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ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚĂůůĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞĚŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌ͛ƐŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŝŽŶƐĂŶĚƐĂĨĞƚLJƉƌĞĐĂƵƚŝŽŶƐŽf any tools and materials used.
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individual situation. Lush Living Wall ideas and designs are offered as is for information and entertainment
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omissions or other causes.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 2
Forward
Making a stunning succulent wall planter is a fun, creative and satisfying project ʹ
once you know how! As one of the fastest growing home trends, your vertical
garden will be the envy of neighbours and visitors!
This guide is more extensive than others of its kind, as it goes into a lot of detail to
ensure that as many questions as possible are answered along the way.
/ĨLJŽƵŚĂǀĞĂƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶƚŚĂƚ͛ƐŶŽƚĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ͕/ůŽŽŬĨŽƌǁĂƌĚƚŽLJŽƵƌƚŽĞŵĂŝů͗
info@lushlivingwalls.com.
Remember, you can find more FREE ideas on our Facebook page.
Meanwhile, I hope you take pleasure in the joy of vertical gardening.
Many thanks,
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 3
Introduction
This Ebook presents a step-‐by-‐step detail to create a textural tapestry using
succulents. It covers:
For first-‐time vertical gardeners the decision to start with succulents is an excellent
one.
Hardy succulents are famous for not just surviving, but thriving in harsh climates
and deserts. The majority of varieties have a shallow root system and can grow in
very little soil; in nature, succulents are often found clinging to crevices in cliffs and
between rocks.
dŚĂƚ͛ƐŐŽŽĚŶĞǁƐĨŽƌƵƐǀĞƌƚŝĐĂůŐĂƌĚĞŶĞƌƐ͊ƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJŝĨLJŽƵ͛ƌĞĂǁĞůů-‐intentioned
but sometimes forgetful gardener ʹ succulents will manage the dry patches in
between watering with grace. And their ability to survive with relatively little soil
suits small or shallow wall planters.
But the most appealing thing about succulents is their unique beauty. Flower-‐like
petals in varying colours and shapes can be arranged creatively to stunning effect.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 4
I recommend Etsy.com ʹ this is an online marketplace where people sell and buy
goods. Because vertical gardening is increasingly popular, there are many people
and companies selling timber boxes for vertical succulent gardens.
ƚƚƐLJLJŽƵ͛ůůĨŝŶĚ a range of sellers that ship their product around the world, so
ǁŚĞƚŚĞƌLJŽƵ͛ƌĞŝŶthe USA, UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand or Canada
LJŽƵ͛ƌĞĂďůĞƚŽƐŚŽƉ͘ƚƚŚĞƚŝŵĞŽĨƉƌŝŶƚŝŶŐ͕timber boxes on Etsy sell for under
$50!
Simply search for key words such as ͚succulent wall planter͛ Žƌ͚ǀĞƌƚŝĐĂůƐƵĐĐƵůĞŶƚ
ŐĂƌĚĞŶ͛, and take your pick.
This is also a good place to shop for succulent cuttings as well (when buying and
shipping from within the same country). However, I recommend sourcing succulent
cuttings from your geographic region, as they will better adapted to your climate
and humidity (more on this later).
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 5
tŚĂƚLJŽƵ͛ůůŶĞĞĚ͗
Tools:
A hammer
Wire cutters
A handsaw
A measuring ruler
A staple gun would have been very handy; /ĚŝĚŶ͛ƚŚĂǀĞŽŶĞĂŶĚŵĂĚĞĚŽĨŝŶĞ
without it
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 6
The process:
1. Using a ruler or measuring tape, take your picture frame and measure the sides ʹ
ŝĨŝƚ͛ƐĂǁŝĚĞĨƌĂŵe, measure along the middle or nearing the inside edge.
These are the lengths you will use to measure and cut the fence paling.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 7
2. According to these measurements, take the handsaw and cut the wooden fence
paling in four lengths.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 8
dŚĞLJ͛ůůďĞƐŚŽƌƚĞƌďLJĞdžĂĐƚůLJƚǁŝĐĞƚŚĞthickness of
the wooden paling.
3. Line up the two shorter lengths inside the longer lengths and nail the four pieces
of wood together.
Note: This can be a tricky process when done singlehandedly, and it helps to have
an extra hand to hold the pieces of wood together whilst nailing. If you have access
to a screwdriver, this would be an easier option.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 9
4. Next, cut the flat piece of wood so that it fits perfectly onto the timber sides. Nail
or screw it on. Now you have the sides and the back of the box made. Well done!
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 0
5. For an indoor planter I recommend using a water sealant on the seams of the
box. This will prevent water from leaking out and damaging the interior of your
home. If your wall planter will be ouƚĚŽŽƌƐĚŽŶ͛ƚƐĞĂůŝƚƚŽĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞĚƌĂŝŶĂŐĞ͕
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 1
which is particularly beneficial for succulents (succulents really prefer the outdoors,
but more on this later).
/ĨLJŽƵ͛ǀĞƵƐĞĚĂƐĞĂůant, allow it to dry completely before proceeding with the
chicken wire.
6. Measure the chicken wire so that the edges will reach over the sides of the box.
Using wire cutters, snip the chicken wire according to your measurements. If you
ŚĂǀĞĂƐƚĂƉůĞƌ͕ƐƚĂƉůĞƚŚĞĐŚŝĐŬĞŶǁŝƌĞĚŽǁŶ͘/ĨLJŽƵĚŽŶ͛ƚŚĂǀĞĂƐƚĂƉůĞƌ͕ŚĂŵŵĞƌĂ
nail in unƚŝůŝƚ͛ƐĂЬŝŶĐŚŽƵƚ͕ƚŚĞŶďĞŶĚƚŚĞŶĂŝůŽǀĞƌĂŶĚŚĂŵŵĞƌŝƚĚŽǁŶĂŐĂŝŶ͘
Note: Start off along one side and then stretch the wire over to the other side and
nail down. The chicken wire should be taught, so as to prevent soil sagging once
propped up vertically. Any extra wire along the edges can be snipped off
afterwards.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 2
7. Place your picture frame on the timber box and nail it down.
Note: If you worry about the nails looking ugly on the frame, follow this tip: what
LJŽƵĐĂŶ͛ƚĚŝƐŐƵŝƐĞ͕ turn into a feature. If an ugly nail is the issue, you can nail a
short, decorative nail (with rustic copper or bronze appearance, for example) over
ƚŚĞƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĂůŶĂŝůƚŽŚŝĚĞŝƚ͘zŽƵ͛ůůĨŝŶĚƚŚĞŵĂƚĂŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞƐƚŽƌĞ͘
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 3
But, of course, you can make your own by mixing regular potting mix with perlite,
pumice, crushed lava or granite. When making your own, make sure that all the
particles are of an even size for effective water drainage.
tŚŝůĞƐƵĐĐƵůĞŶƚƐŚĂǀĞĂĚĂƉƚĞĚƚŽŐƌŽǁŝŶƐĂůƚLJďĞĂĐŚƐŝĚĞĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚƐ͕ƚŚĞLJ͛ƌĞ
not as fond of sand as one might think.
Take your succulent soil and slowly pour it into the box over the chicken wire.
Spread it around carefully with your hands. It should be damp, but not wet.
Gently shake the box around so that the soil settles down and reaches every
corner. Fill it up completely, over the chicken wire. Get the soil fairly compact to
prevent soil slump when placed vertically (though not rock solid as the roots will
need to push through).
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 4
Credit: The Succulent Garden ʹ Etsy.com
A popular choice of succulent for wall planters is echeveria, for its pretty flower-‐like
ƉĞƚĂůƐ͘dŚĞƐĞǀĂƌŝĞƚŝĞƐĂƌĞĂůƐŽŬŶŽǁŶĂƐ͚ŚĞŶĂŶĚĐŚŝĐŬ͛ƐƵĐĐƵůĞŶƚƐ, ĂƐďĂďLJ͚ĐŚŝĐŬƐ͛
ǁŝůůŽĨƚĞŶƐƵƌƌŽƵŶĚƚŚĞƉƌŝŶĐŝƉĂů͚ŚĞŶ͛͘zŽƵĐĂŶƉůƵĐŬƚŚĞĐŚŝĐŬƐwith roots attached
and plant them directly, but remember that the roots will need to fit in through the
chicken wire (alternatively you can snip a bit of chicken wire up).
Cuttings or clippings are another option. I recommend rosette cuttings as they have
an immediate aesthetic appeal as opposed to growing the plant from an individual
leaf cutting, which takes much longer to propagate.
Cuttings that have been taken from another plant will need old leaves to be
removed first. With rosettes, the diameter might vary from ½ an inch to 2 inches ʹ
keep in mind that the stem needs to fit in the chicken wire. Cut the stem to about ¼
to ½ an inch length.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 5
Leave the cutting to dry for up to a week. During this time the cutting should be
lying flat in a single layer in a cool, shady place. This allows the cut end to dry and
form a callous; the callous prevents bacteria or fungus from entering the plant and
causing rot and death.
Along with echeveria, look for sempervivum, sedum and crassula. These are
suitable succulents for confined areas and are happy to be clumped together as
they grow. Make sure you have enough cuttings to fill your frame! A 12-‐inch frame
might take more than 60 cuttings!
Credit: Wikipedia Commons. From top-‐left, clockwise: Crassula arborescens, Echeveria
derenbergensis, Sempervivum and Sedum rubrotinctum.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 6
If you live in a warm, dry climate where there are gardens, take a walk around the
block and you might come across succulents growing in the wild.
If you live in warm, dry climate you should be able to find whole potted succulents
in a garden store. Smaller succulents sell for around $3 each or less. You may only
need a few of these to use as a central focus point for your arrangement. You may
need to clip the chicken wire open a little ƚŽŝŶƐĞƌƚƚŚĞŵ͕ĂƐƚŚĞLJ͛ůůŚĂǀĞƌŽŽt
systems.
For smaller succulent clippings, online is a better option, and more affordable.
Once again, I recommend Etsy as it has a large range of sellers with different offers.
An offer might be 6 or 10 or 20 succulent cuttings for a certain price. Ebay is
another option. Online nurseries are another great option. Between Etsy, Ebay and
local online nurseries you will be able to find succulent clippings and have them
delivered to the USA, South Africa, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and more.
Once yŽƵŚĂǀĞLJŽƵƌǁĂůůƉůĂŶƚĞƌŐƌŽǁŝŶŐ͕LJŽƵ͛ůůďĞĂďůĞƚŽĐůŝƉŽĨĨLJŽƵƌŽǁŶ
cuttings and propagate them.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 7
You want to think of this part as creating a picture. Composition is everything!
Match succulents, colours or textures in different patterns or groups to create
something striking. Experiment with different types of succulents. It helps to start
with focal points and move out from there ʹ perhaps the largest cuttings first. Then
finish by filling in with the cuttings that you have more of.
Give each plant a little breathing room, leaving some space between plants, maybe
½ to 1/8 of an inch.
Leave the succulents for about a week and check to see if they have started to put
out roots. You can test this by gently pulling a stem up and looking. Succulents will
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 8
put out roots in search of water, so at this stage to encourage roots, we still do not
water!
During this time, leave the planter in partial light and shade. Not too hot and sunny.
Only once roots are showing on all the varieties are we ready to water.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 1 9
Within a couple of days you should see the succulents take life after the watering.
Place the planter in dappled sun, somewhere airy if possible and wait about one
week for the soil to dry out completely. Only water when the soil is completely dry
again, leave it for longer than a week if need.
Repeat this watering process and after about four to eight weeks check for root
growth. By this time the plants should be well established, which means that a
ŐĞŶƚůĞƚƵŐǁŽŶ͛ƚƉƵůůƵƉƚŚĞƌŽŽƚƐ͘zŽƵĐĂŶŚĂƉƉŝůLJǁĂŝƚƵƉƚŽƚŚƌĞĞŵŽŶƚŚƐƚŽ
ensure a well-‐established garden and to give it the best chance at ongoing success
and sustainability.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 2 0
KŶĐĞLJŽƵ͛ǀĞĚĞĐŝĚĞĚ͕ƐĐƌĞǁƚŚŝĐŬŚŽŽŬƐƚŽLJŽƵƌƚŝŵďĞƌďŽdžĂŶĚŚĂŶŐĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐůLJ͘
By this stage, your succulents have taken root and filled out a bit; along with the
chicken wire, this will keep the soil in place.
I filled my vertical succulent garden with a lot of different varieties, as I wanted a
wild and jungle-‐like look!
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 2 1
Succulents grow best in their natural environment: outside. If you choose to place
your wall planter indoors, do your best to give the plants a light and airy position.
Succulents prefer up to six hours of sunlight a day, morning light is best͖ƚŚĞLJ͛ůůĚŽ
well in as little as two to three hours a day. Filtered sun is best, an easterly position
if possible. If indoors, avoid placing them too close to a window where they will get
hot or direct sun, as succulents can suffer sunburn.
Whether indoors or out, if your succulents are not getting enough light you will
notice that they start to stretch and grow stalky. This is a sign that they are
reaching out for more light. Time to move them.
In the summer months, temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees are
recommendable, in the winter between 50 and 60 degrees is cool enough for the
succulent to enter dormancy and rest. Some succulents will survive freezing
temperatures, but it͛s definitely not recommendable nor worth the risk ʹ ďƌŝŶŐ͚Ğŵ
indoors in winter.
Succulents are forgiving plants. Resilient and adaptive, they are able to acclimatize
and change to different watering regimes. They retain moisture wonderfully, stored
in their plump little leaves, which is why they are one of the only successful desert
plants! Indeed, they have adapted to dry climates. They prefer to approach
dryness before watering.
Yet they can be easily under and over watered. When in doubt, err on the side of
under-‐watering.
Succulents can take in water through their leaves, so they will require much less
watering in humid climates. Winter months, when most succulents are dormant,
require less frequent watering than warmer months. A hot, indoor heater will dry
out the air and your succulent may need more watering, even in winter. How much
you water really depends on your environment.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 2 2
1. The first is to wait until the soil has completely dried out and then water.
Check that the soil is dry in the same way you might check if a cake is baked ʹ
with a kebab stick. Then take the planter down off the wall and lie flat. Water
ŽŶůLJƵŶƚŝůƚŚĞƐŽŝůŝƐŵŽŝƐƚ͕ƚŚĞƌĞƐŚŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚďĞĂŶLJĞdžĐĞƐs water leaking out,
but if there is, leave it for a few hours prior to rehanging.
2. Your second option is to leave the soil dry for longer and see how your
succulents adapt. A watering every few weeks might be fine. Once you start
to water more regularly, your succulents will get used to this and show signs
of dehydration more quickly.
How to tell if your plants are dehydrated? Succulents may loose their colour and
droop. Leaves may shrivel.
Dead or shrivelled leaves at the bottom of the plant are OK; this is normal and
natural, the same as any other plant. Simply pluck them off. Plants love pruning! It
reserves more energy for new, more vibrant growth.
Feeding
For really healthy succulents feed them every 4-‐6 weeks using a liquid fertiliser. A
general garden variety will suffice, such as a seaweed-‐based ĨĞƌƚŝůŝƐĞƌ͕ĂŶĚLJŽƵ͛ůů
only need to use ¼ to ½ of the recommended dosage. Too much fertiliser
encourages growth, which can cause your succulents to take on a weedy
appearance.
Most succulents will require less watering and feeding in the cooler months of the
year, as they are ĚŽƌŵĂŶƚ͘ŽŵĞƐƉƌŝŶŐ͕ŝƚ͛ƐƚŝŵĞƚŽŐĞƚďĂĐŬŝŶƚŽǁĂƚĞƌŝŶŐĂŶĚ
feeding every 4-‐5 weeks. ThĞǁĂƌŵĞƌŵŽŶƚŚƐĂƌĞĂƐƵĐĐƵůĞŶƚ͛Ɛ growing and
flowering period.
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 2 3
^ƚĂLJƚƵŶĞĚ͙
Good luck with your project!
And keep in touch for more FREE ideas on our Facebook page and at
www.LushLivingWalls.com͘/͛ĚůŽǀĞƚŽŚĞĂƌŚŽǁLJŽƵƌƉƌŽũĞĐƚĐŽŵĞƐĂůŽŶŐ͕
and of course, if you have any questions please email me at:
info@lushlivingwalls.com
w w w . L u s h L i v i n g W a l l s . c o m B y K e r i A l g a r p a g e 2 4