DIY Succulent Crown

diy succulent crown

I'm a huge fan of flower crowns, but as a succulent lover, I've been dreaming of making a succulent crown for ages!  After struggling to find a "DIY Succulent Crown" tutorial online, I decided to just do it myself.  Naturally, I asked my mom to help me figure it out since she has experience working with succulents and wires. (See My Sister's Succulent Wedding.)  I went through my garden and chose some plants that I thought would work before heading over to my mom's.  If you read my mom's Garden Tour post you know she has a wonderful variety of plants, so I ended up using some of hers as well.  After choosing the perfect plants, we gathered our supplies, made some iced coffee, and began our project.

diy succulent crown project supplies

supplies you will need: 

succulents

floral tape

 

thick floral wire  

thin floral wire

pliers

wire cutters 

scissors

Step 1.  

Use your thicker floral wire to create a circle that fits around your head where you want your crown to sit.  Attach the wires by twisting the ends together and then wrap the circle in floral tape. 

diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves

Step 2.  

After cutting the stems of your plants short with your scissors, insert your thin wire into the stem of each plant.

diy succulent crown via needles + leaves

Bend the wire.

diy succulent crown via needles + leaves

Wrap the stem with the end of the wire to strengthen it and secure it to the wire. Because succulents bruise and scar easily, you will want to be careful not to handle them too roughly during this process. 

diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves

Step 3. 

Chose a plant to start with. Place it on the wire circle where you want it and wrap its wire around the circle. You can use your pliers to squeeze the wires tightly together and to pinch down the ends. 

diy succulent crown via needles + leaves

Continue choosing plants, placing them on the wire where you like until your circle is full of beautiful plants.  I decided to only do the front half of my crown, but you can do the full thing if you want.  Since I had exposed wires, I wrapped the back half in floral tape once more.

Note: Unlike flowers, some succulent leaves can snap off very easily, so be really careful during this process.

diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves
diy succulent crown via needles + leaves

I couldn't be happier with the way my succulent crown turned out!  I'm guessing it will last about a month. (Maybe longer!) Once the plants start to wither or root I will take it apart and plant them back in soil so that they can continue to grow. 

I hope my directions were clear enough, but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! You can leave a comment here or find me on Instagram under @tawwni or @needlesandleaves

Portrait photography by Tayia Strain. (My amazingly talented little sis!) You can find more of her photos at Strain Photography.