A rose by any other name might just be a succulent

I may just be the harbinger of doom when it comes to flora.  Houseplants see me coming and shrivel up on there own to save themselves the agony of a slow death at my hands.  So egregious are my crimes against plant life that I’m surprised I’m not on some sort of nursery no-fly list.

Really, it’s not my fault.  I blame my parents.  As the child of two avid gardeners, I can’t think of a single time during my misspent youth when I had to pull weeds.  I’ve never mowed a lawn.  In fact, my parents assigned my brother and I chores so that we wouldn’t mess-up their yard (I was the designated pool girl and can skim leaves with the best of them).  So, it should not be a surprise to anyone that I can’t grow anything.

Well, maybe one thing.  A couple of years ago I bought a succulent wreath for our front door.  I’d liked the colors and didn’t want to put something fake up.  And you know what?  That little bugger is still alive.  In fact, last summer a bird built a nest in it and raised three little birds (yes, I played Ziggy Marley for them as much as possible).  Encouraged by the success of the door wreath, I planted a couple of big pots of assorted succulents on our roof-deck.  And they’ve done really well too.  Ha!  So, when I wanted to bring some green inside, succulents seemed like the only logical choice.

After conducting a little bit of research I found that my idea wasn’t all that unique.  In fact, a visit to a high-end nursery revealed that succulent terrariums are sort of all-the-rage.  However, at about $200 a vessel retail, I figured I could probably make my own.  So I did.  And now I’m sharing the how-to with you.

You’ll want to start with some succulents.  I pulled together a variety of different colors and textures.

You’ll also want a vessel,  pot, bowl, jar with a wide-mouth.

Gravel or small rocks, cactus soil and some gardener’s sand round out your list of ingredients (all can be found at even the most basic of nurseries or garden departments).

To build your terrarium, begin with a two-inch layer of gravel.  This will allow for drainage.

Follow this with another couple of inches of cactus soil.

Now it’s time to plant.  Depending on what you are going for, you can use a single plant or put together a little arrangement of smaller plants.  I did both.  Once you’ve got your plants in place, top the layer of soil with a layer of sand.  And, easy as that, you’ve got a living arrangement.

Cluster arrangements together for even more texture.

And the cool part?  They only need to be watered every couple of weeks.  I made these a month ago and they are ALL still alive.  A minor miracle in the misanthropic household.