Every day is a gift from Mother Earth.  Today is Earth Day and that means giving back. A popular Earth Day activity is planting a tree. But what if you don’t have a yard? What do you do as an urbanite with less than a green thumb and not much in the way of outdoor space?  Succulent and cactus gardens are a city dwellers alternative to large scale, outdoor gardening.  Succulents and cactus plants are very low maintenance, which translates to very easy to keep among the living. They are slow growers and are drought tolerant. They are very adaptable and can thrive on their own or in clusters of multiple plants. That’s what makes succulent and cactus gardens a fun activity for Earth Day.

Some ideas for inspiration:

Find a unique vessel or container. Chances are you have something around the house just perfect for this project. If not, hit up a local thrift store or yard sale.  Here we have wire sculptures lined with sheet moss and filled with soil, two small pots perched on a thrift store platter and a bubble bowl terrarium. All excellent ways to display your succulent and cactus plants.

If you have a lot of one type of container, plant one succulent in each and line them up.  Adding an inch of colorful rocks or sand on top adds a little eye-candy and works for both clear and solid containers.

Cluster them together. Three is the magic number for this style of display. One would be lonely and two would look like something is missing or off-balance. The third plant fills in the gap which makes the display whole and pleasing to the eye.

Add in a favorite trinket or souvenir with a few favorite rock collection specimens (and/or driftwood) for a whimsical garden.

Lots of different containers can get cozy together on a window sill.

Happy Earth Day, and have fun playing in the dirt!

Deluxe Modern Succulent Garden