Plants are such a fun and unique way to decorate your space. Growing plants in your home has also been shown to boost your mood, increase your productivity, reduce stress, and clean the air in your home. The plants I am highlighting today are also pretty hard to kill! Plus everything all together cost under $80. Did you all know you could buy plants on Amazon!? I ordered these honestly not expecting they would be real or still alive when they arrived. They were! The plants came in your standard cardboard Amazon box, each individually wrapped and potted. Honestly, they came way healthier than a lot of plants I see for sale in some of the big box stores. I was so impressed! It is a random selection as to what you get, but I got 4 separate species of succulent, and 3 different cacti so I was very happy. They come with care instructions as well.
Let's get started!
Step One: Gather Supplies and Hang Macramé Planter
When deciding where to hang your planter, take into consideration the amount of light it will get. Try to find an area (like the corner by a window) that will get plenty of natural sunlight, but still flow with the decoration already in your home. My living room has tons of natural light at all times of day so that is where I chose to hang mine. It also helps to fill the open space where my living room opens into the stairwell. This particular hanging planter comes with everything you need to install it, and I was able to do it on my own pretty easily just by screwing it into the ceiling.
Next lay out your plants, dirt, sand, and glass bowls. You could use ceramic or plastic planters instead, but then it will have less of a terrarium feel. I also got these Terracotta Clay planters but ended up putting them elsewhere.
Step Two: Fill the glass bowls
Fill each bowl with about 2-3 inches of potting soil. Make sure you use this kind to avoid getting gnats! I used regular organic potting soil for my palm tree when we first bought it and thousands of gnats hatched from it when we turned the heat on that winter! It was horrible. I guess they lay their eggs in it and the heat from our house wakes them up. Disgusting. Now I only use this special indoor potting mix and have had no issues. Layer about an inch of desert sand on top of the potting soil. I used a bit more sand for the cacti than I did for the succulents.
Step Three: Plant those plants
IMPORTANT: Please wear gardening gloves when you plant the cacti. I stupidly did not and really regret that decision. Ouch.
Make small indentations in the sand and dirt where you want the plants to go. Carefully remove plants from their container by grabbing them gently, flipping them upside-down, and very gently pulling them from the container. Massage and tap the roots to remove any excess dirt taking care not to damage the roots. Place the plants in the holes and cover them with more sand if necessary. I was able to fit one cactus, and 3 succulents in each bowl. It will depend on the size of the plants you receive. I put the remaining plants in other containers.
(You can get really creative with what you pot them in. These are old candle jars)
Water the plants per the care instructions. Succulents and cacti do not need to be watered often. Usually, I just mist them, but they will probably thirsty after their journey. I got the cutest little vintage glass mister that blends perfectly with my decorations. It also delivers the perfect amount of water for succulents.
Step four: Put it all Together
Carefully place the glass bowls into the hanging planter. You can add other decorations like shells, rocks, figurines, or crystals to jazz it up a bit. I put s seashell in with my cactus to help blend my love of both beachy and southwest aesthetics. Finally, step back and enjoy your new decoration and plant babies!
I would love to see how yours turns out! Please share it with me by following my Instagram @_sincerelylovely, posting a pic on your feed or story, and tagging me.
* Some of these products were gifted to me by the company, and I do receive a commission on some products. However, I would never endorse anything I didn’t 100% believe in or trust. There are many products I receive that I never talk about or post because frankly, they suck! A lot of these products I was originally gifted, but then loved so much I kept buying them. You can shop all the products in the post below, or through the links in the post.