How to: Seashell Succulents Planter

I love living by the ocean and the availability of beach décor all over the place. While roaming around Pinterest awhile ago I saw a picture of a beautiful seashell filled with succulents and had to make one! Today I want to tell you how you can make your very own seashell succulents planter.

Beach Decor

You would think that by living near the ocean I would get plenty of beach time but it is never enough! I think that is why beach themes and beach decor are so popular to those living near the coast.

Seeing a large seashell reminds of my childhood and when my grandparents gifted me with a huge seashell. They told me if I put the shell near my ear that I could hear the waves of the ocean. It definitely sounded like waves!

I’ve been wanting to bring those memories back and thought it best by making a succulent planter out of a seashell.

Seashell Succulents Planter Supplies

Anyone can make one of these. Mine only took minutes to make. Below is a list of supplies you will need. I will also go into more detail about each supply below this list.

You will need:

• seashell
• succulents
• soil
• water
• drill

Seashell

I bought my seashell at one of the souvenir shops on the nearby pier. If you don’t live near an ocean don’t worry, there are other places you can purchase a seashell from. You can find seashells online at a variety of stores and at local hobby stores.

Keep in mind how many succulents you want to put in your seashell. If you want to start small, then get a shell that will fit at least one succulent. If you really enjoy this project, you can always get a larger seashell and more succulents next time.

Succulents

Armstrong Garden Centers has the best local variety of succulents available, in my opinion. I have found many unique looking succulents here. When I got one of Armstrong’s emails announcing a sale, I went to check out their supply of succulents and came home with three.

These succulents were the smallest available ones. Each are a different type of desert plant. The pointy one is a beautiful hybrid aloe vera. The one that looks like a rose is a type of echeveria. The leafy one is a type of cotyledon.

Echeveria types are some of my favorite succulents because they remind me of roses. I have several varieties in my garden. To get more ideas on what types of succulents to buy, check out An Urban Oasis-Types of Succulent Plants.

Soil

Another important supply you will need is soil. For succulents, I recommend using Miracle-Gro Cactus Palm and Citrus Potting Mix. The soil is great for succulents since it drains quickly.

I ended up using Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, since I had some leftover from other gardening projects. This soil works great with a variety of plants, and I’ve used it with succulents in the past with no problems.

Miracle-Gro anything works great. Another product I suggest using in the future is Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food.

Water

You will, of course, need water, but not too much. We don’t have resources to have a hose, so I have a watering can. Succulents are water wise, which means they don’t need much water to survive, which makes them the perfect plant for this arid California climate.

Drill

You may want to drill a hole at the bottom of your shell so that excess water can drain through. Water left sitting at the bottom of a container can rot the roots, ultimately killing your plants.

Steps

So, now you have your seashell, succulents, water, soil, and drill. You are now ready to create your seashell succulents planter!

If you haven’t already, drill a small hole in your shell. Make sure the seashell is nice and clean. Mine had some sand in it that had to be cleaned out.

If you are planting more than one succulent, you will want to experiment with the placement and design of your plants. You can look up pictures or place your succulents anyway you like. I recommend placing your succulents in the shell within their original containers so that the area does not become a dirty mess.

Once you are happy with the design of your succulents, place some dirt in the shell. You may need to pack the soil in, based on what type of seashell you are using.

Now, its time to take your succulents out of their original containers. Do this carefully so that the plant does not come apart from the soil it was packed in.

This is also a good time to let that little plant know it can grow beyond the container it came in. To do this, gently loosen the roots at the bottom.

Place the succulents in the soil. I had to pack mine in so that they stayed in place and to make room for the other succulents I wanted to put in. Once all succulents are in place, add some more dirt and water the plants.

You now have your very own seashell succulents planter!

Cost

The seashell I bought was only $10. Each succulent was about $2.40, so all three cost a little over $7, which brings the grand total of my project to $17. Not bad for someone who likes gardening on a budget!

The other supplies I already had, but you can buy a good sized bag of soil for under $10. If you don’t have a drill available, these can cost pretty cheap as well and can be used for future projects.

Variations

I’ve seen several variations of this project.  A variety of shells and succulents can be used. Instead of adding more soil on top, you may want to place rocks for an added dimension.

The possibilities are endless! I had so much fun with this project that I am definitely going to make succulents planter again.

If this is your first gardening project then congratulations!  Want to start your own garden? Check out How to Start a Garden From Scratch.

How did you succulents planter come out? Did you enjoy the project? What step would you add or take away?

Write me any suggestions or comments below that you discovered with this project. I hope you enjoy your brand new seashell succulents planter!