A Succulent & Slate How-To

One of our crafty terrain gardeners recently whipped up this show-stopping DIY while trying to reuse succulents whose stems had been trimmed short for a recent photo shoot. We've since bombarded her with requests for them, leaving her with no choice but to kindly show us how to create our own... And now you can too! Instructions below the jump.

1. Select your slate. We prefer slate roof tiles, which already have holes drilled for hanging and can be sourced anywhere you would find slate roofing materials locally.

2. Select your succulents. Choose a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes to fit your slate. Trim the stem of each plant to 0.5"-1". Alternately, get creative and leave some stems long for variation.

3. Lay out your slate garden design, starting with the largest, or statement succulents, and accenting with smaller plants as you go.

4. Once your design is final, add a small amount of waterproof glue to the stem of each succulent and apply with light pressure against the slate until glue is secure. Allow 24 hours for your arrangement to dry.

5. Choose a spot with plenty of indirect light, hang, and enjoy! Your plaque will only need to be watered sparingly, and well taken care of it will thrive for two months or more. At that point, your succulents can be removed from the plaque and planted in a low bowl or terrarium.