my succulent wine glass, but you can also do something more creative.
Glass makes such an intriguing container, full of possibilities. You can plant your succulents in a smaller container that fits inside the glass. Then, fill the space between the glass and the inner container with something fun to look at. I have shown you how to plant succulents with sand art. This time, I decided to try fire glass for a glamorous look. I had never seen it done before and thought it would make a beautiful display.
I love the results! I was aiming for something that looks a bit like champagne, and I’m so pleased. But I also learned a lot doing this DIY. In hindsight, my mistakes seem obvious, but they weren’t at the time! So, I am going to help you detour right around my errors!
DIY Succulent Wine Glass with Fire Glass – Supplies
If you’re planting your succulent wine glass with fire glass, you will need the following supplies:
- Wine glasses – the larger the bowl, the better
- Plastic baggies, 2
- Fire glass
- Sphagnum moss (I really prefer the long-strand sphagnum moss)
- Scissors (I just love my Joyce Chen scissors!)
- Wooden chopstick (I use these all. the. time, but freebies from take-out work just fine.)
- Soft bristle brush (paintbrush or makeup brush)
- Small scoop
- Succulents! rooted or cuttings
Fire glass is brightly-colored, irregular pieces of tempered glass used in decorative fire pits. It has no sharp edges and is safe to handle. I chose this lovely golden-colored fire glass, and it is a perfect champagne color — exactly what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, the low light and my poor photography skills make it look really orangey-yellow and brassy in some shots. In person and in natural light, it is lovely.
Preparing Inner Container
We’re not actually planting the succulents in the fire glass. The glass is inorganic and would provide no support to the plants. Further, we want to keep the wine glass and the fire glass perfectly clean for this look. I decided to use long-fibered sphagnum moss for the planting medium. It absorbs water well and enables the succulents to thrive. So, you’ll need an inner container to contain the succulents and planting medium. Then, you’ll fill in the space between the inner container and the wine glass with the fire glass. Simple, right? Only in theory…
When I did the sand art example, I used a small prescription bottle to slip inside the glass flute. But I wanted my succulent wine glass to be full of succulents, so I wanted to use a larger container. I cut off the bottom of a plastic 12-ounce Coke bottle to use it. It wasn’t until I was halfway through that I had to face the obvious — the fire glass pieces are huge compared to sand! I could not keep the plastic bottle centered in the wine glass and surround it with the fire glass. Ugh! So, I had to brainstorm. Eventually, I hit on the perfect solution — a plastic baggy!
It turns out the baggy has several characteristics that help for this project:
- It’s clear, so it won’t show through light-colored fire glass
- It is adjustable, so you can add more moss as needed
- It folds down over the fire glass to keep it clean while you plant
Soak the sphagnum moss in water to make it flexible. Then, squeeze out the excess water. Tuck it into the corner of the plastic baggy. Add some fire glass to the base of the wine glass — carefully! This is all glass we’re dealing with. (The small scoop from my favorite succulent tools came in really handy.) Then, add the baggy with some moss in it.
Start filling in around the baggy with fire glass. At about this stage, fold the baggy back over the wine glass.
Now, you can plant your succulent wine glass, and the fire glass won’t get soil or moss dropped in!
It’s important to use enough moss to support the succulents. Think of lightly packing brown sugar.
Planting Your Succulent Wine Glass
When planting my succulent wine glass, I used a mix of rooted plants and cuttings. Any time you plant succulents, gently break up the root ball and discard the excess soil. Among other benefits, this lets you plant the succulents much closer together! 🙂 This is an Echeveria Minima. To this arrangement, I added several other succulents as well as one of my all-time favorites — the lovely Echeveria Lola. And this turned out to be another mistake.
As much as I love the soft, delicate pink of Lola, it gets entirely lost against the pale fire glass. I planted my second wine glass succulent planter with bolder colors as a result.
Add More Moss as You Plant
Tuck in additional moss as you plant your succulent wine glass. Use it to fill in spots between roots and stems and to help hold the plants in place. You’ll find the wooden chopstick is invaluable for tucking the moss into position. Continue to add plants and moss as needed. Turn your wine glass as you plant to ensure it is attractive from all sides.
Finishing Up the Wine Glass with Fire Glass
When you have finished planting succulents in the glass, it’s time to cut away the baggy. Cut as close as you can, but not below the moss.
Now, top dress with the fire glass. Get it between the baggy and the wine glass, and tuck it on top of the moss, between the succulents.
Finally, dust off any loose soil or moss using the soft-bristle brush.
Finished Succulent Wine Glass with Fire Glass
Overall, I am pleased, but you see my concern with the Echeveria Lola. It just gets utterly lost against the fire glass. I am delighted, however, with the fabulous, dark burgundy Sedum furfuraceum on the right. The Echeveria Mina tucked into the back is a much better color for this arrangement. And I always love using the burgundy, chartreuse, and cream Portulacaria afra variegata.
Of course, you can choose a different color of fire glass — there are many! Wouldn’t a burgundy (cabernet?) fire glass be gorgeous with pale, silvery succulents? Or this gorgeous blue glass? What would you choose?
This is how the succulent wine glass should look! All the colors hold their own against the color of the fire glass, and I think it came together well. In addition to the lovely Mina, Sedum furfuraceum, and Portulacaria, I also used Sedum Orange Glow and Haworthia fasciata.
If you have explored my essentials of succulent design, you may notice that I used repetition, contrast, and color theory in designing this arrangement. Now, let’s see how to plant a wine glass succulent planter with soil.
Planting a Succulent Wine Glass with Soil
To create a succulent wine glass with soil, you will need the following supplies:
- Wine glasses – the larger the bowl, the better
- Fast-draining succulent soil
- Pumice (I like the 1/4 inch particle size)
- Activated charcoal
- Dried moss (I wound up using natural reindeer moss)
- Scissors (Yep – I still love my Joyce Chen!)
- Wooden chopstick (I use these all. the. time, but freebies from take-out work just fine.)
- Soft bristle brush (paintbrush or makeup brush)
- Small scoop
- Succulents! rooted or cuttings
I know you know how to plant succulents in soil. But since we’re planting in glass with no drainage, I added a couple of steps.
Layering When Planting with Soil in Glass
Since there is no drainage in a wine glass, you’ll need to water your succulent wine glass carefully (more details on watering below). Even so, it’s possible that some water may collect in the bottom of the glass. So, to prevent the growth of mold, mildew, or bacteria, which can lead to bad odors, we’re starting with a few pieces of activated charcoal.
It really takes just a few pieces, but I wanted to create a bit of a layered look to the finished arrangement, so I added in quite a bit more. If you do the same, rinse the charcoal first so you don’t wind up with a glass full of black dust, like I did my first time!
Next, add a layer of pumice. Although pumice is a valuable soil additive for succulents, it really isn’t doing anything in our arrangement right here but add to the final look of the arrangement. But it’s also important to mix more pumice into the soil that you layer in next. This helps ensure the soil will not hold excess soil right around the succulents’ roots.
Finally, add the soil with extra pumice blended in. Fill the wine glass bowl part way, then plant your succulents.
Finishing the Succulent Wine Glass Planted with Soil
Brush off any loose soil using the soft-bristle brush.
Top dress any bits of bare soil with moss. I like the delicate texture of this reindeer moss.
There you have it! Another version of the succulent wine glass. It has a more rustic, natural look than the fire glass that is quite appealing. I planted this one with Echeveria Melaco as the focal point. Then, I accented it with the beautifully stressed Sedum rubrotinctum ‘Aurora’ and Crassula ovata from my garden. They are just loving the sunny days and cool winter nights! (Unsure why cold nights would bring out color in succulents? Read the secret to colorful succulents.) Finally, I tucked in some spikey chartreuse Sedum Angelina that will flush bright yellow in time.
Here, you can see the layering effect I was going for. I think I should add a thicker layer of pumice next time.
How to Water Succulent Wine Glasses
The best way to water your succulent wine glasses or any closely planted succulent arrangement is with this squeeze bottle. It lets you get in between the plants and deliver water directly to the soil.
Remember that these succulents have no drainage. That is not ideal, so you’ll need to protect them from rain if they are outdoors. That being said, if you take care with them, they can happily grow for months or even longer in this glass. Do not water until your succulents show signs of thirst. When they do, give just a spurt of water. You are not aiming to drench the soil as we usually do because the water has nowhere to go. Instead, you just want to meet the plants’ immediate needs.
The same is true for the succulents in the wine glass with fire glass. Just add a spurt of water to the moss. Be sure to get the water into the baggy where the succulents can reach it!
Won’t these make romantic additions to any Valentine’s Day table?
I needed a convenient way to move several succulent wine glasses from one spot to the next. And I really like the way they look in this reclaimed wood box! I used the stones to add weight to the glass bases so they wouldn’t tip over.
Will You Make Succulent Wine Glasses?
I just cannot decide which version of the succulent wine glass I like best. What’s your favorite? I would love to know! Please take a moment to leave me a comment and let me know. And will you make your own for Valentine’s Day or another occasion? You know my philosophy — if you have something wonderful to say, say it with succulents! 🙂
Because life is just better with succulents!
P.S. Please subscribe for more succulent DIYs and care! I’ll send you my FREE e-course 7 Steps to Succulent Success! – Thanks so much!
P.P.S. Why not join my Facebook Group for succulent lovers? We talk about succulent care, propagation, succulent identification, and design. It’s a warm and welcoming group that would love to meet you!
