How to Make Succulent Ornaments

Making Succulent Christmas Ornaments is one of our favorite holiday projects! Not only do they make for unique living decorations to hang on your tree, but they are also AMAZING gifts!

Don’t know what to take to your next White Elephant Party – How about a Succulent Ornament!? You can use 2″ or 4″ plants, even cuttings if you have some, and whip a few of these babies up in no time!

What’s even more awesome about them is that you can re-plant the succulent after the holidays are over and they will continue you to grow! They really are a gift that will keep on giving.

These ornaments are so easy to make – Check out our video and/or follow the detailed steps below, and get cracking on making some of your own!

Supplies

Succulents 2″ & 4″, or cuttings
Hot Glue Gun
Jewelry Wire, 16 or 18 gauge
- Silver, Gold, Copper
Spanish Moss
Needle Nose Wire Cutters
Scissors
Round Handle, 1/2″ – 3/4″ in diameter
- (We used a socket wrench handle)

Step 1 – Make your Hooks

We like to use either 16 or 18 gauge jewelry wire. It is thicker and more malleable, easier to bend and work with.

Start by cutting a length of wire about 6-8″ long. Take your wire and wrap it around your round handle two times, holding the end tight with your thumb. Once you’ve gone around two times, bend the remaining wire straight up the handle.

Remove the wire from the handle and pinch down any sharp pieces with your pliers.

Start to make a loop at the top of the straight piece by turning the wire over with your pliers, and then pinch the loop tight.

Finish by bending the top piece backwards over your finger and putting a crook in the neck of the hook.

Your hook does not have to look perfect, you just want it to be able to loop around your succulent’s stem and hang from a branch.

Your hook should be malleable enough to twist and bend the stem to adjust.

*You can make your hooks as long or as short as you want, just cut more or less wire to start.

Step 2 – Prep your Succulent

Prep your succulent by removing the root ball and any dried up leaves.

You might encounter some succulents that don’t have much of a stem sticking out the back. This is okay, just remove some of the healthy leaves from around the back until you have at least 1/4″ of stem exposed for the hook to attach to.

Others will have a decent size stem, and if so, you can trim it down to be 1/2″ – 1/4″ long.

If your succulent plant was recently watered and is wet like ours were, be sure to dry the back with a towel so that the glue will be sure to stick.

Step 3 – Attach Hook to Succulent

To attach the hook to your succulent, put hot glue all around the stem of your plant.

The hot glue will not hurt the plant or keep it from shooting out new roots. The roots will find their way, don’t worry!

Take your hook and slide it over the stem into the glue so it is nice and snug.

Add more glue around the loop of your hook and cover the whole back with moss. Tucking and covering so that everything is hidden and attached well.

Step 4 – Clean, Hang, & Enjoy

Once your glue has dried, trim the excess moss, dust off any dirt from your succulent, and it’s ready to go!

When hanging your ornament, you can gently adjust the hook by twisting and/or straightening the stem to make the succulent hang straight. You can also pinch the hook at the top tight to be sure that it doesn’t slip off your branch.

Care:

If you’d like, you can mist the back of your succulent ornament about once a week with water to moisten the moss and encourage root growth. Otherwise, you can just wait til the season is over, and replant it before you water it again. Most succulents will be able to draw off the water in their leaves for the 4-6 weeks you have them hanging on your tree. Others might shrivel more easily and need a little more water to stay looking fresh.

When the holidays are over and you’re ready to re-plant your succulent, simply remove the hook and moss from the back by gently pulling. Your succulent will probably already have new roots growing. Go ahead and stick your plant right back in some dirt and let it do its thing.